CREATING AND/OR MANAGING META-DATA FOR DATA STORAGE DEVICES USING A PACKET SWITCH APPLIANCE

• US 20100325178A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gigamon Incorporated (Elliott Capital Advisors LP)
• Original Assignee: Gigamon Systems LLC (Elliott Capital Advisors LP)
• Inventors: WON, King L., LEONG, Patrick Pak Tak
• Granted Patent: US 8,824,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/812
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements

Abstract

A first instrument port of a packet switch appliance is connected to a first data storage device. A second port is configured as a first network port. A first meta-data tag is created for a first block of packets received through the first network port. The first block is sent to the first data storage device through the first instrument port. The first meta-data tag or copy is sent to the first data storage device and/or a storage management server. A second instrument port of the packet switch appliance is connected to a second data storage device. A second meta-data tag is created for a second block of packets received through the first network port. The second block is sent to the second data storage device through the second instrument port. The second meta-data tag or copy is sent to the second data storage device and/or the storage management server.

Claims

1. A method of creating and/or managing meta-data for data storage devices using a first packet switch appliance having a plurality of ports associated with port numbers, wherein a first port on the first packet switch appliance is configured to operate as a first instrument port connected to a first data storage device, wherein a second port on the first packet switch appliance is configured as a first network port connected to a packet-switching network, and wherein a third port on the first packet switch appliance is configured to operate as a second instrument port connected to a second data storage device, the method comprising:

when a first block of one or more packets is received from the packet-switching network through the first network port;

creating a first meta-data tag for the first block;

sending the first block of one or more packets to the first data storage device through the first instrument port; and

sending the first meta-data tag or a copy of the first meta-data tag to the first data storage device; and

when a second block of one or more packets is received from the packet-switching network through the first network port;

creating a second meta-data tag for the second block;

sending the second block of one or more packets to the second data storage device through the second instrument port; and

sending the second meta-data tag or a copy of the second meta-data tag to the second storage device.

2-24. -24. (canceled)