SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SETTING THE OPERATING SYSTEM PROPERTIES FOR A STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20170060415A1
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Vajravel, Gokul Thiruchengode
• Granted Patent: US 9,904,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

In certain circumstances it is desirable to restrict access to a SCSI storage device (physical or virtual) to a particular user associated with a specific session identifier. By utilizing a specialized filter driver, certain operating system parameters may be set or modified even though the miniport driver cannot access the device object created by the storport driver for the storage device. The filter driver may issue custom commands to retrieve storage device specific information and use that information to set or modify one or more operating system commands to restrict the access to the storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a resource query request by a filter driver for a detected storage device, wherein the storage device has an assigned simple computer system interface (SCSI) address;

parsing the resource query request for a simple computer system information (SCSI) address;

issuing a custom input/out control (IOCTL) command by the filter driver to a miniport driver, wherein the IOCTL command comprises the SCSI address;

receiving one or more operating system (O/S) properties;

determining if the one or more O/S properties are available;

setting at least one of the one or more O/S properties; and

passing the resource query request to one or more lower layers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the SCSI address is valid.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, from the miniport driver, a data structure associated with the SCSI address.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining if the data structure comprises one or more of the one or more O/S properties.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the data structure is stored in a logical unit extension associated with the miniport driver.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining further comprises:

providing to the filter driver from the miniport driver the one or more O/S properties available from a data structure of the miniport driver associated with the SCSI address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more O/S properties comprises a session identifier, and wherein the step of setting comprises setting the session identifier corresponding to the SCSI address such that a device corresponding to the SCSI address is not available to any other session.

8. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

receive a resource query request by a filter driver for a detected storage device, wherein the storage device has an assigned simple computer system interface (SCSI) address;

parse the resource query request for a simple computer system information (SCSI) address;

issue a custom input/out control (IOCTL) command by the filter driver to a miniport driver, wherein the IOCTL command comprises the SCSI address;

receive one or more operating system (O/S) properties;

determine if the one or more O/S properties are available;

set at least one of the one or more O/S properties; and

pass the resource query request to one or more lower layers.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

determine if the SCSI address is valid.

10. The media of claim 8, wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

retrieve, from the miniport driver, a data structure associated with the SCSI address.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

determine if the data structure comprises one or more of the one or more O/S properties.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein the one or more characteristics include access permissions for one or more users.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the data structure is stored in a logical unit extension associated with the miniport driver.

14. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

receive a resource query request by a filter driver for a detected storage device, wherein the storage device has an assigned simple computer system interface (SCSI) address;

parse the resource query request for a simple computer system information (SCSI) address;

issue a custom input/out control (IOCTL) command by the filter driver to a miniport driver, wherein the IOCTL command comprises the SCSI address;

receive one or more operating system (O/S) properties;

determine if the one or more O/S properties are available;

set at least one of the one or more O/S properties; and

pass the resource query request to one or more lower layers.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processors are further operable when executing instructions to:

determine if the SCSI address is valid.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the processors are further operable when executing instructions to:

retrieve, from the miniport driver, a data structure associated with the SCSI address.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processors are further operable when executing instructions to:

determine if the data structure comprises one or more of the one or more O/S properties.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more characteristics include access permissions for one or more users.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the data structure is stored in a logical unit extension associated with the miniport driver.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more O/S properties comprises a session identifier, and wherein the step of setting comprises setting the session identifier corresponding to the SCSI address such that a device corresponding to the SCSI address is not available to any other session.