System and method for automatically and dynamically changing an address associated with a device disposed in a fire channel environment

• US 5,954,796 A
• Filed: 02/11/1997
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: McGowen, Michael E., Gunlock, Richard D., McCarty, James F.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Ai T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DZUNG C
• Application Number:
  US08/798,962
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.81, 395/200.5, 395/200.51, 395/200.75, 370/241, 370/242, 370/244, 370/401, 370/404, 370/475, 709/220, 709/222, 709/221, 709/250, 709/251, 709/252, 709/227, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/433 with asynchronous transmission, e.g. token ring, register insertion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425

Abstract

A computer system with a plurality of devices compatible with the Fibre Channel Protocol, which computer system is provided with the capability to dynamically alter the configuration of the plurality of devices without a system reset, or without additional software overhead. This capability is realized by providing unique mapping relationships between low-level Fibre Channel information structures related to the devices and upper-level link elements compatible with an Operating System associated with the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically altering the loop address of a device on a Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

determining an information structure related to said device upon a loop reset;

keeping track of said information structure as said device moves around said Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop;

associating said information structure with a unique logical link element, said unique logical link element being operable with an Operating System for said computer system, said associating step being performed by association means; and

updating said association means responsive to a change in said information structure.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining step comprises ascertaining an AL_-- PA, a Node_-- Name, a Port_-- Name, a Device_-- Type and a Device_-- Function, related to said device.

3. In a computer system operable with an Operating System (OS), the computer system having a Fibre Channel (FC) communication environment, which environment includes a plurality of FC devices, at least one of said FC devices being an initiator, a method for dynamically controlling the configuration of said plurality of FC devices, comprising the steps of:

determining an FC-specific information structure related to each of said plurality of FC devices;

associating said FC-specific information structure for each of said plurality of FC devices with a logical link element compatible with said Operating System, said associating step being effectuated by association means; and

updating said association means responsive to a reconfiguration of said FC environment.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said determining step is performed by said initiator responsive to a reset.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said determining step comprises ascertaining a physical address for each of said plurality of FC devices.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said determining step comprises ascertaining a World_-- Wide_-- Name for each of said plurality of FC devices.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein said ascertaining step comprises identifying at least one of a Port_-- Name and a Node_-- Name for each of said plurality of FC devices.

8. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said determining step comprises ascertaining a device_-- type for each of said plurality of FC devices.

9. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said associating step comprises creating a unique BUS_-- TARGET_-- LUN nexus for each of said plurality of FC devices.

10. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said updating step comprises deleting a BUS_-- TARGET_-- LUN responsive to said reconfiguration of said FC environment.

11. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said updating step comprises creating a new BUS_-- TARGET_-- LUN responsive to said reconfiguration of said FC environment.

12. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said updating step comprises modifying said FC-specific information structure responsive to said reconfiguration of said FC environment.

13. In a computer system operable with an Operating System (OS), the computer system having a Fibre Channel (FC) communication environment, which environment includes a plurality of FC devices, at least one of said FC devices being an initiator, a system for dynamically controlling channel communication comprising:

means for determining FC-specific information related to each of said plurality of FC devices;

means for associating said FC-specific information for each of said plurality of FC devices with a logical link compatible with said Operating System; and

means for updating said associating means responsive to a reconfiguration of said FC environment.