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Storage mapping and partitioning among multiple host processors in the presence of login state changes and host controller replacement

  • US 6,260,120 B1
  • Filed: 06/29/1998
  • Issued: 07/10/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a storage controller for controlling access to data storage, the storage controller having at least one data port for connecting the storage controller into a data network for data transmission between the data storage and host processors in the data network, said method comprising:

  • a) storing in memory a respective specification for each host processor of a respective subset of the data storage to which access by said each host processor is restricted, and storing in the memory associated information identifying said each host processor in association with the respective specification for said each host processor;

    b) receiving at the data port a request for storage access from one of the host processors, the request from said one of the host processors containing an identification of said one of the host processors and a specification of a portion of the data storage to access, and the storage controller responding to the request for storage access by;

    (i) decoding from the request for storage access the identification of said one of the host processors contained in the request for storage access;

    (ii) searching the memory to find associated information identifying the host processor identified by the identification decoded from the request for storage access, and (iii) upon finding associated information identifying the host processor identified by the identification decoded from the request for storage access, accessing in the memory the respective specification which is associated with the associated information identifying the host processor identified by the identification decoded from the request for storage access, in order to determine whether or not the portion of the data storage specified by the request for storage access is contained in the respective subset of the data storage specified by the respective specification which is associated with the associated information identifying the host processor identified by the identification decoded from the request for storage access, and (iv) accessing the specified portion of the data storage upon finding that the portion of the data storage specified by the request for storage access is contained in the respective subset of the data storage specified by the respective specification which is associated with the associated information identifying the host processor identified by the identification decoded from the request for storage access;

    wherein the identification of said one of the host processors contained in the request includes a temporary address assigned by the network to said one of the host processors, and the associated information identifying the host processor identified by the identification decoded from the request for storage access also includes said temporary address assigned by the network to said one of the host processors, and wherein the associated information identifying said each processor includes a name in addition to a temporary address assigned by the network to said each host processor, and the method includes a system administrator providing to the storage controller a request including a specified name and a specified change in the specification of the respective subset of the data storage to which access by the host processor having the name is restricted, and the storage controller responding by changing the specification of the respective subset of the data storage to which access by the host processor having the specified name is restricted.

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