Method and apparatus for sharing peripheral devices over a network

• US 6,327,613 B1
• Filed: 01/12/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Adaptec Incorporated (Steel Partners Holdings LP)
• Inventors: McMahon, Maureen, Goshey, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/005,799
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/208, 709/212-213, 709/216-229, 709/236-237, 709/310, 709/320-321, 709/326-327, 707/8-10, 713/200-201
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/82 Protecting input, output or interconnection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/468 Specific access rights for resources, e.g. using capability register
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for transparently sharing peripheral devices over a network. The system includes a first computer having at least one peripheral device, and a second computer that is networked to the first computer. The second computer is configured to send a request to use the at least one peripheral device over the network, and the request is processed to determine whether the second computer has sharing privileges to use the at least one peripheral device. Furthermore, the first computer is configured to grant access to the request of the second computer if the second computer has the sharing privileges that enable access to the at least one peripheral device. In this example, the first computer acts as a Server that can share its peripheral devices, and the second computer acts as a Client that accesses the Server'"'"'s peripheral devices.

Claims

1. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network, comprising:

a first computer having at least one peripheral device connected thereto, the first computer being configured to respond as a server computer;

a second computer networked to the first computer, the second computer being configured to respond as a first client computer and to send a request to use the at least one peripheral device over the network, the request being processed to determine whether the second computer has sharing privileges to the at least one peripheral device, the first computer being configured to grant access to the request of the second computer if the second computer has sharing privileges that enable access to the at least one peripheral device, and, when the second computer has access to the at least one peripheral device, the second computer communicating commands over the network to control the at least one peripheral device that is connected to the first computer;

a third computer networked to the first and second computers, the third computer being configured to respond as a second client computer and to send a request to use the at least one peripheral device over the network, the request being processed to determine whether the third computer has sharing privileges to the at least one peripheral device, the first computer being configured to grant access to the request of the third computer if the third computer has sharing privileges that enable access to the at least one peripheral device, and, when the third computer has access to the at least one peripheral device, the third computer communicating commands over the network to control the at least one peripheral device that is connected to the first computer; and

a wait queue for storing a use request from one of the second and third computers when the at least one peripheral device is in use, wherein, when a use request is stored in the wait queue, the first computer notifies the computer issuing the use request when the at least one peripheral device becomes available.

2. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 1, wherein the sharing of peripheral devices is configured from graphical user interfaces.

3. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 1, wherein the first peripheral device is selected from the group consisting of a scanner, a tape drive, a CD-R drive, a removable drive, and a hard drive.

4. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 1, wherein the commands communicated over the network by the second and third computers to control the at least one peripheral device that is connected to the first computer are SCSI commands.

5. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a second peripheral device connected to the third computer, wherein the third computer is configured to grant the first and second computers access to the second peripheral device if the first and second computers have sharing privileges that enable access to the second peripheral device.

6. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 5, wherein the second peripheral device is selected from the group consisting of a scanner, a tape drive, a CD-R drive, a removable drive, and a hard drive.

7. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network, comprising:

a first computer having at least one peripheral device connected thereto; and

a second computer being networked to the first computer, the second computer being configured to send a request to use the at least one peripheral device over the network, the request being processed to determine whether the second computer has sharing privileges to the at least one peripheral device, the first computer being configured to grant access to the request of the second computer if the second computer has the sharing privileges that enable access to the at least one peripheral device, and the second computer communicating commands over the network to control the at least one peripheral device connected to the first computer.

8. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 7, wherein the first computer acts as a Server and the second computer acts as a Client.

9. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 8, wherein the first computer is configured to allow a user to set the sharing privileges for the at least one peripheral device.

10. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 9, wherein when the second computer is connected to the first computer and the second computer has sharing privileges to share the at least one peripheral device, the second computer can use the at least one peripheral device as if the at least one peripheral device were connected to the second computer.

11. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 10, wherein if the second computer is connected to the first computer and the second computer does not use the at least one peripheral device for a time-out period, the second computer is disconnected from the first computer.

12. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 11, wherein the second computer is disconnected after the time-out period only if another computer is waiting in a wait queue.

13. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 12, wherein when the second computer is disconnected after the time-out period, the second computer will send a message to the another computer informing the another computer that access to the at least one peripheral device is now allowed.

14. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 8, wherein the second computer acts as a first Client and the network includes a third computer that acts as a second Client, and the system further comprises:

a wait queue for storing a use request from the third computer when the at least one peripheral device is in use.

15. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 14, wherein when the use request from the third computer is stored in the wait queue, the first computer is configured to notify the third computer when the at least one peripheral device is no longer in use.

16. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 8, wherein the at least one peripheral device is a SCSI device.

17. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 16, wherein the at least one peripheral device is selected from the group consisting of a scanner, a tape drive, a CD-R drive, a removable drive, and a hard drive.

18. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 7, wherein the commands communicated over the network by the second computer to control the at least one peripheral device that is connected to the first computer are SCSI commands.

19. A system for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 7, wherein the system further comprises:

a third computer that is networked to the first computer and the second computer, and

a SCSI peripheral device connected to the third computer; and

wherein the third computer acts as a Server that can grant use privileges to use the SCSI peripheral device, and the first computer acts as a first Client and the second computer acts as a second Client that can gain access to the SCSI peripheral device.

20. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network, the network having a first computer that has a first host adapter and a first SCSI peripheral device connected to the first host adapter, comprising:

receiving a request to use the first SCSI peripheral device from a second computer that is connected to the network;

determining whether the second computer has access privileges to use the first SCSI peripheral device; and

if the second computer has access privileges to use the first SCSI peripheral device, connecting the second computer to the first SCSI peripheral device so that the second computer can communicate commands to the first SCSI peripheral device.

21. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

determining whether a third computer is using the first SCSI peripheral device.

22. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 21, wherein when the third computer is using the first SCSI peripheral device, the request to use the first SCSI peripheral device is placed in a queue.

23. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

sending a message to the second computer from the first computer, the message being configured to inform a user of the second computer that the first SCSI peripheral device is available for use.

24. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 23, wherein the first computer responds as a server computer, and the second computer responds as a client computer.

25. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 24, wherein the third computer is configured to respond as a client computer, and the first computer is capable of sharing the first SCSI peripheral device with the second computer and the third computer.

26. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 25, wherein the first SCSI peripheral device is configured receive SCSI commands from either the second computer or the third computer.

27. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 20, wherein the first computer can set sharing privileges to the first host adapter.

28. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 27, wherein when the first computer denies sharing privileges to the first host adapter, a peripheral device that is connected to the first host adapter is not shared over the network with the second computer.

29. A method for sharing peripheral devices over a network as recited in claim 20, wherein the sharing of peripheral devices is configured from graphical user interfaces.