Determining a remote device name

• US 7,370,078 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Woodruff, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/862,648
• Time in Patent Office: 2,541 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-219, 709/224, 709236-237, 709/246, 709/245, 709/250, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/631 Small computer system interface [SCSI] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/645 Fibre channel identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus, and signal-bearing media for determining the name of a remotely attached device. A server discovers the devices attached to it and extracts the device names in a first protocol format. The server encodes the device names into a second protocol format. When a client requests a list of supported devices, the server sends the device names found in the second protocol format. The client decodes the names into the second protocol format back into the first protocol format and presents the device names to a host attached to the client. In this way, the host is freed from manually predetermining the device names, and the host need have no knowledge of the server or the second protocol.

Claims

1. A computerized method, comprising:

at a server,

discovering a device attached to the server;

determining a name associated with the device, wherein the name is in a first protocol format;

encoding the name into a second protocol format; and

transmitting the encoded name across a network to a client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the client,

receiving the encoded name in the second protocol format;

decoding the encoded name from the second protocol format into the name in the first protocol format; and

sending the decoded name to a host associated with the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first protocol format is Fibre Channel protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second protocol is iSCSI over TCP/IP.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is attached to the server via a first channel fabric.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the client is attached to the host via a second channel fabric.

7. A server, comprising:

a channel adapter coupled to a device, the channel adapter to discover the device and determine a name associated with the device, wherein the name is in a first protocol format;

an encoder coupled to the channel adapter, the encoder to encode the name into a second protocol format; and

a network adapter coupled to the encoder and to a network, the network adapter to transmit the encoded name across the network to a client.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the first protocol format is Fibre Channel protocol and the second protocol is iSCSI over TCP/IP.

9. The server of claim 7, wherein the device is attached to the server via a channel fabric.

10. A client, comprising:

a network adapter coupled to a network, the network adapter to receive an encoded name in a second protocol format from a server connected across the network;

a decoder coupled to the network adapter, the decoder to decode the encoded name from the second protocol format into a name in a first protocol format; and

a channel adapter coupled to the decoder and to a host, the channel adapter to send the decoded name to the host.

11. The client of claim 10, wherein the first protocol format is Fibre Channel protocol and the second protocol is iSCSI over TCP/IP.

12. The client of claim 10, wherein the client is attached to the host via a channel fabric.

13. The client of claim 10, wherein the client is configured to emulate the device to the host.

14. A system, comprising:

a device;

a server communicatively coupled to the device via a first channel fabric, the server comprising;

a first channel adapter coupled to a device, the first channel adapter to discover the device and determine a name associated with the device, wherein the name is in a first protocol format,

an encoder coupled to the first channel adapter, the encoder to encode the name into a second protocol format, and

a first network adapter coupled to the encoder and to a network, the first network adapter to transmit the encoded name across the network;

a client communicatively coupled to the server via the network, wherein the client comprises;

a second network adapter coupled to the network, the second network adapter to receive the encoded name in the second protocol format from the server,

a decoder coupled to the second network adapter, the decoder to decode the encoded name from the second protocol format into a name in the first protocol format, and

a second channel adapter coupled to the decoder and to a host, the second channel adapter to send the decoded name to a host; and

the host communicatively coupled to the client via a second channel fabric.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the client is configured to emulate the device to the host.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first protocol format is Fibre Channel protocol.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the second protocol is iSCSI over TCP/IP.

18. A machine-readable medium bearing instructions that, when executed by a server, cause the server to:

discover a device attached to a server;

determine a name associated with the device, wherein the name is in a first protocol format;

encode the name into a second protocol format; and

transmit the encoded name across a network for a client.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the device is attached to the server via a channel fabric.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first protocol format is Fibre Channel protocol.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second protocol is iSCSI over TCP/IP.

22. A machine-readable medium bearing instructions that, when executed by a client, cause the client to:

receive an encoded name in a second protocol format across a network from a server;

decode the encoded name from the second protocol format into a name in a first protocol format; and

send the decoded name to a host associated with the client.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the client is attached to the host via a channel fabric.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the first protocol format is Fibre Channel protocol.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the second protocol is iSCSI over TCP/IP.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

providing at a server,

means for discovering a device attached to the server;

means for determining a name associated with the device, wherein the name is in a first protocol format;

means for encoding the name into a second protocol format; and

means for transmitting the encoded name across a network to a client.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

providing at the client,

means for receiving the encoded name in the second protocol format from the server;

means for decoding the encoded name from the second protocol format into the name in the first protocol format; and

means for sending the decoded name to a host associated with the client.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first protocol format is Fibre Channel protocol.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second protocol is iSCSI over TCP/IP.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the device is attached to the server via a first channel fabric.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the client is attached to the host via a second channel fabric.