SCSI-based storage area network having a SCSI router that routes traffic between SCSI and IP networks

• US 7,437,477 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bakke, Mark A., De Groote, Stephen P., Muchow, James D., Kuik, Timothy J., Johnson, Craig A., Haapala, Clayton Stuart, Thompson, David Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US11/622,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 719/326, 719/327, 710/11, 710/62, 710/72, 710/305, 370/466, 370/467, 709/238, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/238
• 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 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A system and method for accessing Storage Area Networks over an IP network. A SCSI request is generated and encapsulated in one or more IP packets. The encapsulated SCSI request is routed over an IP network and received by a storage router. The storage router extracts the SCSI request from the one or more IP packets and routes the extracted SCSI request through a virtual SCSI router to the storage area network.

Claims

1. A storage router, comprising:

a management module having a management interface, wherein the management interface receives commands and wherein the management module configures the storage router as a function of the received commands;

an IP network interface;

a SCSI network interface capable of transferring data on a storage network running a SCSI protocol; and

a SCSI router, wherein the SCSI router includes means for receiving encapsulated SCSI packets from the IP network interface, means for extracting the SCSI packet from the encapsulated SCSI packet and means for forwarding the SCSI packet to the SCSI network interface, and means for executing a discovery process to determine devices connected to the storage network;

wherein the SCSI router maps physical storage devices to iSCSI targets.

2. The storage router of claim 1, wherein the management module includes a high availability interface.

3. The storage router of claim 1, wherein the management interface receives commands via the IP network interface.

4. The storage router of claim 1, wherein the SCSI network interface includes a Fibre Channel interface.

5. A storage router, comprising:

a management module having a management interface, wherein the management interface receives commands and wherein the management module configures the storage router as a function of the received commands;

an IP network interface;

a SCSI network interface capable of transferring data on a storage network running a SCSI protocol; and

a plurality of virtual SCSI routers, wherein each virtual SCSI router includes means for receiving encapsulated SCSI packets from the IP network interface, means for extracting the SCSI packet from the encapsulated SCSI packet and means for forwarding the SCSI packet to the SCSI network interface and means for executing a discovery process to determine devices connected to the storage network;

wherein each virtual SCSI router maps physical storage devices to iSCSI targets.

6. The storage router of claim 5, wherein the SCSI network interface includes an iSCSI interface.

7. The storage router of claim 5, wherein the management module includes a high availability interface.

8. The storage router of claim 5, wherein the management interface receives commands via the IP network interface.

9. The storage router of claim 5, wherein the SCSI network interface includes a parallel SCSI interface.

10. A computer system capable of communicating across an IP network, comprising:

a computer, wherein the computer includes a network interface capable of transferring data across the IP network; and

a storage router, wherein the storage router includes;

a management module having a management interface, wherein the management interface receives commands and wherein the management module configures the storage router as a function of the received commands;

an IP network interface;

a SCSI network interface for connecting to a storage network running a SCSI protocol;

a means for executing a discovery process to determine devices connected to the storage network; and

a virtual SCSI router, wherein the virtual SCSI router receives encapsulated SCSI packets from the computer via the IP network interface, extracts the SCSI packet from the encapsulated SCSI packet and forwards the SCSI packet to the SCSI network interface;

wherein the virtual SCSI router maps physical storage devices to iSCSI targets.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the management module includes a high availability interface.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the management interface receives commands via the IP network interface.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the storage router is coupled between a Gigabit Ethernet interface and a Fibre Channel interface and configured to perform as an IPv4 router.

14. A method of accessing data stored on a storage network, comprising:

inserting an iSCSI driver in the protocol stack of a server;

generating a SCSI request within the server and passing the SCSI request to the iSCSI driver;

executing instructions in the iSCSI driver to encapsulate the SCSI request in one or more IP packets;

routing the encapsulated SCSI request over an IP network;

receiving the encapsulated SCSI request;

extracting the SCSI request from the one or more IP packets; and

routing the SCSI request through a virtual SCSI router to the storage network, wherein routing includes mapping physical storage devices to iSCSI targets.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein routing the SCSI request through a virtual router includes executing a discovery process to determine devices connected to the storage network.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the encapsulated SCSI request includes verifying that the encapsulated SCSI request was received at a predefined IP network interface.

17. A storage router system having a plurality of storage routers, including two or more managed storage routers, wherein each of the managed storage routers comprises:

a management module having a management interface, wherein the management interface includes a high availability interface, wherein the management module receives commands via the management interface and configures the storage router as a function of the received commands;

an IP network interface;

a SCSI network interface capable of transferring data on a storage network running a SCSI protocol; and

a SCSI router, wherein the SCSI router includes means for receiving encapsulated SCSI packets from the IP network interface, means for extracting the SCSI packet from the encapsulated SCSI packet and means for forwarding the SCSI packet to the SCSI network interface and means for executing a discovery process to determine devices connected to the storage network;

wherein the high availability interface of each managed storage router is communicatively connected to the high availability interface of each of the other managed storage routers; and

wherein the SCSI router maps physical storage devices to iSCSI targets.

18. The storage router system of claim 17, wherein the management module includes a high availability interface.

19. The storage router system of claim 17, wherein the management interface receives commands via the IP network interface.

20. The storage router system of claim 17, wherein the SCSI network interface includes a Fibre Channel interface.