Methods and apparatus for establishing communications with a data storage system
First Claim
1. In a computer system, a method comprising:
- receiving, from a data storage system, a request to establish a communications session with the data storage system;
providing data storage system search criteria including user authentication information to a connection monitor computer system to produce a set of data storage system identities that meet the data storage system search criteria;
receiving a set of data storage system identities including identities of data storage systems to which a user, identified by the user authentication information, is allowed to establish a packet communications session;
allowing the user to select at least one data storage system identity from the set of data storage system identities;
establishing a first packet communications session from the computer system to a data communications device capable of communicating with the data storage system;
establishing a second packet communications session from the data communications device to a service processor associated with the data storage system; and
performing packet communications between the computer system and the service processor associated with the data storage system using the first and second packet communications sessions.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Mechanisms and techniques allow for the establishment of secure, authenticated packet-based communications sessions between a computer system and a processor, such as a service processor, within a data storage system. The computer system is configured with a connection process connection process that operates under user control and that can establish a first packet communications session to a data communications device such as a router within a first computer network such as a vendor computer network. The connection process connection process can then cause the data communications device to establish a second packet communications session between the data communications device and the processor within the data storage system in a secure, reliable and authenticated manner. Using a unique handshaking technique, the connection process connection process in the computer system, the data communications device, and a service process operating in a service processor on the data storage system can negotiate the establishment of the packet communications sessions to allow applications in these components of to make use of standardized communications techniques such as TCP/IP.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. In a computer system, a method comprising:
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receiving, from a data storage system, a request to establish a communications session with the data storage system; providing data storage system search criteria including user authentication information to a connection monitor computer system to produce a set of data storage system identities that meet the data storage system search criteria; receiving a set of data storage system identities including identities of data storage systems to which a user, identified by the user authentication information, is allowed to establish a packet communications session; allowing the user to select at least one data storage system identity from the set of data storage system identities; establishing a first packet communications session from the computer system to a data communications device capable of communicating with the data storage system; establishing a second packet communications session from the data communications device to a service processor associated with the data storage system; and performing packet communications between the computer system and the service processor associated with the data storage system using the first and second packet communications sessions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In a processor in a data storage system, a method for establishing a packet communications session with a computer system, the method comprising:
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sending, to the computer system, a request to establish a communications session with the data storage system, the request including user authentication information needed to establish the communications session; receiving a request to initiate a packet communications session, the request to initiate a packet communications session including the user authentication information; providing data storage system search criteria including user authentication information to a connection monitor computer system to produce a set of data storage system identities that meet the data storage system search criteria; receiving a set of data storage system identities including identities of data storage systems to which a user, identified by the user authentication information, is allowed to establish a packet communications session; allowing the user to select at least one data storage system identity from the set of data storage system identities; providing data storage system address information to an initiator of the request; receiving computer system address information to allow a processor in the data storage system to perform packet communications with the computer system; and establishing a packet communications session with the computer system based on the computer system address information. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including computer program logic instructions encoded thereon that when performed on a computer processor in a computer system, causes the processor to perform the operations of:
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receiving, from a data storage system, a request to establish a communications session with the data storage system, the request including user authentication information needed to establish the communications session; providing data storage system search criteria including user authentication information to a connection monitor computer system to produce a set of data storage system identities that meet the data storage system search criteria; receiving a set of data storage system identities including identities of data storage systems to which a user, identified by the user authentication information, is allowed to establish a packet communications session; establishing a first packet communications session from the computer system to a data communications device capable of communicating with the data storage system; establishing a second packet communications session from the data communications device to a service processor associated with the data storage system; and performing packet communications between the computer system and the service processor associated with the data storage system using the first and second packet communications sessions. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon that when performed on a computer processor in a data storage system, the computer program logic causes the processor to perform the operations of:
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sending, to a computer system, a request to establish a communications session with the data storage system, the request including user authentication information needed to establish the communications session; providing data storage system search criteria including user authentication information to a connection monitor computer system to produce a set of data storage system identities that meet the data storage system search criteria; receiving a set of data storage system identities including identities of data storage systems to which a user, identified by the user authentication information, is allowed to establish a packet communications session; receiving a request to initiate a packet communications session, the request to initiate a packet communications session including the user authentication information; providing data storage system address information to an initiator of the request; receiving computer system address information to allow a processor in the data storage system to perform packet communications with the computer system; and establishing a packet communications session with the computer system based on the computer system address information. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification