Storage router and method for providing virtual local storage
First Claim
1. A method for configuring virtual local storage comprising:
- configuring a map at a management station that maps between host devices and remote storage devices remote from the host devices, wherein the map is configured for a routing device that implements access controls for storage space on the remote storage devices in accordance with the map and allows access from host devices connected to a serial transport medium to the remote storage devices connected to the second transport medium through using low level, block protocols; and
communicating the map from the management station to the routing device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fiber Channel devices. A plurality of Fiber Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fiber Channel transport medium (52), and a plurality of SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) are connected to a SCSI bus transport medium (54) The storage router (56) interfaces between the Fiber Channel transport medium (52) and the SCSI bus transport medium (54). The storage router (56) maps between the workstations (58) and the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) and implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64). The storage router (56) then allows access from the workstations (58) to the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and the access controls.
231 Citations
61 Claims
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1. A method for configuring virtual local storage comprising:
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configuring a map at a management station that maps between host devices and remote storage devices remote from the host devices, wherein the map is configured for a routing device that implements access controls for storage space on the remote storage devices in accordance with the map and allows access from host devices connected to a serial transport medium to the remote storage devices connected to the second transport medium through using low level, block protocols; and communicating the map from the management station to the routing device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of configuring virtual local storage comprising:
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connecting a management station to a routing device; establishing a set of configuration information that associates a host device connected to a serial transport medium and at least a portion of a remote storage device connected to a second transport medium for controlling access to the at least a portion of the remote storage device; sending the configuration information from the management station to a routing device; and storing the configuration information in a memory at the routing device, wherein the routing device is configured to receive a low level block protocol request from the host device to the remote storage device and control access between the host device and the remote storage device in accordance with the configuration information and forward the low level block protocol request to the at least a portion of the remote storage device if the host device is determined to be allowed access to the at least a portion of the remote storage device according to the configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19)
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13. A system for providing virtual local storage on remote storage devices to host devices connected to a serial transport medium comprising:
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a management station, the management station operable to allow a user to define a map for a routing device that controls access from host devices connected to a serial transport medium to remote storage devices connected to a second transport medium and allows access from host devices connected to the serial transport medium to the remote storage devices connected to the second transport medium through using low level, block protocols; a routing device coupled to the management station via a management transport medium, the routing device operable to; receive the map from the management station and store the map in a memory; implement access controls for storage space on the remote storage devices in accordance with the map; and allow access from host devices to the remote storage devices through using native low level block protocols. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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20. A management station comprising:
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an interface to connect to a management transport medium; a processor; and a computer readable medium accessible by the processor, the computer readable medium storing a set of computer instructions comprising instructions executable by the processor to; provide an interface to allow a user to modify a set of configuration information for a routing device, wherein the configuration information maps between host devices connected to a serial transport medium and remote storage devices connected a second transport medium and is configured for use by the routing device to implement access controls in accordance with the configuration information and to allow access from host devices to the remote storage devices through using native low level block protocol; update the set of configuration information based on input from the user; and communicate the set of configuration information to the routing device over the management transport medium. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A software product comprising a computer readable medium storing a set of computer instructions comprising instructions executable by a processor to:
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provide an interface to allow a user to modify a set of configuration information for a routing device that maps between host devices connected to a first transport medium and remote storage devices connected a second transport medium, wherein the set of configuration information defines a map that maps the host devices to the remote storage devices and that is for use by the routing device to implement access controls to allow access from host devices to the remote storage devices through using native low level block protocol; and communicate the set of configuration information to the routing device. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A storage network comprising:
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a first transport medium; a second transport medium, wherein at least one of the first transport medium or second transport medium is a serial transport medium; a set of hosts connected to the first transport medium, wherein each host is configured to issue requests according to a native low level block protocol; a set of remote storage devices connected to the second transport medium; a routing device configured to; maintain a set of configuration information that associates hosts connected to the transport medium with storage space on remote storage devices connected to the second transport medium and allow modification of the configuration information by a remote storage device; provide virtual local storage to the host devices in a manner so that the remote storage devices appear to the host devices so as to have the appearance of locally attached storage; receive requests from the host devices according to the native low level block protocol; and for a request received from an issuing host, access a set of configuration information and forward using a low level block protocol the request to a remote storage device if the issuing host is associated with the requested storage space according to the configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A storage network, comprising:
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a first transport medium; a second transport medium, wherein at least one of the first or second transport medium is a serial transport medium; a plurality of workstations connected to the first transport medium; a plurality of remote storage devices connected to the second transport medium; and a routing device interfacing between the first transport medium and the second transport medium, the routing device providing virtual local storage on the remote storage devices to the workstations and operable; to map between the workstations and the remote storage devices; to implement access controls for storage space on the remote storage devices; and to allow access from the workstations to the remote storage devices using low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and access controls. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A storage network method, comprising:
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at a workstation connected to a serial transport medium, sending a communication containing a command according to a native low level block protocol to virtual local storage; at a routing device interfacing between the first transport medium and a second transport medium; mapping between workstations connected to the serial transport medium and remote storage devices connected to the second transport medium; receiving the communication from the workstation; determining if the workstation is associated storage space on the remote storage devices; and forwarding the native low level block command to an appropriate remote storage device if the workstation is associated with storage space on that remote storage device; and at a remote storage device connected to the routing device, returning a response according to the native low level block protocol if the command is received. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51)
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52. A data storage gateway capable of interfacing with and providing connectivity and mapping between a serial interface connected to a first transport medium and a second interface connected to a second transport medium, the data storage gateway comprising:
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a set of remote storage devices; a configurable gateway device in communication with the remote storage device, the routing device configured to; maintain a set of configuration information that associates each of a set of hosts with a subset of storage space on the set of remote storage devices; present to each host device the subsets of storage space associated with that host device according to the configuration information as if the subsets of storage space are locally attached to that host device; implement access controls to the storage space in accordance with configuration information; and allow each host to communicate with remote storage devices containing subsets of storage space associated with that host using a native low level block protocol. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 61)
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56. The data storage gateway 52, wherein the remote storage devices comprise Fibre Channel storage devices.
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57. The data storage gateway 52, wherein the remote storage devices comprise ATA storage devices.
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58. The data storage gateway 52, wherein the remote storage devices comprise SATA storage devices.
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59. The data storage gateway 52, wherein the remote storage devices comprise SAS storage devices.
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60. The data storage gateway 52, wherein the serial transport medium is an Ethernet transport medium operable to transport iSCSI protocol communications.
Specification