Storage-system-based driver distribution apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A method for distributing drivers from a storage system to one or more connected host systems, the method comprising;
- maintaining, in a storage system, a driver database containing drivers for different host systems, the drivers enabling the different host systems to communicate with the storage system;
receiving, from a specific host system, a request for a latest driver to enable communication between the specific host system and the storage system, the request identifying a server type and operating system (OS) type associated with the specific host system;
performing the following in response to receiving the request;
looking up, by the storage system, the latest driver in the driver database for the server type and OS type associated with the specific host system;
in the event the latest driver is found in the driver database, retrieving the latest driver from the driver database;
in the event the latest driver is not found in the driver database, downloading, by the storage system, the latest driver from a location external to the storage system for storage in the driver database; and
transmitting the latest driver from the storage system to the specific host system for installation thereon.
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Abstract
A method for distributing drivers from a storage system to one or more host systems includes maintaining, in a storage system, a driver database containing drivers for different host systems. The drivers enable the different host systems to effectively communicate with the storage system. The method further determines whether a specific host system is configured with an appropriate driver. In the event the specific host system is not configured with the appropriate driver, the method retrieves the appropriate driver from the driver database. The method then transmits the appropriate driver from the storage system to the specific host system for installation thereon. By using the storage system as a central repository for the latest device drivers, the method ensures that connected host systems are always configured with the latest drivers. A corresponding apparatus, system, and computer program product are also disclosed herein.
17 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for distributing drivers from a storage system to one or more connected host systems, the method comprising;
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maintaining, in a storage system, a driver database containing drivers for different host systems, the drivers enabling the different host systems to communicate with the storage system; receiving, from a specific host system, a request for a latest driver to enable communication between the specific host system and the storage system, the request identifying a server type and operating system (OS) type associated with the specific host system; performing the following in response to receiving the request; looking up, by the storage system, the latest driver in the driver database for the server type and OS type associated with the specific host system; in the event the latest driver is found in the driver database, retrieving the latest driver from the driver database; in the event the latest driver is not found in the driver database, downloading, by the storage system, the latest driver from a location external to the storage system for storage in the driver database; and transmitting the latest driver from the storage system to the specific host system for installation thereon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for distributing drivers from a storage system to one or more connected host systems, the apparatus comprising;
a plurality of modules implemented in at least one of hardware and software operating hardware, the modules comprising; a maintenance module to maintain, in a storage system, a driver database containing drivers for different host systems, the drivers enabling the different host systems to communicate with the storage system; a search module to receive, from a specific host system, a request for a latest driver to enable communication between the specific host system and the storage system, the request identifying a server type and operating system (OS) type associated with the specific host system; the search module further configured to look up the latest driver in the driver database for the server type and OS type associated with the specific host system; a retrieval module to retrieve the latest driver from the driver database in the event the latest driver is found in the driver database; a download module to, in response to receiving the request and in the event the latest driver is not found in the driver database, download the latest driver to the storage system from a location external to the storage system for storage in the driver database; and a transmission module to transmit the latest driver from the storage system to the specific host system for installation thereon. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer program product to distribute drivers from a storage system to one or more connected host systems, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied therein, the computer-usable program code comprising:
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computer-usable program code to maintain, in a storage system, a driver database containing drivers for different host systems, the drivers enabling the different host systems to communicate with the storage system; computer-usable program code to receive, from a specific host system, a request for a latest driver to enable communication between the specific host system and the storage system, the request identifying a server type and operating system (OS) type associated with the specific host system; computer-usable program code to perform the following in response to receiving the request; look up the latest driver in the driver database for the server type and OS type associated with the specific host system; in the event the latest driver is found in the driver database, retrieve the latest driver from the driver database; in the event the latest driver is not found in the driver database, download the latest driver to the storage system from a location external to the storage system for storage in the driver database; and transmit the latest driver from the storage system to the specific host system for installation thereon. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system comprising;
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a storage system; a plurality of host systems connected to the storage system, each host system comprising at least one processor; a driver database within the storage system and containing drivers for the plurality of different host systems, the drivers enabling the different host systems to communicate with the storage system; the storage system configured to receive, from a specific host system, a request for a latest driver to enable communication between the specific host system and the storage system, the request identifying a server type and operating system (OS) type associated with the specific host system; the storage system further configured to perform the following in response to receiving the request; look up the latest driver in the driver database for the server type and OS type associated with the specific host system; retrieve the latest driver from the driver database in the event the latest driver is found in the driver database; in the event the latest driver is not found in the driver database, download the latest driver from a location external to the storage system for storage in the driver database; and transmit the latest driver to the specific host system for installation thereon.
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Specification