Storage area network methods and apparatus with centralized management
US8327004B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
- Duane M. Baldwin
- Paul L. Bradshaw
- Barbara Camacho
- Ron Clark
- Alireza Daryan
- Daniel Graham Douglas
- Roman Druker
- Douglas Paul Dunham
- David W. Groves
- Allen R. Heitman
- Vincent Hoang
- Nancy Lott Hobbs
- Lisa Huston
- Gregory John Knight
- David Lynn Merbach
- Amir Nakhforoush
- Vinh-Thuan Nguyen-Phuc
- Gregory John Tevis
- William Roy Yonker
- Michael L. Lamb
- Raymond M. Swank
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 20, 2006 |
| Grant date | Dec 4, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 4, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L67/1097
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Novel storage area networks (SANs) and methods of operation thereof utilize a plurality of hosts coupled via an interconnect with one or more storage units. A manager device, process or other functionality in communication with a plurality of agent processes, devices or other functionality, each of which is associated with a host. The agents identify attributes of (i) their associated hosts, (ii) interconnect to which that host is coupled, and/or (iii) storage units to which that host is coupled via the interconnect. The manager responds to these attributes identified by the agents to manage the SAN. The manager can be implemented on a first digital data processor and the hosts on further digital data processors. These digital data processors can be coupled via a first network, e.g., an IP or other network, to support communications between the manager and the agents. A second network, e.g., SCSI and/or fiber channel based fabric, separate from the first network, can be utilized as the interconnect between the hosts and the storage devices.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.