Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-23
2001-03-06
Rinehart, Mark H. (Department: 2756)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
C709S222000, C709S226000, C709S245000, C710S009000, C710S120000, C359S199200, C340S475000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199112
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to computer systems and methods, and more particularly, to a system and method for determining a fibre channel device address on a storage network using the device's fully qualified domain name.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fibre channel is the name of an integrated set of standards being developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Fibre channel is a hybrid channel and networking data transport medium.
Fibre channel topology can be selected depending on system performance requirements or packaging options. Possible fibre channel topologies include point-to-point, crosspoint switched or arbitrated loop. In any of these fibre channel topologies, SCSI storage devices, such as hard disk storage devices and tape devices, can be used to store data that can be retrieved by a software application. In order to save or retrieve data from any particular storage device, that device must first be located.
Conventionally, fibre channel storage devices have been directly attached to a fibre channel I/O bus on a server. Thus, to discover the SCSI device, the server with an application on it can scan its fiber channel I/O buses to discover what storage devices are attached and the application can determine whether the storage device is compatible with the application.
With the relatively recent development of storage area networks incorporating storage routers, locating both the router and storage devices associated with that router presents some challenges. In a storage area network, the I/O bus is geographically distributed throughout the storage area network. Storage routers, to which the storage devices can be locally attached, can be moved from one physical location to another depending on the needs at various times. This change in physical location of storage routers (and thus change in physical addresses) presents problems in locating both the storage router and storage devices in the storage area network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a system and method for discovering a fibre channel device in a network that substantially eliminates or reduces disadvantages and problems associated with previously developed discovery systems and methods.
More specifically, the present invention provides a system for determining a fibre channel device address on a storage network using the device's fully qualified domain name. To accomplish the fibre channel device discovery, a domain name query is sent from a host computer to a domain name server that includes the fully qualified domain name of the device (such as a storage router) in order to obtain the Internet Protocol address for the storage router. After locating the Internet Protocol address for the storage router based on the fully qualified domain name, the domain name server will send the storage router's Internet Protocol address to the host computer. The host computer then sends an address resolution protocol request containing the storage router's Internet protocol address over the storage area network to determine a node name for the storage router. The storage router gets the request and responds with an address resolution protocol reply containing its node name to the host computer. The host computer sends a fibre channel address resolution protocol request containing the storage router node name to the storage router to determine the router's physical address. The storage router responds with a fibre channel address resolution protocol reply containing the storage router's physical address to the host computer.
The invention can then be used to discover storage devices attached to the storage router. After the storage router physical address is located, an inquiry can be made to determine the physical address of the storage devices, and whether the storage devices are compatible with the client application accessing the storage devices.
The present invention provides an important technical advantage by discovering the fibre channel address (a storage or FCP/SCSI protocol) of a storage router using the storage router's fully qualified domain name (a networking or IP protocol).
The present invention provides another technical advantage by facilitating the discovery of a fibre channel storage device in a storage area network that is compatible with an application using the fully qualified domain name of the storage router to which that storage device is locally attached.
The present invention provides another technical advantage by allowing a server to locate a particular fibre channel device in a storage area network even if the storage router to which the device is attached has changed physical location.
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Crossroads Systems Inc.
Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP
Kang Paul
Rinehart Mark H.
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