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US5941972A
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Storage router and method for providing virtual local storage
Assignee: Crossroads Systems Inc
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Filing: 1997-12-31
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Granted: 1999-08-24
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Expires: 2017-12-31
Abstract
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.
Inventors
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Hoese
- 👤 Jeffry T. Russell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 14:57
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/14; G06F13/16; G06F13/1668; G06F13/38; G06F13/382; G06F13/385; G06F13/40; G06F13/4004; G06F13/4022; G06F13/4027; G06F13/405; G06F13/4059; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G06F3/0602; G06F3/0604; G06F3/0605; G06F3/0607; G06F3/0628; G06F3/0655; G06F3/0661; G06F3/0662; G06F3/0664; G06F3/0668; G06F3/067; H; H04; H04L; H04L61/00; H04L61/09; H04L61/10; H04L61/106; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/10; H04L67/1097; H04L67/50; H04L67/56; H04L67/568; G06F3/0671; G06F3/0673; H04L2101/00; H04L2101/60; H04L2101/618; H04L2101/631; H04L2101/645
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
158 words
A storage router for providing virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices to Fibre Channel devices, comprising: a buffer providing memory work space for the storage router; a Fibre Channel controller operable to connect to and interface with a Fibre Channel transport medium; a SCSI controller operable to connect to and interface with a SCSI bus transport medium; and a supervisor unit coupled to the Fibre Channel controller, the SCSI controller and the buffer, the supervisor unit operable: to maintain a configuration for SCSI storage devices connected to the SCSI bus transport medium that maps between Fibre Channel devices and SCSI storage devices and that implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices; and to process data in the buffer to interface between the Fibre Channel controller and the SCSI controller to allow access from Fibre Channel initiator devices to SCSI storage devices using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the configuration.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
158 words
A storage router for providing virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices to Fibre Channel devices, comprising: a buffer providing memory work space for the storage router; a Fibre Channel controller operable to connect to and interface with a Fibre Channel transport medium; a SCSI controller operable to connect to and interface with a SCSI bus transport medium; and a supervisor unit coupled to the Fibre Channel controller, the SCSI controller and the buffer, the supervisor unit operable: to maintain a configuration for SCSI storage devices connected to the SCSI bus transport medium that maps between Fibre Channel devices and SCSI storage devices and that implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices; and to process data in the buffer to interface between the Fibre Channel controller and the SCSI controller to allow access from Fibre Channel initiator devices to SCSI storage devices using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the configuration.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The storage router of claim 1, wherein the configuration maintained by the supervisor unit includes an allocation of subsets of storage space to associated Fibre Channel devices, wherein each subset is only accessible by the associated Fibre Channel device.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The storage router of claim 2, wherein the Fibre Channel devices comprise workstations.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The storage router of claim 2, wherein the SCSI storage devices comprise hard disk drives.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
The storage router of claim 1, wherein the Fibre Channel controller comprises: a Fibre Channel (FC) protocol unit operable to connect to the Fibre Channel transport medium; a first-in-first-out queue coupled to the Fibre Channel protocol unit; and a direct memory access (DMA) interface coupled to the first-in-first-out queue and to the buffer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
The storage router of claim 1, wherein the SCSI controller comprises: a SCSI protocol unit operable to connect to the SCSI bus transport medium; an internal buffer coupled to the SCSI protocol unit; and a direct memory access (DMA) interface coupled to the internal buffer and to the buffer of the storage router.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
120 words
A storage network, comprising: a Fibre Channel transport medium; a SCSI bus transport medium; a plurality of workstations connected to the Fibre Channel transport medium; a plurality of SCSI storage devices connected to the SCSI bus transport medium; and a storage router interfacing between the Fibre Channel transport medium and the SCSI bus transport medium, the storage router providing virtual local storage on the SCSI storage devices to the workstations and operable: to map between the workstations and the SCSI storage devices; to implement access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices; and to allow access from the workstations to the SCSI storage devices using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and access controls.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
120 words
A storage network, comprising: a Fibre Channel transport medium; a SCSI bus transport medium; a plurality of workstations connected to the Fibre Channel transport medium; a plurality of SCSI storage devices connected to the SCSI bus transport medium; and a storage router interfacing between the Fibre Channel transport medium and the SCSI bus transport medium, the storage router providing virtual local storage on the SCSI storage devices to the workstations and operable: to map between the workstations and the SCSI storage devices; to implement access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices; and to allow access from the workstations to the SCSI storage devices using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and access controls.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The storage network of claim 7, wherein the access controls include an allocation of subsets of storage space to associated workstations, wherein each subset is only accessible by the associated workstation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The storage network of claim 7, wherein the SCSI storage devices comprise hard disk drives.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
178 words
The storage network of claim 7, wherein the storage router comprises: a buffer providing memory work space for the storage router; a Fibre Channel controller operable to connect to and interface with a Fibre Channel transport medium, the Fibre Channel controller further operable to pull outgoing data from the buffer and to place incoming data into the buffer; a SCSI controller operable to connect to and interface with a SCSI bus transport medium, the SCSI controller further operable to pull outgoing data from the buffer and to place incoming data into the buffer; and a supervisor unit coupled to the Fibre Channel controller, the SCSI controller and the buffer, the supervisor unit operable: to maintain a configuration for the SCSI storage devices that maps between Fibre Channel devices and SCSI storage devices and that implements the access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices; and to process data in the buffer to interface between the Fibre Channel controller and the SCSI controller to allow access from workstations to SCSI storage devices in accordance with the configuration.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for providing virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices to Fibre Channel devices, comprising: interfacing with a Fibre Channel transport medium; interfacing with a SCSI bus transport medium; maintaining a configuration for SCSI storage devices connected to the SCSI bus transport medium that maps between Fibre Channel devices and the SCSI storage devices and that implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices; and allowing access from Fibre Channel initiator devices to SCSI storage devices using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the configuration.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for providing virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices to Fibre Channel devices, comprising: interfacing with a Fibre Channel transport medium; interfacing with a SCSI bus transport medium; maintaining a configuration for SCSI storage devices connected to the SCSI bus transport medium that maps between Fibre Channel devices and the SCSI storage devices and that implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices; and allowing access from Fibre Channel initiator devices to SCSI storage devices using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the configuration.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 11, wherein maintaining the configuration includes allocating subsets of storage space to associated Fibre Channel devices, wherein each subset is only accessible by the associated Fibre Channel device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 12, wherein the Fibre Channel devices comprise workstations.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 12, wherein the SCSI storage devices comprise hard disk drives.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-08-23 | 2003-02-22 | 2003-08-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-08-23 | 2007-02-22 | 2007-08-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-08-23 | 2011-02-22 | 2011-08-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |