Abstract: A method and system for routing data across heterogeneous networks. In one embodiment, a heterogeneous network comprises a specialized in-band network that is privately accessible within the heterogeneous network, as well as an out-of-band network that is coupled to the in-band network by a switching platform. A client on the out-of-band network is configured to transmit a request for server data to the switching platform. The request is formatted according to the protocol of the out-of-band network and may take the form of a uniform resource locator (URL). The switching platform is configured to recognize the request as one which is directed to a server on the in-band network. The switching platform parses the request to determine the requested data and reformats this information as a new request that is transmitted to the server according to the protocol of the in-band network.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for encapsulating SCSI protocol for data transmission between two or more nodes across a packet-based network. The method of the present invention includes the steps of, at each node in the network, identifying all other available nodes on the network, and the remote devices attached to those nodes; representing one or more of the attached remote devices such that they are made available to the node's local hosts; encapsulating the I/O phases between one or more local hosts and one or more of the remote devices; and repeating the encapsulating step for subsequent I/Os between one or more hosts and one or more devices. The step of encapsulating I/O phases between a local host and a remote device can further comprise encapsulating task management functions, error recovery functions and normal I/O processing functions. Each node can be a Fibre Channel-to-SCSI router.

Abstract: A method for decreasing routing latency of a switching platform comprises identifying ports which have changed their operational state and modifying the port polling code associated with the respective ports so that operational ports are polled for frames to be routed, while non-operational ports are not polled. In one embodiment, the method is implemented in a fibre channel switch. Non-operational ports are identified as having operational states below a pre-determined threshold level of functionality. The polling code for the ports is modified while polling operations are carried out in the switch. The code for a newly operational port is modified by copying into the code one or more instructions that poll the port for a frame and routes the frame. The code for a newly non-operational port is modified by copying into the code a branch instruction that bypasses the remainder of the polling code for the port.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automated testing of multiple-protocol network environments wherein data which is formatted according to a plurality of protocols in sequence is automatically identified and compared to determine whether the data has been correctly transformed from each protocol to the next. An indication of whether the data has been correctly transformed may be presented to a user, along with information about the data itself, such as commands which may be included therein. The information presented to the user is in a user-readable form rather than raw data in order to facilitate analysis of the information by the user.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for mapping addressing of SCSI devices between two SANs connected by a SAN extender over a packet-based network with use of a Fibre channel protocol over large distances. The present invention seamlessly interconnects graphically distinct SANs such that they operate as if they were local to one another by providing a means to generically and dynamically map SCSI device addresses between two SANs. The present invention provides a method and system for accessing a device from a host, wherein the host and device are in separate SANs interconnected by a transport layer, and wherein the interface between said transport layer and each of said SANs is a node. This method comprises, at each node, the steps of: mapping the device address into an intermediary device identifier, and mapping the intermediary device identifier into an address accessible by the host.

Abstract: Systems and methods for preventing conflicts in a media library system, wherein multiple hosts may attempt to access the same element (e.g., cartridge slot) at the same time. A plurality of pools are defined, each of which is associated with a corresponding subset of the hosts and a corresponding subset of the elements in the library. It is assumed that all of the hosts associated with a given pool have compatible software applications or some other means for preventing or resolving conflicts among them. Each host is then allowed to access only the subset of the elements in the library that are associated with the same pool as the host so no conflicting access commands are transmitted to the media library.

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.

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.

Abstract: Systems and methods for enabling data transfers over communications links having a plurality of transmission lanes. In one embodiment, a system comprises a plurality of elastic buffers, each of which is coupled to one of the lanes in the communications link, and a buffer controller coupled to the buffers. Data is clocked into the elastic buffers using a first clock signal and is clocked out of the buffers by a second clock signal. The buffer controller is configured to monitor each of the buffers and to detect impending underflow or overflow conditions. In response to detect in one of these conditions, the buffer controller will cause the words to be added or deleted, respectively, to all of the elastic buffers rather than only the buffer in which the overflow/underflow condition was detected.

Abstract: A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fibre Channel devices. A plurality of Fibre Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fibre 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 Fibre 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.

Abstract: Systems and methods for performing error recovery in a system utilizing redundant communication links. In one embodiment, a host device is coupled to a sequential device such as a tape drive by a pair of Fibre Channel links. The host is configured to associate an identifier with each command. Upon detecting a failure of the transmission of the command via the first link, the host re-transmits the command via the second link. When the link failure is detected, the status of the last command transmitted before the failure is requested. After receiving the status of the command, a request that recovery start (possibly at a point indicated by the status information) is transmitted to the sequential device. If the recovery request is accepted, performance of the command is completed.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for processing a unit attention signal from a target device in a Fiber Channel-to-SCSI network having a plurality of Fiber Channel hosts.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improving the performance and reliability of a copy manager by dynamically controlling performance of concurrent extended copy tasks. In one embodiment, the number of concurrent extended copy commands which are allowed to be active within a copy manager are dynamically adjusted based upon the resources available to service the commands (e.g., buffers available to store in-transit data). For example, the total number of data buffers, together with the number of buffers required to execute a single extended copy command, may be used to constrain the number of concurrent extended copy commands which are allowed to be active in the copy manager. Extended copy commands which are not active are held in queue for later execution.

Abstract: Methods and systems for overlapping data flow within an extended copy command over a network, including, at a router in a network: receiving an extended copy command from a first host to a first target device; determining an initial network status if the network status is unknown; initializing a set of read-write parameters; and executing the extended copy command for a first segment of the extended copy command, and for one or more subsequent segments, by overlapping one or more read and one or more write commands of the extended copy command.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reading a stream of high-speed data without interrupting the data or reading beyond the end of a desired frame. In one embodiment, a method comprises: receiving a plurality of frames, wherein each frame includes a plurality of words, wherein each frame includes an end-of-frame (EOF) delimiter in the last word in the frame; storing the plurality of frames in a buffer, wherein each word in each frame is stored with an early-end-of-frame (early_EOF) flag and wherein the early-end-of-frame flag is set if and only if the word immediately precedes the last word of the corresponding frame; and when a frame is to be read out of the buffer, sequentially reading words out of the buffer until a word in which the early_EOF flag is set is detected, then reading the word following the word in which the early_EOF flag is set and terminating the read.

Abstract: Systems and methods for enabling data transfers over communications links having a plurality of lanes, wherein the lanes may have different transmission lengths (times.) In one embodiment, a plurality of buffers are each coupled to corresponding transmission lanes in a communications link. Each buffer is configured to reset corresponding read and write pointers to predetermined initial positions after a reset event. The pointers are kept in these positions until a test sequence symbol which is transmitted across the corresponding lane is received. When the test sequence symbol is received, the buffer begins to advance the associated write pointer with each received piece of data. After all of the buffers have received corresponding test sequence symbols, data is read out of the buffers, and the read pointers are advanced accordingly.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for reconciling extended copy command target descriptor lengths.

Abstract: A method and system for maintaining node states across network address changes in a Fibre Channel network includes steps and instructions for maintaining in each of a plurality of nodes, including target and initiator nodes, a triplet table including a triplet of data having the network address, node, name, and port name for each of other ones of said plurality of nodes with which the particular node communicates. The instructions permit sending from each of the plurality of nodes to the other ones of the nodes with which each of the plurality of nodes communicates the triplet of data following the resumption of communication occurring after a break in communication. The triplet of data identifies the event that the nodes are communicating with the same nodes both before and after said break in communication, the invention further includes instructions for continuing communications among said nodes without performing further recovery steps.

Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying brands of electronic components and enabling a primary electronic system to make use of only those components which are identified as having the same brand as the primary system. In a preferred embodiment, each of a primary component and one or more secondary components includes a non-volatile memory for storing a brand identifier. Upon boot-up of the primary component, the identifier in the memory of each secondary component is compared to the identifier in the memory of the primary component. Secondary components having identifiers that match the identifier of the primary component are enabled and those having identifiers that do not match the identifier of the primary component are disabled.

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.