Abstract: Storage gateway provisioning, configuration, and management functions provide mechanisms to specify and manage parameters and operations associated with storage gateways. The parameters may include any combination of VLAN topology, zoning behavior, LUN masking, bandwidth, and priority. The parameters may also include path information describing initiator to target associations, enabling load-balancing aggregations and multipathing redundancy. Parameters may be specified at relatively low-levels, describing specific HW elements, or may be specified at relatively high-levels, describing desired bandwidth and redundancy requirements, with SW determining low-level HW assignments. Configuration and management functions enable dynamic modification of storage gateway parameters (such as bandwidth between selected initiator and target pairs). Management functions also enable dynamic switchover from a primary path to a secondary path with respect to a storage device.

Abstract: A rules engine is provided to enhance management capability in storage area networks and particularly within storage switches. Resulting state and status information for virtual logical units can be maintained in a database. The database can be indexed according to the current state and/or status of members of a virtual logical unit. When an event associated with a physical target of a virtual logical unit is detected, the current state and status of members of the virtual logical unit can be determined. The current state and status information can be maintained in dynamic state and status indicator. The current state and status information can be used to identify a corresponding entry in the rules database. From the rules database, the proper resulting status and/or state of the members and/or the virtual logical unit can be determined.