Abstract: A system for updating management entities or devices in a computer system network with configuration change information from the devices being managed. The management entities are configured to discover, monitor and configure managed devices, such as storage systems, connected to the network. Preferably, the managed devices include a comparator which can track changes made to the managed device configuration or properties and report that change back to the various management entities. In this way, the management entities can keep track of the configurations of the various devices that they manage, even though they might not be responsible for issuing the configuration change. This can be accomplished even when managed devices developed by different manufacturers according to different standards or protocols are involved.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and managing devices on network comprising one or more managed devices connected to the network and storage means for storing a device management application program associated with each of the managed devices. The system further includes a management station which is in communication with each of the managed devices across the network, and the management station is in communication with the storage means. When a user wishes to monitor, configure, or manage one of the managed devices on the network, the user preferably selects the managed device to be managed and the management station retrieves from the storage means the device management application program associated with the selected managed device. By the management station processing the management application program for the selected managed device, the management station allows the user to monitor the status of the managed device, as well as change the configuration of and fix errors with the managed device.

Abstract: A method of configuring a plurality of managed devices. The method preferably includes selecting a source managed device, obtaining a source configuration description from the source managed device, selecting one or more destination managed devices to be configured, issuing a configuration change command to each of the selected destination managed devices and applying the source configuration description selected from the source managed device to each of the selected destination managed devices. In addition, the method may further include the step of editing the source configuration description before issuing the configuration change commands to the one or more destination managed devices.

Abstract: A system for interconnecting a plurality of interdependent fiber channel loops or fabrics. The system preferably comprises a first server which includes a PCI bus and a fibre channel to PCI bus adapter for each one of the plurality of the independent fibre channels. Each fibre channel to PCI bus adapter is configured to connect one of the plurality fibre channels to the PCI bus at the first server. The plurality of independent fibre channels then communicate with each other across the PCI bus of the first server utilizing the intelligent I/O (I2O) routing of the fibre channel to PCI bus adapters. The plurality of fibre channels are configured to communicate with the other fibre channels, as well as the first server via the PCI bus. This system can be configured such that any one of the plurality of fibre channels can include one or more devices connected thereto in addition to the first server.

Abstract: A system and method for managing device configuration changes. The system and method preferably comprises a management station which issues a configuration change request to a management device and waits for a reply from the managed device. The managed device receives the configuration change request from the management station and processes the change request until the configuration change request is durable on the managed device. The managed device then returns a status to the management station indicating that the configuration request is durable. The management station receives the status from the managed device and stops waiting for reply. In the meantime, the managed device continues processing the configuration change request.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring and managing devices on a network. The system and method preferably comprises a proxy server connected to the network and a managed device connected to the proxy server. The system further comprises storage means for storing a device management application program associated with the managed device, and a management station in communication with the managed device via the proxy server and in communication with the storage means. The management station preferably is configured to retrieve the device management application program from the storage means and process the device management application program. As the management station processes the device management application program, the management station is able to monitor and manage the managed device.

Abstract: A system for globally prioritizing and scheduling I/O requests from a plurality of storage users or clients to one or more storage objects. The system comprises a storage controller configured to receive I/O requests from the client workstations and prioritize and schedule those I/O requests in accordance with a scheduling algorithm. Specifically, the storage controller receives I/O requests from the storage users and places the I/O requests in memory queues associated with the particular storage users. The storage controller then selects the I/O requests from the various memory queues based on the scheduling algorithm.

Abstract: A paged addressing method and associated apparatus for dynamically addressed disk storage subsystem. The present invention stores the logical to physical address map in the disk array. The logical to physical address map is divided into useful sized portions. The logical to physical address map portions containing the most recently used logical to physical address information are retained in cache. Paging techniques are used to swap the logical to physical address map portions from disk to cache when a host disk access requires a logical address not currently within the mapping information in local memory (e.g., cache). The present invention keeps track of the most recently used logical to physical address map portions in cache by defining a cache map. Furthermore, a directory resides in cache that keeps track of the physical address for each logical to physical address map portion. The present invention reduces memory requirements, because the memory map of the disk array is not stored within cache.

Abstract: A bus switch providing versatile data path routing between a first group of busses associated with a disk array controller and a second group of busses associated with the individual disk drives within the disk array. The bus switch comprises a plurality of bus multiplexers, equal in number to the number of drive busses. Each bus multiplexer includes a plurality of inputs, each input being connected to a corresponding one of the controller busses. The multiplexers are responsive to select and enable signals to connect selected controller busses to selected drive busses. The bus switch additionally includes a plurality of bus multiplexers for directing data from the drive busses to the controller busses. A parity generator comprising an exclusive-OR circuit is integrated with the bus switch. The output of the parity generator is also provided to each of the multiplexers and can be directed thereby to any of the controller or drive busses.