257 results about "Logical unit number" patented technology

For enhanced access control, a client includes a token in each read or write command sent to a block storage device. The block storage device evaluates the token to determine whether or not read or write access is permitted at a specified logical block address. For example, the token is included in the logical block address field of a SCSI read or write command. The client may compute the token as a function of the logical block address of a data block to be accessed, or a metadata server may include the token in each block address of each extent reported to the client in response to a metadata request. For enhanced security, the token also is a function of a client identifier, a logical unit number, and access rights of the client to a particular extent of file system data blocks.

A router for use in a network includes a scalable architecture and performs methods for implementing quality of service on a logical unit behind a network port; and for implementing storage virtualization. The architecture includes a managing processor, a supervising processor; and a plurality of routing processors coupled to a fabric. The managing processor has an in-band link to a routing processor. A routing processor receives a frame from the network, determines by parsing the frame, the protocol and logical unit number, and routes the frame to a queue according to a traffic class associated with the logical unit number in routing information prepared for the processors. An arbitration scheme empties the queue in accordance with a deficit round robin technique. If a routing processor detects the frame's destination is a virtual entity, and so is part of a virtual transaction, the router conducts a nonvirtual transaction in concert with the virtual transaction. The nonvirtual transaction accomplishes the intent of the virtual transaction but operates on an actual network port, for example, a storage device.

In a data storage subsystem providing data storage to host processors, a process of configuration defines a subset of the data storage that each host may access. A vector specification is a convenient mechanism for specifying a set of storage volumes that a host may access. For example, for each host processor, there is stored in memory of the data storage subsystem a list of contiguous ranges or vectors of the storage volumes that the host may access. To determine whether or not a specified logical volume number is included in the vector, a modulus of the stride of the vector is computed from the difference between the address of the specified logical volume and the beginning address of the vector, and the modulus is compared to zero. To provide a mapping between logical unit numbers specified by the host and the logical volumes, a contiguous range of logical unit numbers may also be specified for each contiguous range or vector of storage volumes. The logical volume number is computed from a specified logical unit number by computing a difference between the specified logical unit number and the beginning logical unit number, multiplying the difference by the stride of the vector to produce a product, and adding the product to the beginning address of the vector.

This invention provides a specified retention date within a data set that is locked against deletion or modification within a WORM storage implementation. This retention date scheme does not utilize any proprietary application program interfaces (APIs) or protocols, but rather, employs native functionality within conventional file (or other data containers, data sets or block-based logical unit numbers) properties available in commonly used operating systems. In an illustrative embodiment, the retention date/time is calculated by querying the file's last-modified time prior to commit, adding the retention period to this value and thereby deriving a retention date after which the file can be released from WORM. Prior to commit, the computed retention date is stored in the file's “last access time” property/attribute field, or another metadata field that remains permanently associated with the file and that, in being used for retention date, does not interfere with file management in a WORM state. Since this field is not utilized in a WORM context, it can be adapted to store this date. Once stored, the retention date in this field is locked against modification. Where extension (never reduction) of a retention period is desired, the last access time field be updated, wherein the new retention period is added to the existing last access time value to derive a new, later retention date for the file. Upon expiry of the retention date, the system allows deletion of the expired WORM file/data set.

A system and method reclaims unused storage space from a data container, such as a logical unit number (LUN) of a storage system. In particular, a novel technique is provided that allows a storage system to reclaim storage space not used by a client file system for which the storage system maintains storage, without requiring assistance from the client file system to determine storage usage. In other words, storage system may independently reclaim storage space not used by the client file system, without that file system's intervention.

Disclosed is a method, system, program, and data structures for mapping logical units, such as logical unit numbers (LUNs), to a storage space comprised of at least one array of storage units, e.g., hard disk drives. Configuration information stored in one array indicating a first mapping of logical units to storage locations in the array is read. A second mapping of logical units to storage locations in multiple arrays is generated using the configuration information read from the array. Each logical unit is assigned to only one of the arrays.

A system for allocating storage resources in a storage area network is described. A logical unit number (LUN) mapper receives at least one storage request parameter and maps the storage request parameters to at least one physical LUN. The LUN mapper includes at least one LUN map. The storage request parameters include a host id parameter, a target LUN parameter, and a target host bus adaptor (HBA) parameter. The LUN mapper uses the host id parameter to select the one of the LUN maps that corresponds to the host id parameter. The LUN mapper applies the target LUN parameter and the target HBA parameter to the selected LUN map to locate the physical LUN(s) stored in the selected LUN map. The LUN mapper issues the received read/write storage request to at least one storage device that houses the physical LUN(s). The one or more storage devices are located in the storage area network.

A system integrates an intelligent storage switch with a flexible virtualization system to enable efficient service of file and block protocol data access requests for information stored on the system. A storage operating system executing on a storage system coupled to the switch implements the virtualization system to provide a unified view of storage to clients by logically organizing the information as named files, directories and logical unit numbers. The virtualization system is illustratively embodied as a file system having a write allocator configured to provide a flexible block numbering policy that addresses volume management capabilities, such as storage virtualization, at a finer granularity (e.g., a single block) than that of previous non-flexible storage virtualization schemes. The flexible block numbering policy also yields substantial benefits in terms of increased write efficiency and elimination of storage “hot spots”, as well as a compelling point-in-time read-only data image (snapshot) mechanism.

A method and apparatus for providing multi-path I/O in non-concurrent clustering environment is disclosed. Shared non-concurrent access to logical volumes through multiple paths is provided by using SCSI-3 persistent reserve commands. Open options of the operating system are mapped to SCSI persistent reserve commands to allow all of the multiple paths to register with the logical unit number of the shared storage system and to allow the second of the multiple paths to access the logical unit number of the shared storage system after obtaining a persistent reservation with the shared storage system.

A user interface system that simplifies management of a storage system, such as a multi-protocol storage appliance, by a user or system administrator. The user interface system comprise a command line interface (CLI) and/or a graphical user interface (GUI) that obviates the need for the system administrator to explicitly configure and specify disks used when creating virtual disks (vdisks) that may be exported as logical unit numbers (luns). Management of the storage appliance is further simplified through the use of a novel command set used to, inter alia, create a vdisk, destroy a vdisk, increase/decrease the size of a vdisk, and manage an initiator group (igroup).

A disk storage apparatus includes a logical unit number correspondence memory for storing the correspondence and the logical unit number designated by a host computer and the logical unit number of the disk storage apparatus, a logical unit number conversion program for converting the logical unit number designated by the host computer to the logical unit number of the disk storage apparatus, and a logical unit correspondence setting program for storing the correspondence of the logical unit number designated by the host computer to the logical unit number of the disk storage in the logical unit number correspondence memory thereby, a plurality of host computers sharing at least one disk storage apparatus.

A system and method for memory mapping are provided, the system including a logical unit to physical unit map table, data unit groups in signal communication with the map table, and log unit groups, each associated with a corresponding one of the data unit groups, where updated data for any data unit within one of the data unit groups is stored in any log unit within the corresponding one of the log unit groups, and the method including receiving write data for a logical unit number from a host determining which of a plurality of data block groups comprises the logical unit number, and storing the write data in any unfilled log unit of a log block group corresponding to the determined data block group.

The present invention provides a system and a method for filtering a plurality of frames sent between devices coupled to a fabric by Fiber Channel connections. Frames are reviewed against a set of individual frame filters. Each frame filter is associated with an action, and actions selected by filter matches are prioritized. Groups of devices are "zoned" together and frame filtering ensures that restrictions placed upon communications between devices within the same zone are enforced. Zone group filtering is also used to prevent devices not within the same zone from communicating. Zoning may also be used to create LUN-level zones, protocol zones, and access control zones. In addition, individual frame filters may be created that reference selected portions of frame header or frame payload fields.

A method of thin provisioning in a storage system is disclosed. The method includes communicating to a user a capacity of a virtual storage, the virtual storage capacity being substantially larger than that of a storage pool. Further, the method includes assigning portions of the storage pool to logical unit number (LUN) logical block address (LBA)-groups only when the LUN LBA-groups are being written to and maintaining a mapping table to track the association of the LUN LBA-groups to the storage pool.

Techniques for creation, operation, management, and access control of network-based storage services are described. Specific embodiments provide improved efficiency of the service management tasks used for designing, operating and accounting the robust and profitable network services, for example. In representative embodiments, techniques for constructing integrated network and storage services are provided. In a specific embodiment, the service comprises of three major service components: virtual private networks (VPN), applications servers and storage area networks (SAN). Each of these service components has its own customer identification information, such as VPN identifier for VPN services, process identifier for application servers and logical unit number (LUN) for storage devices.