Patent ID: 7430593
Filing Date: 2008-09-30
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. In a storage area network (“SAN”) of the type including one or more digital data processors coupled for communication with one or more storage devices over an interconnect, the digital data processors and storage devices collectively being referred to as “components,” the improvement for effecting display on an output device of at least a portion of a topology of the SAN, the improvement comprising: a process that executes on a processor that is coupled to the output device and that generates for application thereto signals for effecting display thereon of a main panel and a navigation panel, the main panel displaying a plurality of graphical objects, wherein at least one of the graphical objects represents the SAN, wherein the SAN includes three or more hierarchical layers, wherein, when the graphical object representing the SAN is selected, additional graphical objects are displayed from a different hierarchical layer, a first of which represents a first segment of the SAN, a second of which represents any of a second segment of the SAN or first component of the SAN, and a third of which represents at least a portion of the interconnect supporting communications between any of the segments and component represented by the first and second graphical objects, wherein, when the graphical object representing a segment of the SAN is selected, a portion of the storage area network that contains multiple interconnected components represented as at least one of individual components and one or more further segments that are capable of being selected are displayed from a different hierarchical layer, wherein, when the graphical object representing the interconnect is selected, interconnect elements are displayed from a different hierarchical layer, wherein the segments are separated from one another by elements that make up the interconnect, wherein the segments include a switch segment that represents an individual switch and devices directly connected to the switch, a loop segment that represents a switch port connected to multiple devices, and a ring segment that represents multiple devices connected on a particular port of a switch, wherein at least one component is one of a host, a storage device, or a SAN manager, wherein interconnect elements include switches and hubs, the navigation panel displaying one or more navigational objects representing components or segments of the SAN, wherein the navigation panel enables traversing the hierarchical layers of the segments of the SAN that make up a hierarchy by drilling down into lower layers of the hierarchy until reaching components and recovering back to higher layers of the hierarchy, wherein icons representing the one or more navigational objects in the navigation panel are updated to perform at least one of adding a new icon and removing a displayed icon based on selection of the one or more navigational objects and the plurality of the graphical objects, the process receiving operator selection of any of the first and second graphical objects representing a segment of the SAN in the main panel or of a navigational object representing a segment of the SAN in the navigation panel; the process selectively responding to the operator selection of any of the first and second graphical objects representing a segment of the SAN or of the navigational object by generating signals for application to the output device for effecting display thereon of one or more graphical objects representing any of segments and components making up the segment of the SAN for which operator selection of a graphical object was received; and the process generating signals for effecting alternate display of any of a component having a particular status from among multiple possible statuses and a segment that includes a component having such status, wherein the alternate display indicates the particular status, wherein the multiple possible statuses include at least one of failed, missing, and suspect.