Patent ID: 7836332
Filing Date: 2010-11-16
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A storage system comprising: a storage controller in communication with one or more storage devices; one or more of storage volumes configured from said one or more storage devices, said controller controlling access of input/output (I/O) operations to said one or more volumes; a first physical port having a first identifier; a second physical port having a second identifier; and a first virtual port accessed through said first physical port for accessing a first volume of said one or more volumes as a target of the I/O operations, wherein said storage system is configured to maintain a management table which manages associations between said first physical port, said first virtual port and said first volume, and between said second physical port, said first virtual port and said first volume, respectively, and wherein said storage system is configured to transfer said first virtual port to said second physical port, so that said first volume is accessed through said first virtual port through the second physical port, the storage system further including: a second virtual port accessed through said first physical port for accessing a second volume of said one or more volumes, wherein said storage system is configured to transfer said first virtual port and said second virtual port upon detection of a failure in the first physical port or a failure in a link to the first physical port, wherein said storage system determines that said second physical port is functioning properly prior to said transfer, wherein said storage system transfers said first virtual port to said second physical port by sending a first virtual port identifier of the first virtual port and the second identifier of the second physical port to a network device in communication with the storage system via a network, so that the first virtual port is logged in to the network and accessed through the second physical port, whereby said first volume is accessed through said first virtual port through the second physical port, and wherein said storage system transfers said second virtual port to said second physical port by sending a second virtual port identifier of the second virtual port and the second identifier of the second physical port to the network device, so that the second virtual port is logged in to the network and accessed through the second physical port, whereby said second volume is accessed through said second virtual port through the second physical port.