Patent ID: 7032228
Filing Date: 2006-04-18
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of facilitating data storage system communication exchanges in a computer system, the method comprising: providing a control block data structure that is common to different types of physical transport drivers and a higher-level software, each physical transport driver associated with a different data transport protocol, wherein the control block data structure is defined to isolate unique characteristics of the different types of physical transport drivers from the higher-level software so that those portions of the physical transport drivers and the higher-level software that interact with each other are generic in nature; and using the control block data structure to pass information between the higher-level software and one of the different types of physical transport drivers, where the higher-level software and at least the one of the different types of physical transport drivers are components of firmware stored in a data storage system controller; wherein the higher-level software comprises one of a plurality of different emulations to which the control block data structure is common; wherein the one of the plurality of emulations comprises an emulation for a remote interface that is capable of communicating with a remote data storage system over a data link; and wherein the control block data structure is formatted to enable the one of the different types of physical transport drivers to act as an originator during a communication exchange with the remote data storage system and a responder during a different communication exchange with the remote data storage system.