Patent ID: 7367050
Filing Date: 2008-04-29
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A storage device capable of being connected to a plurality of host devices, the device comprising: a memory device for memorizing write data received from said host devices and/or read data transmitted to said host devices; and a memory control section including a plurality of iSCSI ports each receiving accesses from a plurality of said host devices, and a shared memory for memorizing authentication information corresponding to an IP address allocated to each host device connected to said iSCSI ports per port unit of said plurality of iSCSI ports, an iSCSI name for specifying each host device, and a logical unit accessible by one of the host devices according to a logical unit control table, the memory control section controlling an access of each of said host devices to said memory device, wherein said memory control section is operatively connected to receive access information from said host devices through said iSCSI ports, wherein said shared memory has an authentication control table which associates target information with initiator information per port for each of said plurality of iSCSI ports, said target information includes an iSCSI port number of said iSCSI port, an iSCSI name of said iSCSI port, a password of said iSCSI port, and validity/invalidity setting information of network security, and said initiator information includes said iSCSI name for specifying said host device, type of authentication, use/unuse of the authentication, a user ID of an user of said host device, and a password of the user of said host device, and grouping information dividing the host devices connected to said iSCSI port, wherein said memory control section refers to said authentication control table to determine use/unuse of authentication with respect to said iSCSI port from said host device or from a user of said host device, and to determine use or unuse of an authentication per group with respect to said iSCSI ports from said host devices, wherein said memory control section is configured to identify said host devices using said access information; to determine necessity of an authentication with respect to said iSCSI ports from said host devices; to refer to the authentication information memorized in said shared memory to determine necessity of the authentication; to execute the authentication if the authentication is necessary based on a result of said determination; to control accessibility to said memory device based on the result of said authentication; and to permit an access with respect to said accessible logical unit from said host devices corresponding to said IP address and said iSCSI name, wherein said memory control section is configured to determine the necessity of the authentication by determining whether network security is ON and by determining whether a challenge handshake authentication protocol (CHAP) is present to authenticate an iSCSI login to said iSCSI ports by said host devices, wherein said shared memory stores said logical unit control table defining a logical unit accessible by said host device, and after said host device is authenticated with respect to said iSCSI port, said memory control section refers to said logical unit control table to permit said host device to access said logical unit.