Patent ID: 7774543
Filing Date: 2010-08-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A storage system comprising: a host computer including one or more initiator modules; and a storage device that provides the host computer with a plurality of logical volumes each including a storage area which data can be read and to which data can be written the storage device including a controller component and a memory component, the memory component including one or more target modules, a target management table, and an initiator management table, the target management table providing a set of associations between a first set of initiator names each identifying one of the initiator modules, a set of target names each identifying one of the logical volumes, and a disk usage capacity parameter for each of the initiator modules of each of the logical volumes that is allocated to the initiator module, the initiator management table providing a second set of initiator names each identifying one of the initiator modules and a maximum disk usage parameter for each initiator module identified in the second set of initiator names, wherein the controller component operates to process a communication message transmitted from the one or more initiator modules to the one or more target modules according to Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) standards, wherein if the communication message is a discovery session request and if the discovery session request includes an initiator name argument that corresponds to one of the initiator names included in the initiator management table, the controller component operates to: wherein if the communication message is a discovery session request and if the discovery session request includes an initiator name argument that does not correspond to one of the initiator modules described in the set of associations, the controller component operates to: wherein if the communication message is a normal session request, if the normal session request includes an initiator name argument and a target name argument that correspond to the initiator name and the target name of an association in the set of associations, and if the target name corresponding to the target name argument identifies a target for deletion, the controller component operates to delete each association in the set of associations that includes a target name identifying the same logical volume identified by the target name corresponding to the target name argument, and wherein if the communication message is a normal session request, if the normal session request includes an initiator name argument and a target name argument that correspond to the initiator name and the target name of an association in the set of associations, and if the target name corresponding to the target name argument does not identify a target for deletion, the controller component operates to allocate the logical volume identified by the target name corresponding to the target name argument to the initiator module identified by the initiator name corresponding to the initiator name argument, to set the disk usage capacity parameter of the identified logical volume that is allocated to the identified initiator module according to the RAID level and the allocatable disk usage capacity parameter of the identified logical volume specified by the target name corresponding to the target name argument, and to delete each association in the set of associations that includes a target name identifying the same logical volume identified by the target name corresponding to the target name argument that is not allocated to one of the initiator modules.