Patent ID: 6633962
Filing Date: 2003-10-14
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for restricting host access to at least one logical device, wherein each logical device comprises a section of physical storage space that is non-overlapping with the physical storage space associated with other logical devices, comprising:for each cluster group, assigning at least one logical device and at least one host to the cluster group, wherein hosts that are not assigned to the cluster group cannot access the logical devices that are assigned to the cluster group; for each cluster group, assigning a logical number to each logical device in the cluster group such that the at least one host assigned to the cluster group does not use the assigned logical number to access a logical device other than the logical device assigned to the logical number, wherein the at least one host assigned to the cluster group uses the logical number to access the logical device to which the logical number is assigned in the cluster group, wherein a host list indicates all available hosts and wherein all hosts in the host list can access a logical device assigned one logical number and not assigned to a cluster group, and wherein for each host in the host list there is a host map indicating each logical number accessible to the host; receiving a request, including as parameters one input logical device and input cluster group, to add the input logical device to the input cluster group; determining whether the input logical device is accessible to all hosts; and updating the host map for each host that is not assigned to the input cluster group to indicate that the input logical device is not accessible if the input logical device is accessible to all hosts.