Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of reporting device allocation in a storage area network comprising:generating allocation data indicative of a set of allocation parameters of manageable entities in the storage area network, the set of allocation parameters including predetermined allocation parameters and derived fields;receiving a layout, the layout indicative of a user specified subset of the set of allocation parameters for display in an output report, each of the allocation parameters in the subset corresponding to output fields operable for display;identifying, from the output fields, the derived fields specified in the layout, the derived fields determinable from other allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters;determining usage metrics operable to compute the derived fields from the predetermined allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters; andcomputing the identified derived fields from the determined usage metrics using the subset of allocation parameters for display as an allocation report on a display console. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the allocation parameters include foundation variables, device attributes, and derived fields, wherein the foundation variables are predetermined, the device attributes correspond to a configuration of a particular storage array device, and the derived fields are operable for computation from other allocation parameters. 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising computing the derived fields from usage metrics, the usage metrics indicative of allocation parameters and operations for computing the derived fields. 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:identifying predetermined allocation parameters;retrieving device attributes from at least one storage array device; andcomputing the derived fields from operations specified by the usage metrics. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein computing the derived fields comprises:identifying corresponding allocation parameters from devices of each of a plurality of vendors; andcoalescing the corresponding parameters for generating the output fields. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein coalescing comprises identifying different vendor specific allocation parameters employed for computing a derived field. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the layout is indicative of a filter selection, the filter selection specifying allocation parameters for inclusion as output fields. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the filtering criteria includes at least one of LUN masking, HBA ports, masking, vendors. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the output fields are indicative of a progression of available storage, reserved storage, configured storage, allocated storage, and used storage. 10. A method of reporting allocation parameters for storage devices in a storage area network comprising:gathering allocation data indicative of report variables for the storage devices;receiving a user selection of a layout indicative of a set of storage devices and output fields for inclusion an output report, the output fields including foundation variables, device attributes, and derived parameters;identifying, from the layout, foundation variables corresponding to the storage devices selected for inclusion in the output report;retrieving, from the allocation data, the identified foundation variables;identifying, from the layout, device attributes corresponding to the selected output fields for the selected storage devices, the device attributes specific to a particular storage device;gathering the identified device attributes;identifying derived parameters corresponding to the selected layout;determining usage metrics operable to compute the identified derived parameters, the usage metrics including operations on the foundation variables and device attributes operable to compute derived parameters;computing the identified derived parameters by applying the operations from the determined usage metrics;formatting the foundation variables, device attributes, and derived parameters corresponding to the selected layout for display as an allocation report on a display console. 11. A storage area network management server device for reporting storage allocation in a storage area network comprising:a management application adapted to execute on the management device and in communication with manageable entities in the storage area network;an interface to a repository having generated allocation data indicative of a set of allocation parameters of the manageable entities in the storage area network, the set of allocation parameters including predetermined allocation parameters and derived fields;a user interface coupled to the management application operable to indicate a selection of one of a plurality of layouts, the layout indicative of a user specified subset of the set of allocation parameters for display in an output report, each of the parameters in the subset corresponding to output fields operable for display;a metadata parser in the management application operable to identify, from the output fields, the derived fields specified in the layout, the derived fields determinable from other allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters; anda set of usage metrics operable to compute the derived fields from the predetermined allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters, the management application operable to compute the identified derived fields from the determined usage metrics using the allocation parameters. 12. The server device of claim 11 wherein the allocation parameters include foundation variables, device attributes, and derived fields, wherein the foundation variables are predetermined, the device attributes correspond to a configuration of a particular storage array device, and the derived fields are operable for computation from other allocation parameters. 13. The server device of claim 12 wherein the management application is further operable to compute the derived fields from the usage metrics, the usage metrics indicative of allocation parameters and operations for computing the derived fields. 14. The server device of claim 13 wherein the usage metrics are further operable toidentify predetermined allocation parameters, and the management application is operable to:retrieve device attributes from at least one storage array device; andcompute the derived fields from operations specified by the usage metrics. 15. The server device of claim 11 wherein the management application is further operable to:identify corresponding allocation parameters from devices of each of a plurality of vendors; andcoalesce the corresponding parameters for generating the output fields. 16. The server device of claim 15 wherein the management application is operable to identify different vendor specific allocation parameters employed for computing a derived field. 17. The server device of claim 16 wherein the layout is indicative of a filter selection, the filter selection specifying allocation parameters for inclusion as output fields. 18. The server device of claim 17 wherein the filtering criteria includes at least one of LUN masking, HBA ports, masking, vendors. 19. The server device of claim 18 wherein the output fields are indicative of a progression of available storage, reserved storage, configured storage, allocated storage, and used storage. 20. A computer program product having an encoded set of processor based instructions defined as computer program code on a computer readable storage medium operable to store computer program logic embodied in computer program code encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor in the computer, performs steps for reporting device allocation in a storage area network comprising:computer program code for generating allocation data indicative of a set of allocation parameters of manageable entities in the storage area network, the set of allocation parameters including predetermined allocation parameters and derived fields;computer program code for receiving a layout, the layout indicative of a user specified subset of the set of allocation parameters for display in an output report, each of the allocation parameters in the subset corresponding to output fields operable for display;computer program code for identifying, from the output fields, the derived fields specified in the layout, the derived fields determinable from other allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters;computer program code for determining usage metrics operable to compute the derived fields from predetermined allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters; andcomputer program code for computing the identified derived fields from the determined usage metrics using the subset of allocation parameters. 21. An encoded set of processor based instructions defined as program code on a computer readable storage medium that, when executed by a processor in the computer, performs steps for reporting device allocation in a storage area network comprising:program code for generating allocation data indicative of a set of allocation parameters of manageable entities in the storage area network, the set of allocation parameters including predetermined allocation parameters and derived fields;program code for receiving a layout, the layout indicative of a user specified subset of the set of allocation parameters for display in an output report, each of the allocation parameters in the subset corresponding to output fields operable for display;program code for identifying, from the output fields, the derived fields specified in the layout, the derived fields determinable from other allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters;program code for determining usage metrics operable to compute the derived fields from the predetermined allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters; andprogram code for computing the identified derived fields from the determined usage metrics using the subset of allocation parameters. 22. A storage area network management server device including an encoded set of processor based instructions defined as program code on a computer readable storage medium that, when executed by a processor in the computer, performs steps for reporting storage allocation in a storage area network comprising:means for generating allocation data indicative of a set of allocation parameters of manageable entities in the storage area network, the set of allocation parameters including predetermined allocation parameters and derived fields;means for receiving a layout, the layout indicative of a user specified subset of the set of allocation parameters for display in an output report, each of the allocation parameters in the subset corresponding to output fields operable for display;means for identifying, from the output fields, the derived fields specified in the layout, the derived fields determinable from other allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters;means for determining usage metrics operable to compute the derived fields from the predetermined allocation parameters in the set of allocation parameters; andmeans for computing the identified derived fields from the determined usage metrics using the subset of allocation parameters.