Patent ID: 8631133

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a first block-level storage command and a second block-level storage command at a host data processing system, wherein the first block-level storage command is received from a first consumer, the second block-level storage command is received from a second consumer, the first block-level storage command and the second block-level storage command are each addressed to a target block-level storage device, and the target block-level storage device is remotely coupled to the host data processing system via a network; establishing a first virtual transport session, wherein the first virtual transport session communicatively couples the host data processing system and the target block-level storage device, and the first virtual transport session comprises a transport session established across the network between the host data processing system and the target block-level storage device; establishing a second virtual transport session, wherein the second virtual transport session communicatively couples the host data processing system and the target block-level storage device, and the second virtual transport session comprises the transport session; transmitting a first consumer message from the host data processing system to the target block-level storage device using the first transport session, wherein the first consumer message comprises the first block-level storage command; and transmitting a second consumer message from the host data processing system to the target block-level storage device using the second virtual transport session, wherein the second consumer message comprises the second block-level storage command.