Patent ID: 6985956

Claim:
In a digital network comprising a plurality of data storage elements, at least one client, and a switch element operable to receive access requests from the client and provide access to data on the storage elements in response to the access requests, a method of managing storage on the data storage elements, the method comprising: providing, within the switch element, a first configurable set of processor elements to process storage resource connection requests, a second configurable set of processor elements capable of communications with the first configurable set of processor elements to receive, from the first configurable set of processor elements, storage connection requests representative of client requests, and to route the requests to at least one of the storage elements, and a configurable switching fabric interconnected between the first and second sets of processor elements, for receiving at least a first storage connection request from one of the first set of processor elements, determining an appropriate one of the second set of processors for processing the storage connection request, automatically configuring the storage connection request in accordance with a protocol utilized by the selected one of the second set of processors, and forwarding the storage connection request to the selected one of the second set of processors for routing to at least one of the storage elements, configuring, within the switch element, a replicated storage domain including connections to a set of storage elements; replicating at least a subset of data stored on one storage element of the domain to all other storage elements in the replicated storage domain; configuring the switch element to receive file system requests from at least one client; and upon receipt of a request whose execution would result in modification of data stored in a storage element, operating the switch element to transmit the request to at least a set of storage elements in the replicated storage domain.