Patent ID: 7398273

Claim:
A method for providing access to topology information in a storage area network, for creating a topology of the storage area network for a retrieving device coupled to a storage array, wherein the storage area network is composed of a plurality of networking devices including hosts, each host coupled to at least one initiator, each initiator coupled to one or more targets that provide access to the storage array, each initiator having an associated identifier, the method comprising: a. automatically ascertaining, from each host, host attribute information by polling each initiator coupled to a corresponding host; b. relating identifiers, associated with the coupled initiators, to the host attribute information to form topology information, the topology information comprising data representing interconnections among the networking devices from the plurality of networking devices; and c. storing the topology information in a data structure within the storage array, wherein the identifier is a worldwide name, and wherein the host attribute information includes a reference to operating system type of the host and a reference to initiator type.