Patent ID: 7624265

Claim:
In a computer system, a method comprising: receiving, from a data storage system, a request to establish a communications session with the data storage system; providing data storage system search criteria including user authentication information to a connection monitor computer system to produce a set of data storage system identities that meet the data storage system search criteria; receiving a set of data storage system identities including identities of data storage systems to which a user, identified by the user authentication information, is allowed to establish a packet communications session; allowing the user to select at least one data storage system identity from the set of data storage system identities; establishing a first packet communications session from the computer system to a data communications device capable of communicating with the data storage system; establishing a second packet communications session from the data communications device to a service processor associated with the data storage system; and performing packet communications between the computer system and the service processor associated with the data storage system using the first and second packet communications sessions.