Patent ID: 7406509

Claim:
A method comprising: operating a storage system that includes a communication port, the port having a mode of operation, wherein the storage system is operable to provide a host with access to a set of mass storage devices by using the port, and to provide a plurality of hosts with file-level access and block-level access to stored data; and configuring the storage system from a first network configuration to a second network configuration or vice versa by dynamically switching the mode of operation of the port between a target mode and an initiator mode in response to user input from a user of the storage system, wherein in the first network configuration, the port is configured in the target mode and the storage system is connected through the port via a switching fabric to a set of clients to provide the set of clients with block-level access to a set of mass storage devices, and wherein in the second network configuration, the port is configured in the initiator mode.