Patent ID: 7860943

Claim:
A method for accessing a storage medium across a network, the storage medium being operatively connected a network disk controller, comprising: receiving a first packet from a first host at a first controller module of the network disk controller; decapsulating the first packet into a header and a payload; determining, from the header, a protocol associated with the payload; determining whether the payload is associated with a non-network storage medium access command; in the event the payload is associated with a non-network medium access command, executing the non-network storage medium access command; assigning a communication link between an arbitrator and the storage medium to the first controller module; receiving a second packet from a second host via a network at a second controller module of the network disk controller; and controlling assignment of the communication link for one of the first packet and the second packet to reach the storage medium by the arbitrator; wherein the executing the non-network storage medium access command comprises: reading state information indicating whether the network disk controller is to operate in a command mode or a data mode, and processing the payload based on the state information; and wherein neither the network disk controller nor the storage medium executes a network file system.