Patent ID: 8060650

Claim:
A method, comprising: storing, in a memory communicatively coupled to a processor, computer executable instructions for performing a method of diagnosing a path including communication links between device ports in a storage network; executing the instructions on the processor; according to the instructions being executed performing a diagnostic routine, including: a) at a first time, interrogating a device port to ascertain one or more port metrics for the device; b) at a second time, interrogating the device port to ascertain the one or more port metrics for the device; c) analyzing the one or more port metrics ascertained at the first and second times; and d) determining whether the analysis indicates a storage network link problem: i) in response to no indicated problem, repeating b), c) and d) after a first interval; ii) in response to an indicated problem, repeating b), c) and d) after a second interval that is significantly shorter than said first interval, up to n times, wherein n equals a retry count; iii) when the analysis at any of the n times indicates no problem, repeating the diagnostic routine after successive first intervals; and iv) when the analysis at the nth time indicates a problem, reporting the problem.