Patent ID: 7593413

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: managing a storage area network (SAN) with at least a SAN Management server and a SAN Management client, said SAN Management client running a trusted operating system and having a communication path to a Fibre Channel adapter, said Fibre Channel adapter being disposed between the SAN and at least one computer system running an untrusted operating system, said SAN Management server being connected to the at least one computer system and the SAN Management client, said SAN Management client being further connected to the at least one computer system, separating requests issued by the SAN Management server into at least two groups, where a first group of requests is issued to the SAN Management client and processed by the Fibre Channel adapter and the SAN on behalf of the SAN Management client in place of the at least one computer system, and a second group of requests is issued to and processed by the at least one computer system without the need to send or receive requests to or from the Fibre Channel adapter and the SAN, where the Fibre Channel adapter accepts requests relating to crucial information only from the SAN Management client, where the crucial information comprises information relating to at least one of a SAN configuration, a SAN component, SAN access rights, error messages, statistics or billing information, where the operation of separating the requests issued by the SAN Management server is performed by a communication module that is distributed over the SAN Management server and the SAN Management client, maintaining authorization data for accessing a Remote Access (RA) Server, where said authorization data is maintained in at least one of the SAN Management server and the SAN Management Client, and operating the SAN Management Client as a router for requests from the SAN Management server to the RA server, wherein the RA Server comprises a telnet/sshd server, where the connection between the SM server, the SM client and RA server is an internet protocol (IP) based network.