Patent ID: 6977927

Claim:
A storage area network, comprising: at least one server; a plurality of storage devices; and a storage allocator, connected between said at least one server and said plurality of storage devices, said storage allocator including a read/write storage request parser that receives from said at least one server a read/write storage request and extracts therefrom a host id parameter, a target LUN parameter and a target host bus adapter (HBA) parameter, and a logical unit (LUN) mapper that includes a plurality of LUN maps each of which is specific to one of a plurality of hosts, respectively, the LUN mapper being operable to receive[s] from said read/write storage request parser the host id parameter, target LUN parameter and target HBA parameter and to use said host id parameter to select one from among the plurality of LUN maps corresponding to said host id parameter and then to map[s] based thereon to at least one physical LUN, wherein said at least one physical LUN represents at least one storage location within said plurality of storage devices.