Patent ID: 7702920

Claim:
A storage control device for providing secure data storage to a plurality of host computers via at least one communications network, comprising: a case; a channel adapter unit removably provided in the case and having a port conducting encrypted communications with at least one of the plurality of host computers; a disk adapter unit provided in the case and conducting communications with a disk drive storage unit; and a shared memory unit provided in the case and connected to both the channel adapter unit and the disk adapter unit; wherein the channel adapter unit comprises: a transceiver unit connected to the at least one of the plurality of host computers via the at least one communications network; an encrypted communications unit for providing encrypted communications with the at least one of the plurality of host computers via the transceiver unit; a port memory unit connected to the encrypted communications unit and storing prescribed information employed in the encrypted communications; and a data transfer control unit controlling data transfer between the channel adapter unit and the at least one of the plurality of the host computers; wherein the data transfer control unit causes the prescribed information stored in the port memory unit to be deleted in response to receiving an instruction to prepare the channel adapter unit for removal and replacement.