Patent ID: 8554914

Claim:
A computing system within a computerized network environment that includes a client system, a network provider, and one or more devices that can be accessed locally or over a network, the computing system comprising: at least one processor; and one or more storage medium having stored instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, implement a method for providing the client system access to one or more of the devices through the network provider, wherein the method includes: an act of identifying the one or more devices that can be accessed locally or over a network that includes a plurality of devices having unique device identifiers, wherein the one or more devices includes at least one device that is a virtual SCSI device accessible through an iSCSI protocol; an act of generating a target that identifies a set of the one or more devices, and that includes at least one corresponding unique device identifier, wherein the set of one or more devices is determined based on each of the devices having at least one common group of clients authorized to access the device, and wherein a plurality of numbers are assigned to the unique device identifier corresponding to the set of one or more devices, which a SCSI bus is capable of using to differentiate between devices, the plurality of numbers being relevant only within the target corresponding to the set of one or more devices, such that multiple devices, partitions, and files can be assigned at least a same number; an act of associating client authorization information identified by the network provider with the target that identifies the set of the one or more devices; and an act of dynamically assigning the target to a port through a protocol-independent port driver at the network provider, such that only clients authorized by the associated client information are allowed to access the assigned port, thereby allowing only the clients access to the set of the one or more devices through the target, wherein the assignment of the port is dependent upon load balancing the network provider.