Patent ID: 7500047

Claim:
A method for processing commands comprising: maintaining a knowledgebase of command protocols at a routing device; receiving a command destined for a target from an initiator over a first data transport medium which implements a first data transport protocol, wherein the target is a SCSI based device; determining command protocols supported by the initiator and the target; modifying the command from a first command protocol supported by the initiator to a second command protocol supported by the target based on the knowledgebase of command protocols maintained at the routing device, wherein the first command protocol supported by the initiator is in a first version of the SCSI standard, wherein the second command protocol supported by the target is in a second version of the SCSI standard, and wherein the routing device comprises a processing unit for mapping the first data transport protocol to a second data transport protocol; forwarding the modified command which is in the second command protocol to the target over a second data transport medium which implements the second data transport protocol; receiving a response from the target over the second data transport medium; and modifying the response from the second command protocol in the second version of the SCSI standard supported by the target to the first command protocol in the first version of the SCSI standard supported by the initiator based on the knowledgebase of command protocols maintained at the routing device wherein modifying the response includes adding data to the response, deleting data from the response, or changing a field in the response.