Patent ID: 8001295

Claim:
A port optimisation component for selecting a pair of ports, each port having predetermined operating parameters, for connecting to a storage device in a storage area network, the port optimisation component comprising: a determination component for: requesting configuration data and policy data pertaining to a storage device in response to a request to configure access to the storage device; comparing the configuration data to the policy data to determine a difference in operating parameters for each storage device port located on the storage device; and in dependence on the detected difference, selecting a pair of ports having a preferred operating parameter; wherein the storage area network comprises a pair of redundant networks for providing fault tolerance in case of a failure of one of the two redundant networks, wherein a first port of the pair of ports is connected to a first network of the pair of redundant networks, and wherein a second port of the pair of ports is connected to a second network of the pair of redundant networks.