Patent ID: 8892750

Claim:
A method for providing and using a host identifier for a host comprising: receiving a first portion associated with a characteristic of said host; receiving a second portion, said second portion including a non-deterministic component; and forming said host identifier using said first portion and said second portion, said host identifier being used to uniquely identify said host in a storage area network, wherein said host identifier is sent from a first sending port of said host to a first receiving port of a data storage system, said first sending port having a first identifier, said first receiving port having a first receiving port identifier, wherein said host identifier, said first receiving port identifier and the first identifier are included in first information of an access control table used to control access to devices of the data storage system, wherein, in response to receiving, at a second receiving port of the data storage system, a second host identifier from a second sending port having a second identifier, the method further comprises: determining a degree of similarity between the first information and second information including said second host identifier, a second receiving port identifier identifying the second receiving port, and said second identifier, said determining a degree of similarity including determining whether the second information is associated with the host or a different host, and determining whether a host bus adapter which is included in the host and includes said first sending port has been replaced in said host with a new host bus adapter.