Patent ID: 7916628

Claim:
A trunking N_Port for a Fibre Channel node, the trunking N_Port comprising: a physical N_Port interface designed or configured to provide functionality of a non-trunking N_Port when virtual Storage Area Network (SAN) functionality is not available; and a controller for managing trunking on the trunking N_Port, wherein the controller is designed or configured to communicate with an F_Port on a Fibre Channel switch and determine whether virtual SAN functionality exists on the F_Port and if so define one or more virtual SAN interfaces on the trunking N_Port for one or more virtual SANs that are common to the F_Port and the trunking N_Port, with each of the virtual SAN interfaces providing the functionality of an N_Port for a corresponding one of the one or more virtual SANs that are common to the F_Port and the trunking N_Port; wherein the controller is designed or configured to identify the one or more virtual SANs that are common to the F_Port and the trunking N_Port, to thereby define the one or more virtual SAN interfaces on the trunking N_Port.