Patent ID: 8055934

Claim:
A method for use with a host and storage, comprising: operations by a storage controller having a cluster of servers, a plurality of input/output adapters including a host adapter coupled to the host and a plurality of device adapters coupled to the storage, and a switch coupling the servers to the input/output adapters, said operations including: initializing operations of the plurality of input/output adapters coupled to a first server of the cluster of servers, through a transparent, first upstream port of the switch so that the first server operates as a root server to the plurality of input/output adapters, and input/output adapter driver software of the root, first server is configured to process error messages from the plurality of input/output adapters; detecting a failure in the root, first server coupled to the transparent, first upstream port; and without reinitializing the input/output adapters: reconfiguring software of a second, operational server of the cluster of servers to operate as a root server for the plurality of input/output adapters, said software reconfiguring include reconfiguring input/output adapter driver software of the second server to process error messages from the plurality of input/output adapters; and reconfiguring an upstream port of the switch coupled to the second server to be a transparent port adapted to forward error messages from the input/output adapters to the second server coupled to the transparent, second port so that the second server operates as a root server to the input/output adapters.