Patent ID: 7778981

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving at a network storage server, from a network storage client, a client request to perform an operation relating to a data set stored by the network storage server; in response to receiving the client request, determining in the network storage server whether to invoke a policy engine in relation to the client request, by determining whether the client request satisfies a specified criterion associated with a specified policy of the policy engine; if the client request is determined not to satisfy a specified criterion associated with a specified policy of the policy engine, then satisfying the client request by the network storage server without invoking the policy engine; whereas if the client request is determined to satisfy a specified criterion associated with a specified policy of the policy engine, then sending a screen request corresponding to the client request from the network storage server to the policy engine to cause the policy engine to apply the specified policy in relation to the client request or the data set; receiving at the network storage server, from the policy engine, a screen response indicating a result of the policy engine having applied the specified policy in relation to the client request or the data set; and sending a response to the client request from the network storage server to the network storage client in accordance with the screen response.