Patent ID: 8166196

Claim:
A first switch in a storage area network (SAN), comprising: a processor; and a memory, wherein the memory is adapted for: receiving a data frame sent from a host device attached to the SAN to a target device attached to the SAN, wherein the data frame has been redirected to an application chain which specifies a sequence of two or more application nodes in the SAN, including the first switch, to receive and process data frames sent from the host to the target, wherein the first switch receives the data frame as being addressed from the host to the first switch, and wherein each of a plurality of switches in the storage area network, including the application nodes of the application chain, includes a network address translation (NAT) access control list (ACL) redirect table, wherein the ACL redirect table specifies a plurality of redirected source/destination addresses for data frames received by a respective switch having a specified pair of source/destination addresses; performing a service on data included in the redirected data frame; releasing the data frame, wherein the data frame is released as being addressed from the first switch to the target; upon determining the application chain includes an additional application node in the sequence of two or more application nodes, redirecting the data frame by modifying the data frame so as to be addressed from the host to the additional application node.