Patent ID: 7991783

Claim:
An apparatus to support storage functions using an embedded database management system (DBMS), the apparatus comprising: a disk controller receiving data input/output (I/O) requests directed to virtual block numbers from a host, wherein the I/O requests comprise Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) read commands reading the data from the virtual block numbers and SCSI write commands writing the data to the virtual block numbers, and the I/O requests are not Structured Query Language (SQL) database requests; a memory device storing executable code; a processor executing the executable code, the executable code comprising a conversion module translating the I/O requests into SQL database requests that each use a virtual block number as an index to a virtual block number field and communicating the SQL database requests to a DBMS module; a table module emulating a virtual storage device and comprising a plurality of virtual block number fields storing virtual block numbers, each virtual block number field associated with a data contents field storing a location description for a physical storage device; and the DBMS module executing each SQL database request, accessing the data at the location described by the data contents field associated with the virtual block number of the SQL database request.