Patent ID: 8732381

Claim:
A Serial attached small computer system interface (SAS) expander embodied at least in part in computer executable instructions stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a processor and comprising: a virtual device manager to generate a virtual device table comprising virtual device PHYs associated with virtual device drivers for host device drivers to allow communication between the host device drivers, wherein the virtual device PHYs and the virtual device drivers are located at the expander and the host device drivers are located at the host; a communications manager to receive SAS commands from hosts to allow the virtual device manager to generate the virtual device PHYs and to receive a request from a first host device driver of a first host to communicate with a second host device driver of a second host, and in response to receipt of the request, consult the virtual device table to establish communication between the first host device driver and a virtual device PHY associated with a virtual device driver of the second host device driver, and wherein the virtual device manager to assign unique SAS addresses to the virtual device PHYs.