Patent ID: 7743201

Claim:
A method to assign addresses to a plurality of data storage devices, comprising the steps of: providing a switch and (N) data storage devices, wherein each of said (N) data storage devices is interconnected with said switch, and wherein each of said (N) data storage devices comprises a known physical location; establishing (M) arbitrated loop physical addresses (“AL_PAs”), wherein (M) is less than (N); assigning a different one of each of said (M) AL_PAs to a different one of said (N) data storage devices, such that said (N) data storage devices comprise (M) AL_PA-assigned data storage devices and (P) non-address-assigned data storage devices; detecting a failure of an (i)th AL_PA-assigned data storage device, wherein the (i)th AL_PA-assigned data storage device is assigned the (i)th AL_PA, and wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M); transferring the (i)th AL_PA from the failed AL_PA-assigned data storage device to a (j)th data storage device, wherein said (j)th data storage device comprises one of said (P) data storage devices.