Symantec Operating Corporation

Shiv Rajpal

Ajay P Salpekar

Margaret Kwong

Ravindra B Venkataramaiah

A method and apparatus for providing a multipathing connection to a storage volume, where in one embodiment, the invention prohibits the disk driver from reading the storage parameter information (e.g., table of contents) upon initialization. The method commences with a multipathing disk driver determining at least on active port and at least on passive port for the storage volume. The disk driver then sends a request via the active port to the storage volume for the storage parameter information that is contained in the disk array. After the host computer's operating system disk driver receives the storage parameter information, it copies the information and distributes the information to the port definitions for the passive ports. Consequently, the ports are defined without causing a failover within the storage volume.

Method and apparatus for providing redundant paths to a storage volume

A method and apparatus for providing host server immunization from a failover process that may occur within a data switch that couples the host server to a storage volume. To facilitate such immunization, the method and apparatus caches non-read/write information that is generated by the switch during initialization of the storage volume to host server communication. Upon failover of a switch component within a failover pair of switch components in the switch, the read/write requests issued by the server are ignored and any non-read/write information commands are responded to using the cached information.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Shiv Rajpal