Adaptec, Inc.

Yen-Chung Lin

Shing Mark Lin

Gilbert Chang-Tying Wu

Thanh T Bui

Michael M Goshey

Guido Maffezzoni

Tony G Kwan

David A Coleman

Kristine N Luong

Robert S Hudson

Tony Fu

John D Nguyen

Dennis M Sumners

Roger A Stoller

Terence Ma

An invention is disclosed that provides device information using a Fibre Channel network. Initially, device information is obtained for a device coupled to a Fibre Channel based network, and an address database is constructed that includes a device entry for the device. Preferably, the device entry includes a port target identifier and a logical unit identifier for the device, and associates the previously obtained device information with the port target identifier and the logical unit identifier. A request is then received for the device information that typically includes the port target identifier and the logical unit identifier. The device information associated with the port target identifier and the logical unit identifier is then returned in response to the request.

Method and apparatus for device discovery

An invention is disclosed that provides a method for facilitating communication with a Fiber Channel controller. Initially, a data structure is defined that includes a Fiber Channel attribute value, which defines a particular functionality of a Fiber Channel controller. Although the data structure can include a plurality of Fiber Channel attributes, preferably at least one Fiber Channel attribute is defined in the data structure. A user is then enabled to modify the Fiber Channel attribute value. Further, during operation of the Fiber Channel controller, a modification request can be received from a code segment to alter the Fiber Channel attribute. The functionality of the Fiber Channel controller is then altered based on the Fiber Channel attribute value.

Method and apparatus for establishing a profile table for host bus adapters

An invention is disclosed for a layer structure that facilitates configuring a Fiber Channel driver. In one embodiment, the layer structure includes a hardware layer directory that includes code for communicating with a Fiber Channel controller. In addition, a wrapper layer directory is included in the layer structure. The wrapper layer directory includes code for communicating with the code associated with the hardware layer directory, and also includes a wrapper header file that defines a particular value setting in a first state, such as a compiler directive set a particular value. The layer structure further includes a global header directory that defines a group of value settings. The group of value settings is defined for the code associated with each of the hardware directory and the wrapper layer directory. The particular value setting in the first state is also included in the group of value settings. The code associated with each of the hardware layer directory, the wrapper layer directory and the global header directory is linked with one another. The linking is accomplished such that any change to the particular value setting made in the code associated with the wrapper layer directory has priority over the first state defined in the global header directory.

Method and apparatus for a layer structure directory for common hardware interface modules

An invention is disclosed that maps a Fibre Channel address to a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) address. A data port is detected on a computer network system and a port target identifier is assigned to the detected data port. Next, a device coupled to the data port is detected and a logical unit identifier is assigned to the detected device. In addition, an Arbitrated Loop Physical Address (AL_PA) is obtained for the device. Further, an address database is constructed that includes a device entry for the detected device. The device entry includes the port target identifier and the logical unit identifier that were assigned to the data port and device. In addition, the device entry associates the AL_PA to the port target identifier and the logical unit identifier of the device.

Method and apparatus for address mapping

Disclosed is an apparatus, a system, a computer readable media, and a method for protecting data of a computer system. The method includes: (a) connecting a peripheral storage device to the computer system; (b) preparing a storage media of the peripheral storage device to be a protection enabled media; (c) selecting a backup set of data stored in a hard drive of the computer system, the backup set of data includes a default set of boot files and operating system files; (d) creating a spare tire backup using file-based copying from the hard-drive of the computer system to the storage media of the peripheral storage device; (e) enabling the peripheral storage device to incrementally copy portions of the backup set of data from the hard drive of the computer system during normal use; and (f) booting the computer system from the peripheral storage device when a failure occurs with the hard drive that disables normal booting. In this manner, the user can resume uninterrupted work from the spare tire backup of the peripheral storage device until the hard drive failure is repaired.

Intelligent backup and restoring system and method for implementing the same

Disclosed is an apparatus, a system, a computer readable media, and a method for protecting data of a computer system. The method includes: (a) connecting a peripheral storage device to the computer system; (b) preparing a storage media of the peripheral storage device to be a protection enabled media; (c) selecting a backup set of data stored in a hard drive of the computer system, the backup set of data includes a default set of boot files and operating system files; (d) creating a spare tire backup using file-based copying from the hard drive of the computer system to the storage media of the peripheral storage device; (e) enabling the peripheral storage device to incrementally copy portions of the backup set of data from the hard drive of the computer system during normal use; and (f) booting the computer system from the peripheral storage device when a failure occurs with the hard drive that disables normal booting. In this manner, the user can resume uninterrupted work from the spare tire backup of the peripheral storage device until the hard drive failure is repaired.

A method includes operations for creating and formatting FAT partitions beyond the first gigabyte of a disk having more than one gigabyte of data storage space, when the disk is associated with a controller card that does not include an option-ROM with a BIOS. In particular, the method populates at least one variable of each partition boot sector with a non-F6 value which then is detected to cause the use of the partition LBA for formatting the boot sector, rather than the partition CHS. A computer readable medium can also include program instructions for creating and formatting FAT partitions beyond the first gigabyte of a disk having more than one gigabyte of data storage space, when the disk is associated with a controller card that does not include an option-ROM with a BIOS.

Method and apparatus for creating formatted fat partitions with a hard drive having a BIOS-less controller

Disclosed is a method for booting a computer system. The computer system includes a first device and a second device which, during initialization of the computer system, are each respectively automatically associated with a unique identification used in a computer generated request to indicate whether the first device or the second device is to respond to the computer generated request. The method includes the act modifying each unique identification that is associated with the first device and the second device of the computer system. In this manner, the second device responds to the computer generated request for the first device, and the first device responds to the computer generated request for the second device.

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Yen-Chung Lin