Architecture and addressing scheme for storage interconnect and emerging storage service providers
View Patent ↗A technique for enabling a shared storage provider (SSP) to provide shared data storage to a plurality of customers while providing greater privacy and security of each customer's data by implementing a virtual private (VP) addressing scheme is disclosed. The technique also allows a storage networking service carrier to provide connectivity between a plurality of customer storage networking sites, keeping each customer separate from each other. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by network architecture and a scheme to separate and virtualize storage traffic and stored data on a shared infrastructure. Functionally, the scheme provides for the following features: translation between user storage network addresses to carrier addresses; recovery of user storage network addresses when data is returned to the user; use of the carrier assigned addresses to separate the users within the carrier's network; recognition of user storage address within the storage device for partitioning within the user's storage space assigned by the SSP; Storage virtualization or the logical representation of a storage independently of its physical organization; and the displacement of address mapping and virtualization functions away from devices directly attached to storage. All of the above can be implemented singly or in combination, by any networking technology including SONET, ATM, IP, Ethernet and Fiber Channel network technologies.
1. A method for translating a customer address of a first data packet to a carrier address of a second data packet, wherein the customer address corresponds to a location in a customer network and the carrier address corresponds to a location in a carrier access network that provides access to the customer network, the method comprising:
receiving the first data packet at a carrier access network, wherein the first data packet comprises a first header containing customer source information and customer destination information; and
swapping the customer source information and the customer destination information in the first header with carrier assigned source information and carrier assigned destination information to form the second data packet, wherein the second data packet comprises a second header containing the carrier assigned source information and carrier assigned destination information.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
restoring the customer source information and the customer destination information in the first header so as to recover the first data packet.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the customer address is a shared storage network address.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
processing the second data packet within the carrier access network according to the second header containing the carrier assigned source information and carrier assigned destination information.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing the second data packet in a shared storage network.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the customer network comprises a shared storage network accessible by one or more customers, and the one or more customers send a plurality of the first data packets to the shared storage network over the carrier access network, the method further comprising:
separating the second data packet by customer.
7. An apparatus for translating a customer address of a first data packet to a carrier address of a second data packet, wherein the customer address corresponds to a location in a customer network and the carrier address corresponds to a location in a carrier access network that provides access to the customer network, the apparatus comprising:
an address translation node for receiving the first data packet at a carrier access network, wherein the first data packet comprises a first header containing customer source information and customer destination information; and
a first address translation module for swapping the customer source information and customer destination information in the first header with carrier assigned source information and carrier assigned destination information to form the second data packet, wherein the second data packet comprises a second header containing the carrier assigned source information and the carrier assigned destination information.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
a second address translation module for restoring the customer source information and the customer destination information in the first header to recover the first data packet.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the customer address is a shared storage network address.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
a processing module to process the second data packet within the carrier access network according to the second header containing the carrier assigned source information and carrier assigned destination information.
11. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
a storage module for storing the second data packet in a shared storage network.
12. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the customer network comprises a shared storage network accessible by one or more customers, and the one or more customers send a plurality of the first data packets to the shared storage network over the carrier access network, the apparatus further comprising:
a separating module for separating the second data packet by customer.
13. A method for translating a storage network address of a first data packet to a carrier address of a second data packet, wherein the storage network address corresponds to a storage location in a storage network and the carrier address corresponds to a location in a carrier access network that provides access to the storage network, the method comprising:
receiving the first data packet at a carrier access network, wherein the first data packet comprises a first header containing first source information and first destination information; and
encapsulating the first data packet within the second data packet, wherein the second data packet comprises a second header containing second source information and second destination information.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
removing the first data packet from the second data packet so as to restore the first data packet and first header containing the first source information and the first destination information.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the storage network address is a shared storage network address.
16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of:
processing the second data packet within the carrier access network according to the second header containing the second source information and second destination information.
17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
storing the second data packet in a shared storage network.
18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the storage network comprises a shared storage network accessible by one or more customers, and the one or more customers send a plurality of the first data packets to the shared storage network over the carrier access network, the method further comprising:
separating the second data packet by customer.
19. An apparatus for translating a storage network address of a first data packet to a carrier address of a second data packet, wherein the storage network address corresponds to a storage location in a storage network and the carrier address corresponds to a location in a carrier access network that provides access to the storage network, the apparatus comprising:
an address translation node for receiving the first data packet at a carrier access network, wherein the first data packet comprises a first header containing first source information and first destination information; and
an encapsulation module for encapsulating the first data packet within the second data packet, wherein the second data packet comprises a second header containing second source information and second destination information.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 , further comprising:
a removal module for removing the first data packet from the second data packet so as to restore the first data packet and first header containing the first source information and the first destination information.
21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the storage network address is a shared storage network address.
22. The apparatus of claim 19 , further comprising:
a processing module to process the second data packet within the carrier access network according to the second header containing the second source information and second destination information.
23. The apparatus of claim 19 , further comprising:
a storage module for storing the second data packet in a shared storage network.
24. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the storage network comprises a shared storage network accessible by one or more customers, and the one or more customers send a plurality of the first data packets to the shared storage network over the carrier access network, the apparatus further comprising:
a separating module for separating the second data packet by customer.