Method and system for using an in-line credit extender with a host bus adapter

1. A storage area network (“SAN”), comprising:

a host bus adapter (HBA) of a host computing system operationally coupled with a credit extender, wherein upon HBA initialization, the HBA determines a buffer storage capacity of the credit extender and the HBA transmits a number of R_RDYs, a primitive to indicate credit availability, to at least one network device, where the number of R_RDYs are based on the buffer storage capacity of the credit extender instead of a buffer storage capacity of the HBA; and the credit extender receives frames directly from the network device via a Fibre Channel network instead of the HBA directly receiving the frames; and the credit extender sends the received frames to the HBA after the HBA sends a signal to the credit extender indicating that buffer space is available in a receive buffer of the HBA.

2. The SAN of claim 1 , wherein the signal from the HBA to the credit extender indicating available buffer space in the HBA transitions from a first value to a second value and a rate at which the signal transitions from the first value to the second value determines a rate at which the received frames are moved from the credit extender to the HBA.

3. The SAN of claim 1 , wherein the HBA communicates with the credit extender through a management port using a management data input/output protocol.

4. The SAN of claim 1 , wherein the credit extender notifies the HBA of an exception condition by sending a signal to the HBA and the signal is cleared after the HBA responds to the exception condition.

5. A system for transferring data in a Fibre Channel network, comprising:

a host bus adapter (HBA) of a host computing system operationally coupled with a credit extender, wherein upon HBA initialization the HBA determines a buffer storage capacity of the credit extender and the HBA transmits a number of R_RDYs, a primitive to indicate credit availability, to at least one network device, where the number of R_RDYs are based on the buffer storage capacity of the credit extender instead of a buffer storage capacity of the HBA; and the credit extender receives frames directly from the network device via a Fibre Channel network instead of the HBA directly receiving the frames; and the credit extender sends the received frames to the HBA after the HBA sends a signal to the credit extender indicating that buffer space is available in a receive buffer of the HBA.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the signal from the HBA to the credit extender indicating available buffer space in the HBA transitions from a first value to a second value and a rate at which the signal transitions from the first value to the second value determines a rate at which the received frames are moved from the credit extender to the HBA.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the HBA communicates with the credit extender through a management port using a management data input/output protocol.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the credit extender notifies the HBA of an exception condition by sending a signal to the HBA and the signal is cleared after the HBA responds to the exception condition.

9. A host bus adapter (“HBA”) of a host computing system, comprising:

a management port for interfacing the HBA with a credit extender, wherein upon HBA initialization, the HBA determines a buffer storage capacity of the credit extender and the HBA transmits a number of R_RDYs, a primitive to indicate credit availability, to at least one network device, where the number of R_RDYs are based on the buffer storage capacity of the credit extender instead of a buffer storage capacity of the HBA; and the credit extender receives frames directly from the network device via a Fibre Channel network instead of the HBA directly receiving the frames; and the credit extender sends the received frames to the HBA after the HBA sends a signal to the credit extender indicating that buffer space is available in a receive buffer of the HBA.

10. The HBA of claim 9 , wherein the signal from the HBA to the credit extender indicating available buffer space in the HBA transitions from a first value to a second value and a rate at which the signal transitions from the first value to the second value determines a rate at which the received frames are moved from the credit extender to the HBA.

11. The HBA of claim 9 , wherein the HBA communicates with the credit extender through a management port using a management data input/output protocol.

12. The HBA of claim 9 , wherein the credit extender notifies the HBA of an exception condition by sending a signal to the HBA and the signal is cleared after the HBA responds to the exception condition.

13. The HBA of claim 9 , wherein the credit extender notifies the HBA of an exception condition by sending a signal to the HBA and the signal is cleared after the HBA responds to the exception condition.

14. A method for receiving network information in a storage area network, comprising:

determining, by a host bus adapter (HBA) a buffer capacity of a credit extender coupled to the HBA;

sending the HBA a number of primitives at least one network device that communicates with the HBA indicating available buffer space of the credit extender to the network device and the number of primitives that are sent are based on the buffer storage capacity of the credit extender instead of a buffer storage capacity of the HBA;

notifying the credit extender of available buffer space in a receive buffer of the HBA;

receiving a network frame from a network device and the network frame is received directly by the credit extender, instead of the HBA; and

sending the network frame to the HBA and the network frame is processed by a receive buffer processor, instead of a main processor for the HBA.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the HBA sends a signal to the credit extender indicating available buffer space in the HBA and the signal transitions from a first value to a second value and a rate at which the signal transitions from the first value to the second value determines a rate at which network frames are moved from the credit extender to the HBA.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the HBA communicates with the credit extender through a management port using a management data input/output protocol.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the primitive sent to the network device is an R_RDY primitive used in a Fibre Channel network.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the network frame is a Fibre Channel frame.