Methods and systems for communicating with storage systems using slim IP stacks

1. A method for establishing a communication link between a host and a storage device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing on the host a communication stack including a TCP/IP module and a host physical layer module;

providing on the storage device a storage command extractor; and

establishing a communication channel between an application in the host and the storage device, said communication channel using said communication stack and said storage command extractor;

wherein the TCP/IP module converts TCP/IP commands received from the application in the host to storage commands for the storage device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the TCP/IP module encapsulates the storage commands into physical port driver commands.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the storage command extractor extracts the storage commands received from the TCP/IP module.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 , further including:

sending the storage commands extracted by the storage command extractor to a storage command module.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , further including:

executing by the storage command module storage operations corresponding to the storage commands.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the TCP/IP module transfers application data without TCP/IP footers.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the TCP/IP module does not segment application data into multiple TCP/IP packets.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the TCP/IP module does not manage TCP timeouts.

9. A method for establishing a communication link between a host and a storage device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing on the host a communication stack including a TCP/IP module and a host physical layer module;

providing on the storage device a storage-command interpreter and a storage physical layer module; and

establishing a communication channel between an application in the host and the storage device, said communication channel using said communication stack, said storage-command interpreter and said storage physical layer module;

wherein the TCP/IP module,

transfers application data without TCP/IP headers, and

converts TCP/IP commands received from the application into physical port driver commands sent to the host physical layer module.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein establishing the communication channel includes addressing the storage device by a static IP address, and wherein a storage identifier is embedded into one of command parameters sent by said application to said TCP/IP module.

11. A storage device for communicating with a host system, the storage device comprising:

a storage command extractor in communication with a host physical layer, the host further including a TCP/IP module and a host physical layer module; and

a storage-command module connected to the storage command extractor;

wherein a communication channel is established between an application in the host and the storage device, said communication channel using said TCP/IP module and said storage command extractor;

wherein the TCP/IP module converts TCP/IP commands received from an application in the host to storage commands for the storage device.

12. The storage device of claim 11 configured as one of a SIM card, a USB flash-memory device, an MMC card, or an SD card.

13. The storage device of claim 11 , wherein said host is configured as one of a cellular phone, a PDA, a laptop computer, or a desktop computer.

14. The storage device of claim 11 , wherein the TCP/IP module encapsulates the storage commands into physical port driver commands.

15. The storage device of claim 11 , wherein the storage command extractor extracts the storage commands received from the TCP/IP module.

16. The storage device of claim 11 , further including:

a storage command module, wherein the storage commands extracted by the storage command extractor are sent to the storage command module.

17. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the storage command module executes storage operations corresponding to the storage commands.