Port server for heterogeneous hardware

A computer-implemented system comprising:

• one or more computing devices, each comprising two or more connection types;
• and
• one or more storage devices connected to the one or more computing devices, wherein the one or more computing devices receive a communication comprising two or more commands from an external computing device intended for hardware devices of a heterogenous system over one of the one or more connection types wherein the hardware devices are of the same type and a first of the hardware devices uses a syntax for commands different than a syntax for commands used by the second of the hardware devices;
• convert the two or more commands in the communication to use the syntax used by the first of the hardware devices and to use the syntax used by the second of the hardware devices,
• batch the two or more commands converted to use the syntax used by the first of the hardware devices into a first packet and the two or more commands converted to use the syntax used by the second of the hardware devices into a second packet;
• send the first packet and a first control packet to the first of the hardware devices of the heterogenous system using one of the one or more connection types and the second packet and a second control packet to the second of the hardware devices of the heterogenous system using one of the one or more connection types, wherein the first control packet indicates a number of responses expected in response to the first packet and the second control packet indicates a number of responses expected in response to the second packet,
• receive responses from the hardware devices of the heterogenous system over the one of the one or more connection types used to send the communication to the hardware devices, and
• send the responses from the hardware devices of the heterogenous system to the external computing device over the one of the one or more connection types over which the communication was received from the external computing device.