System and method for identification of devices associated with input/output paths

A system for discovery a type of device associated with an input/output (I/O) path, comprising:

• at least one processor for executing code;
• means for defining a type of device;
• means for obtaining device information associated with said I/O path;
• and
• code operable to determine whether said device associated with said I/O path is said type of device utilizing in part said device information obtained by said means for obtaining and information obtained from said means for defining.

A system for discovering a device associated with an input/output (I/O) path, comprising:

• at least one processor for executing code;
• a plurality of data structures wherein each of said data structure respectively defines a type of device;
• code for removing a class identifier from each of said data structures, wherein said class identifier identifies a respective class;
• code for instantiating an object of said respective class of each class identifier;
• and
• code for calling a method of each instantiated object, wherein said method is operable to determine whether a device associated with said I/O path is the type of device defined by said data structure associated with said respective instantiated object of said method.

A method for discovering a type of device associated with an input/output (I/O) path of a storage area network, comprising:

• (a) retrieving a plurality of property files from a predefined subdirectory, wherein each property file of said plurality of property files describes a type of device;
• (b) removing a class identifier from each property file of said property files, wherein each class identifier identifies a class;
• (c) creating object of the respective class of each class identifier;
• and
• (d) calling a method of each created object, wherein said method is operable to determine whether a device associated with said I/O path is the type of device described by the property file associated with said object method.

A system for analyzing input/output (I/O) paths of a storage area network (SAN) comprising:

• a plurality of servers, wherein said servers are communicatively coupled to a fabric of said SAN;
• a plurality of host agent processes, wherein each of said host agent processes executes on a respective server of said plurality of servers, and wherein said host agent processes are operable to query devices associated with host logical unit numbers I/O paths of said SAN to gather device information;
• a management server, wherein said management server employs a simple network management protocol (SNMP) manager process to query devices associated with SNMP I/O paths of said SAN to gather device information;
• a plurality of property files stored in a predefined directory, wherein each property file of said plurality of property files describes a type of device, and wherein each property file of said plurality of property files includes an identifier of code operable to determine whether a device associated with an I/O path is the type of device described by its associated property file;
• and
• a management server process, wherein said management server process is operable to receive gathered device information from said plurality of host agent processes and from said SNMP manager process;
• and wherein said management server process is operable to call code identified by property files with gathered device information as arguments to thereby identify types of devices associated with I/O paths of said SAN.