Methods and apparatus for providing access by a first computing system to data stored in a shared storage device managed by a second computing system

A method for providing access by a first computing system to data stored in a shared storage device managed by a second computing system, wherein a data storage format provided in the shared storage by the second computing system is incompatible with a data storage format required by the first computing system, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving, at a data access server performed on a first computing system, a client message to access data on the shared storage device;
• in response to receiving the client message, retrieving data storage information provided from the second computing system coupled to the first computing system, the data storage information allowing the first computing system to access the data in the shared storage device in a manner that is compatible with the first computing system, retrieving the data storage information further comprising:
• first determining if suitable data storage information is available locally on the first computing system to allow the data access server to provide access to the data on the shared storage device in accordance with the client message in a manner that is compatible with the first computing system, and if so:
• using the suitable data storage information that is available locally on the first computing system as the retrieved data storage information;
• and if not:
• retrieving, from the second computing system, the data storage information that is required for accessing the data in the shared storage device in a manner that is compatible with the first computing system;
• and
• providing compatible access to the data on the shared storage device, directly from the data access server, based on the retrieved data storage information, the direct, compatible access alleviating processor resources of the second computing system from the compatible access.