Apparatus and method to assign addresses to a plurality of information storage devices

An article of manufacture comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code disposed therein to assign addresses to (N) data storage devices, wherein each of said (N) data storage devices is interconnected with a switch, and wherein each of said (N) data storage devices comprises a known physical location, the computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

• retrieving (M) pre-determined AL_PAs, wherein (M) is less than (N);
• assigning a different one of each of said (M) AL_PAs to a different one of said (N) data storage devices, such that said (N) data storage devices comprise (M) AL_PA-assigned data storage devices and (P) non-address-assigned data storage devices;
• detecting a failure of an (i)th AL_PA-assigned data storage device, wherein the (i)th AL_PA-assigned data storage device is assigned an (i)th AL_PA, and wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M);
• transferring the (i)th AL_PA from the failed AL_PA-assigned data storage device to a (j)th data storage device, wherein said (j)th data storage device comprises one of said (P) data storage devices.

A computer program product usable with a programmable computer processor having computer readable program code embodied therein to assign addresses to (N) data storage devices, wherein each of said (N) data storage devices is interconnected with a switch, and wherein each of said (N) data storage devices comprises a known physical location, comprising:

• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to retrieve (M) pre-determined AL_PAs, wherein (M) is less than (N);
• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to assign a different one of each of said (M) AL_PAs to a different one of said (N) data storage devices, such that said (N) data storage devices comprise (M) AL_PA-assigned data storage devices and (P) non-address-assigned data storage devices;
• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to detect a failure of an (i)th AL_PA-assigned data storage device, wherein the (i)th AL_PA-assigned data storage device is assigned an (i)th AL_PA, and wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M);
• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to transfer the (i)th AL_PA from the failed AL_PA-assigned data storage device to a (j)th data storage device, wherein said (j)th data storage device comprises one of said (P) data storage devices.