Techniques for providing a first computer system access to storage devices indirectly through a second computer system

A method for providing access to storage devices comprising:

• sending, over a network connection from a first computer system to a second computer system, a first I/O request directed to a first storage device of a data storage system, the first computer system including a first operating system and first hardware native to said first computer system, the second computer system including a simulated computing environment and a second operating system different from the first operating system, the simulated computing environment including a simulated operating system that simulates at least a portion of said first operating system and the simulated computing environment including second simulation software simulating at least a portion of the first hardware wherein the first computer system accesses storage devices in accordance with a first format that is native to the first computer system, wherein the data storage system includes the first storage device having data stored in accordance with the first format and a second storage device having data stored in accordance with a second format that is native to the second computer system, said first format being non-native to the second computer system, said second computer system issuing I/O operations to both the first storage device and the second storage device whereby the second computer system accesses the first storage device using the simulated coming environment;
• and
• receiving the first I/O request at the second computer system, wherein the data storage system is connected to the second computer system over a first connection thereby providing the second computer system access to the first storage device of the data storage system, said first storage device being accessible to the second computer system over the first connection operating in accordance with a first protocol, wherein the second simulation software provides emulation capabilities in accordance with the first protocol thereby allowing the second computer system to issue the first I/O request to the first storage device on behalf of the first computer system, said second computer system using the simulated computing environment to issue the first I/O request to the first storage device.

A computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon for providing access to storage devices, the computer readable medium comprising code, which when executed by a processor, performs a method comprising:

• sending, over a network connection from a first computer system to a second computer system, a first I/O request directed to a first storage device of a data storage system, the first computer system including a first operating system and first hardware native to said first computer system, the second computer system including a simulated computing environment and a second operating system different from the first operating system, the simulated computing environment including a simulated operating system that simulates at least a portion of said first operating system and the simulated computing environment including second simulation software simulating at least a portion of the first hardware, wherein the first computer system accesses storage devices in accordance with a first format that is native to the first computer system, wherein the data storage system includes the first storage device having data stored in accordance with the first format and a second storage device having data stored in accordance with a second format that is native to the second computer system, said first format being non-native to the second computer system, said second computer system issuing I/O operations to both the first storage device and the second storage device whereby the second computer system accesses the first storage device using the simulated computing environment;
• and
• receiving the first I/O request at the second computer system, wherein the data storage system is connected to the second computer system over a first connection thereby providing the second computer system access to the first storage device of the data storage system, said first storage device being accessible to the second computer system over the first connection operating in accordance with a first protocol, wherein the second simulation software provides emulation capabilities in accordance with the first protocol thereby allowing the second computer system to issue the first I/O request to the first storage device on behalf of the first computer system, said second computer system using the simulated computing environment to issue the first I/O request to the first story device.