Method, system, and article of manufacture for storing device information

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a plurality of references to a plurality of files corresponding to a plurality of devices are stored in a data structure implemented in a computational device, wherein the computational device is coupled to the plurality of devices via a network. Access is enabled to the data structure to a distributed application, wherein the distributed application uses a stored reference in the data structure to determine a file corresponding to a device, and wherein the distributed application performs data transfer operations with the device via the determined file.

1 . A method, comprising: 
 storing, in a data structure implemented in a computational device, a plurality of references to a plurality of files corresponding to a plurality of devices, wherein the computational device is coupled to the plurality of devices via a network; and    enabling access to the data structure to a distributed application, wherein the distributed application uses a stored reference in the data structure to determine a file corresponding to a device, and wherein the distributed application performs data transfer operations with the device via the determined file.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data structure is a directory, wherein the files are device files, and wherein the references are soft links to the device files.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data structure is a registry, and wherein entries in the registry include the references.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving, from another computational device, information that is capable of being used to determine an additional reference that corresponds to an additional file corresponding to an additional device added to the network; and    updating the data structure to include the additional reference.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 discovering an additional device that has been added to the network;    determining an additional reference that corresponds to an additional file corresponding to the additional device; and    updating the data structure to include the additional reference.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the network is a storage area network, and wherein the distributed application is capable of accessing the plurality of devices via a plurality of computational devices.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the computational device is a first computational device, wherein the data structure is a first data structure, the method further comprising: 
 storing, in a second data structure implemented in a second computational device, at least one of the plurality of references to the plurality of files corresponding to the plurality of devices, wherein the second computational device is coupled to the plurality of devices via the network, and wherein the distributed application is capable of accessing the plurality of devices via the first and the second data structures.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data structure is capable of being implemented in a plurality of heterogeneous operating systems, and wherein the plurality of devices are heterogeneous.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data structure in implemented locally in the computational device, and wherein the distributed application is capable of initiating the data transfer operations with the device faster by accessing the data structure implemented locally in the computational device in comparison to accessing the data structure implemented remotely from the computational device.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an operating system and drivers in the computational device are incapable of directly providing the distributed application with access to information to perform the data transfer operations with the device.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the file is a device file, wherein the device is a virtual storage device, wherein the network is a storage area network, and wherein the device file represents a path to the virtual storage device through the storage area network.  
   
   
       12 . A system, wherein the system is capable of communicating with a plurality of devices and a distributed application over a network, the system comprising: 
 a computational device;    memory coupled to the computational device; and    circuitry in communication with the memory, wherein the circuitry is capable of being enabled to: 
 store, in a data structure implemented in the computational device, a plurality of references to a plurality of files corresponding to the plurality of devices; and  
 enable access to the data structure to the distributed application, wherein the distributed application uses a stored reference in the data structure to determine a file corresponding to a device, and wherein the distributed application performs data transfer operations with the device via the determined file.  
   
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the data structure is a directory, wherein the files are device files, and wherein the references are soft links to the device files.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the data structure is a registry, and wherein entries in the registry include the references.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the system is capable of communicating with another computational device, wherein an additional device is capable of being added to the network, and wherein the circuitry is further capable of being enabled to: 
 receive, from the another computational device, information that is capable of being used to determine an additional reference that corresponds to an additional file corresponding to the additional device; and    update the data structure to include the additional reference.    
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein an additional device is capable of being added to the network, and wherein the circuitry is further capable of being enabled to: 
 discover the additional device;    determine an additional reference that corresponds to an additional file corresponding to the additional device; and    update the data structure to include the additional reference.    
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the network is a storage area network, and wherein the distributed application is capable of accessing the plurality of devices via a plurality of computational devices.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the computational device is a first computational device, wherein a second computational device is coupled to the network, wherein the data structure is a first data structure, and wherein the circuitry is further capable of being enabled to: 
 store, in a second data structure implemented in the second computational device, at least one of the plurality of references to the plurality of files corresponding to the plurality of devices, wherein the second computational device is coupled to the plurality of devices via the network, and wherein the distributed application is capable of accessing the plurality of devices via the first and the second data structures.    
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the data structure is capable of being implemented in a plurality of heterogeneous operating systems, and wherein the plurality of devices are heterogeneous.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the data structure in implemented locally in the computational device, and wherein the distributed application is capable of initiating the data transfer operations with the device faster by accessing the data structure implemented locally in the computational device in comparison to accessing the data structure implemented remotely from the computational device.  
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein an operating system and drivers in the computational device are incapable of directly providing the distributed application with access to information to perform the data transfer operations with the device.  
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the file is a device file, wherein the device is a virtual storage device, wherein the network is a storage area network, and wherein the device file represents a path to the virtual storage device through the storage area network.  
   
   
       23 . An article of manufacture, wherein a computational device is coupled to a plurality of devices by a network, and wherein the article of manufacture is capable of causing operations, the operations comprising: 
 storing, in a data structure implemented in the computational device, a plurality of references to a plurality of files corresponding to the plurality of devices; and    enabling access to the data structure to a distributed application, wherein the distributed application uses a stored reference in the data structure to determine a file corresponding to a device, and wherein the distributed application performs data transfer operations with the device via the determined file.    
   
   
       24 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the data structure is a directory, wherein the files are device files, and wherein the references are soft links to the device files.  
   
   
       25 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the data structure is a registry, and wherein entries in the registry include the references.  
   
   
       26 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the computational device is coupled to another computational device via the network, and wherein an additional device is added to the network, the operations further comprising: 
 receiving, from the another computational device, information that is capable of being used to determine an additional reference that corresponds to an additional file corresponding to the additional device added to the network; and    updating the data structure to include the additional reference.    
   
   
       27 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein an additional device is added to the network, the operations further comprising: 
 discovering the additional device;    determining an additional reference that corresponds to an additional file corresponding to the additional device; and    updating the data structure to include the additional reference.    
   
   
       28 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the network is a storage area network, and wherein the distributed application is capable of accessing the plurality of devices via a plurality of computational devices.  
   
   
       29 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the computational device is a first computational device that is coupled to a second computational device, wherein the data structure is a first data structure, the operations further comprising: 
 storing, in a second data structure implemented in the second computational device, at least one of the plurality of references to the plurality of files corresponding to the plurality of devices, wherein the second computational device is coupled to the plurality of devices via the network, and wherein the distributed application is capable of accessing the plurality of devices via the first and the second data structures.    
   
   
       30 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the data structure is capable of being implemented in a plurality of heterogeneous operating systems, and wherein the plurality of devices are heterogeneous.  
   
   
       31 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the data structure in implemented locally in the computational device, and wherein the distributed application is capable of initiating the data transfer operations with the device faster by accessing the data structure implemented locally in the computational device in comparison to accessing the data structure implemented remotely from the computational device.  
   
   
       32 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein an operating system and drivers in the computational device are incapable of directly providing the distributed application with access to information to perform the data transfer operations with the device.  
   
   
       33 . The article of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the file is a device file, wherein the device is a virtual storage device, wherein the network is a storage area network, and wherein the device file represents a path to the virtual storage device through the storage area network.