CLIAMS:We claim:
1. A method for frame order control, the method comprising:
sending, with a multi-protocol switch processing device, an outgoing storage device frame to a storage device, the outgoing storage device frame converted from an incoming storage device frame received from a host device based on a protocol supported by the storage device;
receiving, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, an incoming host device frame from the storage device in response to the outgoing storage device frame;
determining, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, whether an outgoing host device frame has been sent to the host device, the outgoing host device frame converted from the incoming host device frame based on a protocol supported by the host device, wherein the protocol supported by the host device requires a different frame sequencing than the protocol supported by the storage device; and
retrieving, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, a next incoming storage device frame received from the host device when the outgoing host device frame is determined to have been sent to the host device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
generating, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, a host device frame tag identifier for the incoming storage device frame and storing the host device frame tag identifier in and setting a host device frame response flag of a host device frame transaction record; and
generating, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, a storage device frame tag identifier and storing the storage device frame tag identifier in and setting a storage device frame response flag of a storage device frame transaction record mapped to the host device frame transaction record.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:
the incoming storage device frame is received at and the outgoing host device frame is sent via a first I/O frame port and the outgoing storage device frame is sent via and the incoming host device frame is received at a second I/O frame port; and
the host device frame tag identifier is further stored in the host device frame transaction record as associated with the first I/O frame port and the storage device frame tag identifier is further stored in the storage device frame transaction record as associated with the second I/O frame port.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
resetting, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, the storage device frame response flag upon receiving the incoming host device frame, the incoming host device frame including the storage device frame tag identifier; and
resetting, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, the host device frame response flag upon sending the outgoing host device frame.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the resetting the storage device frame response flag further comprises retrieving the storage device frame transaction record based on the storage device frame tag identifier included in the incoming host device frame and the resetting the host device frame response flag further comprises retrieving the host device frame transaction record based on the mapping of the storage device frame transaction record to the host device frame transaction record.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining further comprises determining whether the host device and storage device frame response flags have been reset.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, whether a specified time period without receiving the incoming host device frame has elapsed, the specified time period associated with the protocol supported by the storage device; and
resending, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, the outgoing storage device frame to the storage device via the second I/O frame port when the specified time period is determined to have elapsed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the protocol supported by the storage device requires in-order frame sequencing and the protocol supported by the host device requires out-of-order frame sequencing or the protocol supported by the storage device requires out-of-order frame sequencing and the protocol supported by the host device requires in-order frame sequencing.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, a modified configuration record based on a received modification of a current configuration record, the modification corresponding to a configuration selected from I/O frame port configuration, I/O frame buffer configuration, I/O frame port mode configuration, or I/O frame port association; and
replacing, with the multi-protocol switch processing device, the current configuration record with the modified configuration record and the last configuration record with the current configuration record following a reset or a reboot event.

10. A multi-protocol switch processing device, comprising:
a processor coupled to a memory and configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory, comprising:
sending an outgoing storage device frame to a storage device, the outgoing storage device frame converted from an incoming storage device frame received from a host device based on a protocol supported by the storage device;
receiving an incoming host device frame from the storage device in response to the outgoing storage device frame;
determining whether an outgoing host device frame has been sent to the host device, the outgoing host device frame converted from the incoming host device frame based on a protocol supported by the host device, wherein the protocol supported by the host device requires a different frame sequencing than the protocol supported by the storage device; and
retrieving a next incoming storage device frame received from the host device when the outgoing host device frame is determined to have been sent to the host device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:
generating a host device frame tag identifier for the incoming storage device frame and storing the host device frame tag identifier in and setting a host device frame response flag of a host device frame transaction record; and
generating a storage device frame tag identifier and storing the storage device frame tag identifier in and setting a storage device frame response flag of a storage device frame transaction record mapped to the host device frame transaction record.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein:
the incoming storage device frame is received at and the outgoing host device frame is sent via a first I/O frame port and the outgoing storage device frame is sent via and the incoming host device frame is received at a second I/O frame port; and
the host device frame tag identifier is further stored in the host device frame transaction record as associated with the first I/O frame port and the storage device frame tag identifier is further stored in the storage device frame transaction record as associated with the second I/O frame port.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:
resetting the storage device frame response flag upon receiving the incoming host device frame, the incoming host device frame including the storage device frame tag identifier; and
resetting the host device frame response flag upon sending the outgoing host device frame.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the resetting the storage device frame response flag further comprises retrieving the storage device frame transaction record based on the storage device frame tag identifier included in the incoming host device frame and the resetting the host device frame response flag further comprises retrieving the host device frame transaction record based on the mapping of the storage device frame transaction record to the host device frame transaction record.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the determining further comprises determining whether the host device and storage device frame response flags have been reset.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:
determining whether a specified time period without receiving the incoming host device frame has elapsed, the specified time period associated with the protocol supported by the storage device; and
resending the outgoing storage device frame to the storage device via the second I/O frame port when the specified time period is determined to have elapsed.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the protocol supported by the storage device requires in-order frame sequencing and the protocol supported by the host device requires out-of-order frame sequencing or the protocol supported by the storage device requires out-of-order frame sequencing and the protocol supported by the host device requires in-order frame sequencing.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:
generating a modified configuration record based on a received modification of a current configuration record, the modification corresponding to a configuration selected from I/O frame port configuration, I/O frame buffer configuration, I/O frame port mode configuration, or I/O frame port association; and
replacing the current configuration record with the modified configuration record and the last configuration record with the current configuration record following a reset or a reboot event.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for frame order control comprising machine executable code which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:
sending an outgoing storage device frame to a storage device, the outgoing storage device frame converted from an incoming storage device frame received from a host device based on a protocol supported by the storage device;
receiving an incoming host device frame from the storage device in response to the outgoing storage device frame;
determining whether an outgoing host device frame has been sent to the host device, the outgoing host device frame converted from the incoming host device frame based on a protocol supported by the host device, wherein the protocol supported by the host device requires a different frame sequencing than the protocol supported by the storage device; and
retrieving a next incoming storage device frame received from the host device when the outgoing host device frame is determined to have been sent to the host device.
20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the machine executable code when executed by the processor further causes the processor to perform steps further comprising:
generating a host device frame tag identifier for the incoming storage device frame and storing the host device frame tag identifier in and setting a host device frame response flag of a host device frame transaction record; and
generating a storage device frame tag identifier and storing the storage device frame tag identifier in and setting a storage device frame response flag of a storage device frame transaction record mapped to the host device frame transaction record.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein:
the incoming storage device frame is received at and the outgoing host device frame is sent via a first I/O frame port and the outgoing storage device frame is sent via and the incoming host device frame is received at a second I/O frame port; and
the host device frame tag identifier is further stored in the host device frame transaction record as associated with the first I/O frame port and the storage device frame tag identifier is further stored in the storage device frame transaction record as associated with the second I/O frame port.

22. The medium of claim 20, wherein the machine executable code when executed by the processor further causes the processor to perform steps further comprising:
resetting the storage device frame response flag upon receiving the incoming host device frame, the incoming host device frame including the storage device frame tag identifier; and
resetting the host device frame response flag upon sending the outgoing host device frame.

23. The medium of claim 20, wherein the resetting the storage device frame response flag further comprises retrieving the storage device frame transaction record based on the storage device frame tag identifier included in the incoming host device frame and the resetting the host device frame response flag further comprises retrieving the host device frame transaction record based on the mapping of the storage device frame transaction record to the host device frame transaction record.

24. The medium of claim 22, wherein the determining further comprises determining whether the host device and storage device frame response flags have been reset.

25. The medium of claim 20, wherein the machine executable code when executed by the processor further causes the processor to perform steps further comprising:
determining whether a specified time period without receiving the incoming host device frame has elapsed, the specified time period associated with the protocol supported by the storage device; and
resending the outgoing storage device frame to the storage device via the second I/O frame port when the specified time period is determined to have elapsed.

26. The medium of claim 20, wherein the protocol supported by the storage device requires in-order frame sequencing and the protocol supported by the host device requires out-of-order frame sequencing or the protocol supported by the storage device requires out-of-order frame sequencing and the protocol supported by the host device requires in-order frame sequencing.

27. The medium of claim 20, wherein the machine executable code when executed by the processor further causes the processor to perform steps further comprising:
generating a modified configuration record based on a received modification of a current configuration record, the modification corresponding to a configuration selected from I/O frame port configuration, I/O frame buffer configuration, I/O frame port mode configuration, or I/O frame port association; and

replacing the current configuration record with the modified configuration record and the last configuration record with the current configuration record following a reset or a reboot event.

Dated this 12th day of November, 2013
MADHUSUDAN S.T.
OF K & S PARTNERS
ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS
,TagSPECI:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This technology relates to storage area networks (SANs), and particularly to methods for frame order control in multi-protocol SANs and devices thereof.