Network File Server with Automatic Sensing Means.

An SCSI controller adapted as a network file server provides a virtual connection between a plurality of host processors and a single SCSI initiator. The controller contains a removable host adapter for connection to any type of network interface. When a host processor issues a command packet and requests status information of a target device, that status information is passed to the requesting processor and subsequently stored in the controller and made available to all other host processors on the network. A fault tolerant performance monitoring algorithm, executing within the controller, is scheduled to non-intrusively and periodically check the status of each SCSI target device and to store that status information for all host processors. The advantage to such a controller is the expanded number of host processor connections to a single SCSI initiator whereby each host processor can independently and logically connect through the controller and SCSI initiator to a target without clearing target status information for other host processors.