Method and apparatus for network storage flow control

A method and apparatus for collecting information from ports on a storage network and performing flow control is provided. The data collection method and apparatus includes, identifying a data type transported on the storage network, selecting a port-storage identifier to measure the data type transported across the storage network, monitoring the port-storage identifier on the storage network for the data type, and enumerating occurrences of the data type associated with the port-storage identifier while monitoring the port-storage identifier and the data type. The flow-control operation receives information on a data type passing through the storage network according to a port-storage identifier, compares a threshold with the data type passing through the storage network according to a port-storage identifier, determines when the threshold associated with the data type has been exceeded in consideration of the information received, queues in response to the determination the data type scheduled to pass through one or more ports and storage devices identified according to the port-storage identifier on the storage network.