the present invention provides an apparatus and methodology that allows a host computer to control a data storage device that is remotely located relative to the host computer utilizing the same software that is used to control data storage devices that are locally or directly connected to the host computer . in one embodiment , a host computer is provided that includes a virtual adapter that is capable of converting unencoded scsi command related information from an operating system into encoded scsi command related information that is capable of being transmitted over a network to a remotely located scsi data storage device , i . e ., a scsi data storage device that is separated from the host computer by more than the distance set forth in the scsi specification . the virtual adapter is also capable of decoding encoded scsi command related information received from a remotely located scsi data storage device into unencoded scsi command related information that is suitable for processing by the operating system . the remotely located scsi storage device includes a controller that is capable of decoding the encoded scsi command related information that it receives from the network into unencoded scsi command related information that is suitable for application to a scsi data storage unit and vice versa .