1. A translating host bus interface adapter comprising: an interface to a peripheral interconnect bus capable of interfacing the adapter to a computing system; a host bus adapter processor and a host bus adapter memory system; an interface to a storage area network: firmware for execution in the host bus adapter processor, the firmware recorded in the host bus adapter memory system; and wherein the host bus adapter is capable of recognizing a first type and a second type of redundant storage controller accessible over the interface to a storage area network, of receiving generic commands over the interface to a peripheral interconnect bus, translating these commands into translated commands suitable for communicating with a redundant storage controller of a type selected from the group consisting of the first type and the second type of redundant storage controller, and forwarding the translated commands onto the storage area network.