Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring one or more storage devices as a plurality of physical storage units, each of the physical storage units having a storage granularity, and configuring, on the one or more storage devices, a thin provisioned storage pool having a physical number of the physical storage units and a logical number of logical storage units, the physical number being less than the logical number. Upon receiving a request to create a thick data volume having a requested number of the physical storage units, an available number of the physical storage units that are available in the thin provisioned pool can be identified. Upon determining that the requested number is less than the available number, the requested number of the physical storage units can be allocated, from the thin provisioned storage pool, to the thick data volume.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include conveying first data from local regions of a local volume of a local storage system to a remote storage system having a remote volume with remote regions in a one-to-one correspondence with the local regions. While conveying the first data, a request is received to update a given local region, and the given local region is marked. Subsequent to conveying the first data, a local snapshot referencing the local regions is created, and second data is conveyed from the marked local region to the remote storage system.

Abstract: A first storage system is configured as a proxy for a logical volume stored on a second storage system in a distributed computing environment. A probe request verifying availability of the logical volume is conveyed to an identified port, and upon receiving a response from a second storage system verifying the availability of the logical volume for an I/O request, the I/O request is conveyed to the identified port, a result of the I/O request is received from the identified port, the result is conveyed to the host computer.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring one or more storage devices as a plurality of physical storage units, each of the physical storage units having a storage granularity, and configuring, on the one or more storage devices, a thin provisioned storage pool having a physical number of the physical storage units and a logical number of logical storage units. Upon receiving a request to create a thick data volume having a requested number of the physical storage units, an available number of the physical storage units that are available in the thin provisioned pool can be identified. A certain number of physical storage units are then allocated based upon a determination of the identifying.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring one or more storage devices as a plurality of physical storage units, each of the physical storage units having a storage granularity, and configuring, on the one or more storage devices, a thin provisioned storage pool having a physical number of the physical storage units and a logical number of logical storage units, the physical number being less than the logical number. Upon receiving a request to create a thick data volume having a requested number of the physical storage units, an available number of the physical storage units that are available in the thin provisioned pool can be identified. Upon determining that the requested number is less than the available number, the requested number of the physical storage units can be allocated, from the thin provisioned storage pool, to the thick data volume.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include receiving, by a first computer in communication with a storage system, multiple resource packs, each of the resource packs including a plurality of attributes for storage resources on the storage system. Upon the first computer receiving a request from a second computer for a storage service, one or more of the received resource packs are identified that have respective attributes matching the storage service, a given identified resource pack is selected and the given identified resource pack is conveyed to the second computer. In some embodiments, the given identified resource pack can be conveyed by conveying an allocation request to the storage system for a portion of the given identified resource pack, and in response to the request, the storage system can allocate the requested portion of the given identified resource pack to the second computer.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include identifying, by a first computer in communication with a storage system having one or more storage devices, storage resources on the storage system, and defining multiple resource packs, each of the resource packs comprising respective multiple attributes for the storage resources. In response to an inventory request from a second computer in communication with the first computer, each of the resource packs can be conveyed to the second computer. Additionally, upon receiving, from the second computer, an allocation request to allocate a portion of a given resource pack, the portion of the given resource pack can be allocated in response to the request.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring one or more storage devices as a plurality of physical storage units, each of the physical storage units having a storage granularity, and configuring, on the one or more storage devices, a thin provisioned storage pool having a physical number of the physical storage units and a logical number of logical storage units, the physical number being less than the logical number. Upon receiving a request to create a thick data volume having a requested number of the physical storage units, an available number of the physical storage units that are available in the thin provisioned pool can be identified. Upon determining that the requested number is less than the available number, the requested number of the physical storage units can be allocated, from the thin provisioned storage pool, to the thick data volume.

Abstract: A first storage system is configured as a proxy for a logical volume stored on a second storage system. A probe request verifying availability of the logical volume is conveyed to an identified port, and upon receiving a response from a second storage system verifying the availability of the logical volume for an I/O request, the I/O request is conveyed to the identified port, a result of the I/O request is received from the identified port, the result is conveyed to the host computer.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring one or more storage devices as a plurality of physical storage units, each of the physical storage units having a storage granularity, and configuring, on the one or more storage devices, a thin provisioned storage pool having a physical number of the physical storage units and a logical number of logical storage units, the physical number being less than the logical number. Upon receiving a request to create a thick data volume having a requested number of the physical storage units, an available number of the physical storage units that are available in the thin provisioned pool can be identified. Upon determining that the requested number is less than the available number, the requested number of the physical storage units can be allocated, from the thin provisioned storage pool, to the thick data volume.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring one or more storage devices as a plurality of physical storage units, each of the physical storage units having a storage granularity, and configuring, on the one or more storage devices, a thin provisioned storage pool having a physical number of the physical storage units and a logical number of logical storage units, the physical number being less than the logical number. Upon receiving a request to create a thick data volume having a requested number of the physical storage units, an available number of the physical storage units that are available in the thin provisioned pool can be identified. Upon determining that the requested number is less than the available number, the requested number of the physical storage units can be allocated, from the thin provisioned storage pool, to the thick data volume.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include defining a source data volume including a first multiple of source snapshots, and storing the first multiple of the source snapshots in a first storage pool including a second multiple of storage regions having respective identifiers. Upon receiving a request to copy the source data volume to a target data volume in a second storage pool, a first given source snapshot including a first set of the storage regions is accessed, and a second given source snapshot preceding the first given source snapshot is identified, the second given source snapshot including a second set of the storage regions. A set difference of the second and the first sets of the storage regions is identified, respective identifiers of the set difference are stored to the target volume, and a target snapshot is created for the target volume.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring one or more storage devices as a plurality of physical storage units, each of the physical storage units having a storage granularity, and configuring, on the one or more storage devices, a thin provisioned storage pool having a physical number of the physical storage units and a logical number of logical storage units, the physical number being less than the logical number. Upon receiving a request to create a thick data volume having a requested number of the physical storage units, an available number of the physical storage units that are available in the thin provisioned pool can be identified. Upon determining that the requested number is less than the available number, the requested number of the physical storage units can be allocated, from the thin provisioned storage pool, to the thick data volume.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include storing one or more data volumes to a small computer system interface storage device, and receiving a request to map a given data volume to a host computer. One or more attributes of the given data volume are identified, and using the identified one or more attributes, a unique logical unit number (LUN) for the given data volume is generated. The given data volume is mapped to the host computer via the unique LUN. In some embodiments, the generated LUN includes one of the one or more attributes. In additional embodiments, the generated LUN includes a result of a hash function using the one or more attributes. In storage virtualization environments, the data volume may include secondary logical units, and mapping the given data volume to the host may include binding the SLU to the host.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include storing one or more data volumes to a small computer system interface storage device, and receiving a request to map a given data volume to a host computer. One or more attributes of the given data volume are identified, and using the identified one or more attributes, a unique logical unit number (LUN) for the given data volume is generated. The given data volume is mapped to the host computer via the unique LUN. In some embodiments, the generated LUN includes one of the one or more attributes. In additional embodiments, the generated LUN includes a result of a hash function using the one or more attributes. In storage virtualization environments, the data volume may include secondary logical units, and mapping the given data volume to the host may include binding the SLU to the host.

Abstract: A first storage system is configured as a proxy for a logical volume stored on a second storage system. The first computer system receives an I/O request from a host computer for the logical volume, the host computer, and identifies a port on the second storage system for the I/O request. In some embodiments, the second storage system has multiple SCSI ports, and the identified port comprises a least busy SCSI port. A probe request verifying availability of the logical volume is conveyed to the identified port, and upon receiving a response from the second storage system verifying the availability of the logical volume for the I/O request, the I/O request is conveyed to the identified port, a result of the I/O request is received from the identified port, the result is conveyed to the host computer.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include a storage device configured to store a logical volume mapped between a host computer and a computer having multiple initiator ports, and a processor configured to detect a unit attention condition for the logical volume. Examples of unit attention conditions for the logical volume include management operations on the logical volume and host requests for the logical volume. Upon detecting a unit attention condition, the processor can to generate a unit attention code and a respective unique serial number in response to detecting the unit attention condition, and upon receiving an input/output (I/O) request for the logical volume from a given initiator port, the processor can convey, to the given initiator port, the unit attention code and the respective unique serial number in response to the I/O request.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include detecting, by a storage system, a change in a mapping of a logical volume to one or more host ports of a host computer communicating with the storage system via a storage area network (SAN). Subsequent to detecting the change, first and second input/output (I/O) requests for the logical volume are received from a given host port, and a first unit attention message is conveyed to the given host port in response to the first I/O request. A second unit attention message is conveyed to the given host port upon determining that the storage system received the second I/O request within a specific time period commencing upon receiving the first I/O request. However, the second I/O request can be performed if the storage system received the second I/O request subsequent to the specific time period.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include identifying, by a first computer, multiple network paths to a second computer, and splitting an input/output (I/O) request for a logical volume stored on the second computer into sub-requests. A probe request defining an association between the I/O request and the sub-requests is conveyed to the second computer, and each of the sub-requests is assigned to a respective one of the multiple network paths. Each of the sub-requests are conveyed to the second computer via the assigned respective one of the multiple network paths, and the sub-requests are received by the second computer via the multiple network paths. The second computer performs the sub-requests in response to the association, and a result of each of the sub-requests is conveyed to the first computer via the assigned respective one of the multiple network paths.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring, by a source storage system, a logical volume to comprise source regions of the source storage system that have a mapping between a host computer and the source storage system, the source regions storing source data. The source data is copied from the source regions to target data in target regions of a target storage system, the target regions being in a one-to-one correspondence with the source regions, and the volume is reconfigured so that the target regions have the mapping between the host computer and the source storage system. In some embodiments, the mapping between the host computer and the source storage system comprises a first mapping, and upon reconfiguring the volume, a second mapping can be added between the host computer and the target storage system, and the first mapping can be deleted.