Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to control delivery of input-output operations from a host device to a storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through a network. The processing device is further configured to identify whether operational information of the host device corresponding to a given write input-output operation comprises one or more index nodes, and to analyze the one or more index nodes responsive to a positive identification. The processing device is also configured to determine whether one or more portions of data corresponding to the given write input-output operation comprise file data based on the analysis of the one or more index nodes, to encrypt at least part of the file data responsive to an affirmative determination, and to deliver the given write input-output operation comprising the encrypted file data to the storage system.

Abstract: A multi-path input-output (MPIO) driver in a host server reduces host-copy migration data transmission rate based on decrease in foreground IO response time. A baseline foreground IO response time measured before commencement of the host-copy migration is compared with a reference foreground IO response time measured after commencement of the host-copy migration. Increase in the foreground IO response time, expressed as a percentage or time value, that satisfies a predetermined limit will trigger reduction of the host-copy migration data transmission rate. The reference foreground IO response time is repeatedly measured and updated each time the host-copy migration data transmission rate is decreased.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device that includes a processor coupled to a memory. The processing device is configured to identify a source multi-path device in first multi-pathing software, to create a target multi-path device in second multi-pathing software different than the first multi-pathing software, to copy a set of paths of the source multi-path device to the target multi-path device, to add to the set of paths of the source multi-path device a new path to the target multi-path device, and to remove paths other than the new path from the source multi-path device. Such an arrangement illustratively provides non-disruptive switching of path selection functionality of a host device from the source multi-path device of the first multi-pathing software to the target multi-path device of the second multi-pathing software. The source and target multi-path devices illustratively utilize different storage access protocols, such as respective SCSI and NVMe access protocols.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, with the at least one processing device being configured to provide at least a portion of an input-output (IO) stack for processing of IO operations in a host device for delivery to a storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through a network. The IO stack comprises at least a multi-path device overlying one or more logical storage devices. The at least one processing device is further configured to perform a check at each of one or more points in the IO stack to confirm that a given IO operation directed to a given device of the IO stack is received from an expected overlying device of the IO stack. The IO stack illustratively comprises an encryption device overlying the multi-path device, supporting end-to-end encryption for one or more logical storage devices.

Abstract: A method in one embodiment comprises separating logical block addresses of one or more storage devices of a storage system into a plurality of ranges of logical block addresses using a designated chunk size, the chunk size denoting a particular number of logical block addresses. The method further comprises assigning different ones of the ranges of logical block addresses to different ones of a plurality of cache entities of the storage system, to select paths for delivery of respective input-output operations from a host device to the storage system based at least in part on the assigning, detecting particular ones of the input-output operations that each overlap with two or more adjacent ranges of the plurality of ranges, and responsive to the detected input-output operations exceeding a threshold, modifying the chunk size and repeating at least portions of the separating, assigning, selecting and detecting utilizing the modified chunk size.

Abstract: A method comprises associating a first logical storage device with a first host device, wherein data encrypted using a private key of the first host device is written to the first logical storage device, generating a copy of the first logical storage device, associating the copy of the first logical storage device with a second logical storage device, wherein data encrypted using a private key of a second host device is written to the second logical storage device, and providing the second host device with access to an encrypted version of a public key of the first host device, encrypted using a public key of the second host device, to allow the second host device to obtain the public key of the first host device. The second host device can thereby access particular data of the second logical storage device written using the private key of the first host device.

Abstract: A method in one embodiment comprises separating logical block addresses of one or more storage devices of a storage system into a plurality of ranges of logical block addresses using a designated chunk size, the chunk size denoting a particular number of logical block addresses. The method further comprises assigning different ones of the ranges of logical block addresses to different ones of a plurality of cache entities of the storage system, to select paths for delivery of respective input-output operations from a host device to the storage system based at least in part on the assigning, detecting particular ones of the input-output operations that each overlap with two or more adjacent ranges of the plurality of ranges, and responsive to the detected input-output operations exceeding a threshold, modifying the chunk size and repeating at least portions of the separating, assigning, selecting and detecting utilizing the modified chunk size.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to receive, from a given host device in a given data center that utilizes a given piece of software, first configuration information associated with the given host device. The processing device is also configured to identify available software upgrades for the given piece of software and to select issue indicators associated with installation of the available software upgrades on other host devices. The processing device is further configured to provide, to the given host device, a recommendation to install the available software upgrades for the given piece of software on the given host device responsive to determining that (i) the first configuration information associated with the given host device has at least a threshold level of similarity to the second configuration information of the other host devices and (ii) the issue indicators have at least a threshold issue criticality level.

Abstract: An apparatus in one embodiment includes at least one processing device, with the at least one processing device comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The at least one processing device is configured to monitor performance of respective ones of a plurality of paths for accessing a logical storage device, and responsive to detection of at least one specified condition in the monitored performance relating to at least a subset of the paths, to switch the logical storage device from utilization of a first access protocol to utilization of a second access protocol different than the first access protocol. For example, in some embodiments, the at least one processing device is configured to switch the logical storage device from a SCSI access protocol to an NVMe access protocol, and vice versa, responsive to congestion, errors or other detected performance conditions currently impacting one of the access protocols.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to identify a number of outstanding input-output (IO) operations corresponding to at least one target of a storage system, wherein the identifying is performed periodically at designated time intervals. The processing device is further configured to determine whether the number of outstanding IO operations is trending upward and exceeds a threshold over a plurality of the designated time intervals. At least one message indicating a queue full condition is generated responsive to an affirmative determination that the number of outstanding IO operations is trending upward and an affirmative determination that the number of outstanding IO operations exceeds the threshold. The at least one message is sent to one or more host devices associated with one or more initiators corresponding to the at least one target of the storage system.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a host device configured to communicate over a network with a storage system. The host device comprises a multi-path input-output driver configured to control delivery of input-output operations from the host device to the storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through the network. The multi-path input-output driver is further configured to collect information characterizing input-output patterns for each of a plurality of different applications executing on the host device, and to provide the collected information to a machine learning system. The machine learning system utilizes the collected information to generate one or more application predictions based at least in part on analysis of observed input-output patterns. The collected information in some embodiments comprises statistical distributions of numbers of input-output operations having payload sizes falling into specified ranges over a given time period.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises at least one processing device. The at least one processing device is configured to detect a write pressure condition by identifying at least a first set of one or more logical storage devices having a first service level objective for which at least one performance metric has a value that exceeds a specified threshold, and responsive to the detected write pressure condition, to identify at least a second set of one or more logical storage devices, having a second service level objective that is lower than the first service level objective, and that are contributing to the detected write pressure condition. The at least one processing device is further configured, for each of the identified logical storage devices of the second set, to provide a write pressure indication to control throttling of write operations directed to that logical storage device of the second set.

Abstract: A host device is configured to communicate over a network with a storage system. The host device comprises a multi-path input-output (MPIO) driver configured to control delivery of input-output (IO) operations from the host device to the storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through the network. The MPIO driver is further configured to send one or more requests to the storage system for data corresponding to performance of one or more switch fabrics in the network, and to receive the data corresponding to the performance of the one or more switch fabrics from the storage system. The MPIO driver is also configured to identify one or more performance issues associated with at least one of the selected ones of the plurality of paths based on the received data, and to manage one or more of the input-output operations responsive to the identified performance issues.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises at least one processing device. The at least one processing device is configured, for each of a plurality of logical storage devices of a storage system, to determine in a multi-path layer of a layered software stack of a host device a performance level for that logical storage device, to communicate the performance levels for respective ones of the logical storage devices from the multi-path layer of the layered software stack of the host device to at least one additional layer of the software stack above the multi-path layer, and to select particular ones of the logical storage devices for assignment to particular storage roles in the additional layer based at least in part on the communicated performance levels. The additional layer in some embodiments comprises an application layer configured to automatically select a particular one of the logical storage devices for a particular storage role.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises at least one processing device. The at least one processing device is configured to obtain storage-side performance information maintained by a storage system in conjunction with processing of input-output operations directed to the storage system by a host device over a network, to dynamically select a particular one of a plurality of distinct load balancing policies available in the host device based at least in part on the obtained storage-side performance information, and to apply the selected load balancing policy in directing additional input-output operations from the host device to the storage system. At least one of the load balancing policies comprises a storage cache aware load balancing policy that causes different ones of the input-output operations to be directed to different cache entities of he storage system based at least in part on cache-related performance metrics of the obtained storage-side performance information.

Abstract: An apparatus in an illustrative embodiment comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor and a memory, with the processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processing device is configured to receive in a storage system, from a host device, information that identifies (i) a particular virtual machine implemented by the host device and (ii) a key specific to the virtual machine, to utilize at least a portion of the received information to obtain in the storage system the key specific to the virtual machine from a key management server external to the storage system, to store the obtained key in the storage system in association with one or more parts of the received information, and to utilize the obtained key to process input-output operations that are received in the storage system from the host device and that are identified as being associated with the virtual machine.

Abstract: An apparatus in an illustrative embodiment comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor and a memory, with the processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processing device is configured to receive in a storage system, from a host device, information that identifies (i) a particular virtual machine implemented by the host device and (ii) a key specific to the virtual machine, to utilize at least a portion of the received information to obtain in the storage system the key specific to the virtual machine from a key management server external to the storage system, to store the obtained key in the storage system in association with one or more parts of the received information, and to utilize the obtained key to process input-output operations that are received in the storage system from the host device and that are identified as being associated with the virtual machine.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to receive, from a given host device in a given data center that utilizes a given piece of software, first configuration information associated with the given host device. The processing device is also configured to identify available software upgrades for the given piece of software and to select issue indicators associated with installation of the available software upgrades on other host devices. The processing device is further configured to provide, to the given host device, a recommendation to install the available software upgrades for the given piece of software on the given host device responsive to determining that (i) the first configuration information associated with the given host device has at least a threshold level of similarity to the second configuration information of the other host devices and (ii) the issue indicators have at least a threshold issue criticality level.

Abstract: An apparatus in one embodiment comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory. The at least one processing device is configured to receive in a storage system, from a host device, an identifier of an encryption-enabled logical storage device of the storage system, to utilize the identifier to obtain in the storage system a device-specific key from a key management server external to the storage system, and to utilize the obtained device-specific key to process input-output operations directed to the encryption-enabled logical storage device from the host device. The host device in some embodiments comprises at least one virtual machine and the encryption-enabled logical storage device comprises a virtual storage volume of the at least one virtual machine. Metadata associated with the virtual storage volume illustratively comprises an encryption status indicator specifying whether or not encryption is enabled for the virtual storage volume.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises at least one processing device. The at least one processing device is configured to detect a write pressure condition by identifying at least a first set of one or more logical storage devices having a first service level objective for which at least one performance metric has a value that exceeds a specified threshold, and responsive to the detected write pressure condition, to identify at least a second set of one or more logical storage devices, having a second service level objective that is lower than the first service level objective, and that are contributing to the detected write pressure condition. The at least one processing device is further configured, for each of the identified logical storage devices of the second set, to provide a write pressure indication to control throttling of write operations directed to that logical storage device of the second set.