Abstract: Techniques for providing increased support for deduplication and compression of encrypted storage volumes. The techniques include receiving, at a storage virtual machine (VM), a data encryption key (DEK) associated with encrypted volume data, in which the DEK is wrapped in a key encryption key (KEK). The techniques include receiving, at the storage VM from a client virtual machine (VM), a write request specifying the encrypted volume data. The techniques include obtaining, by the storage VM, the KEK from a key management system (KMS) embedded on the storage VM. The techniques include unwrapping, by the storage VM, the DEK using the KEK, and decrypting, by an IO decryptor hosted by the storage VM, the encrypted volume data using the DEK. The techniques include performing, by the storage VM, data reduction operations on the decrypted volume data, and storing, by the storage VM, the data-reduced volume data on a storage array.

Abstract: A method comprises retrieving a layout of a file on a storage device, wherein the layout identifies a plurality of locations on the storage device where a plurality of compressed blocks of data are stored. In the method, the plurality of compressed blocks of data are retrieved from the plurality of locations identified in the layout for transmission to and storage in a cloud storage platform.

Abstract: A method comprises retrieving a layout of a file on a storage device, wherein the layout identifies a plurality of locations on the storage device where a plurality of compressed blocks of data are stored. In the method, the plurality of compressed blocks of data are retrieved from the plurality of locations identified in the layout for transmission to and storage in a cloud storage platform.

Abstract: A computer system includes a virtual machine (VM) host computer and a data storage system providing physical storage and mapping logic to store a virtual volume (vVol) for a VM. During a first operating session, first-session working data is stored on the vVol, the working data being session specific and not persisting across operating sessions. At the end of the first operating session, unmap operations are performed to deallocate underlying physical storage of the vVol, leaving the vVol as a skeleton vVol. At the beginning of a subsequent second operating session, and based on the existence of the vVol as the skeleton vVol, the VM host resumes use of the vVol for storing second-session working data of the VM during the second operating session. The retention of the vVol in skeleton form can improve system startup efficiency especially for a boot storm involving simultaneous startup of many VMs.

Abstract: Techniques for performing data transfers may include determining a first page of user data to be transferred from a source data storage system to a target data storage system, wherein the source data storage system has a source page size granularity denoting a first size of backend I/O operations on the source data storage system, wherein the target data storage system has a target page size granularity denoting a second size of backend I/O operations on the target data storage system; performing processing on the source data storage system that constructs a second page of user data that is the second size, wherein the second page of user data includes the first page of user data that is the first size and another page of user data that is the first size; and transferring the second page of user data from the source to the target data storage system.

Abstract: A computer system includes a virtual machine (VM) host computer and a data storage system providing physical storage and mapping logic to store a virtual volume (vVol) for a VM. During a first operating session, first-session working data is stored on the vVol, the working data being session specific and not persisting across operating sessions. At the end of the first operating session, unmap operations are performed to deallocate underlying physical storage of the vVol, leaving the vVol as a skeleton vVol. At the beginning of a subsequent second operating session, and based on the existence of the vVol as the skeleton vVol, the VM host resumes use of the vVol for storing second-session working data of the VM during the second operating session. The retention of the vVol in skeleton form can improve system startup efficiency especially for a boot storm involving simultaneous startup of many VMs.

Abstract: Techniques for performing data transfers may include determining a first page of user data to be transferred from a source data storage system to a target data storage system, wherein the source data storage system has a source page size granularity denoting a first size of backend I/O operations on the source data storage system, wherein the target data storage system has a target page size granularity denoting a second size of backend I/O operations on the target data storage system; performing processing on the source data storage system that constructs a second page of user data that is the second size, wherein the second page of user data includes the first page of user data that is the first size and another page of user data that is the first size; and transferring the second page of user data from the source to the target data storage system.

Abstract: Rebalancing the workload of logical devices across multiple nodes may include dynamically modifying preferred paths for one or more logical devices in order to rebalance the I/O workload of the logical devices among the nodes of the data storage system. Determining whether to rebalance the I/O workload between the two nodes may be performed in accordance with one or more criteria. Processing may include monitoring the current workloads of both nodes over time and periodically evaluating, in accordance with the one or more criteria, whether the current workloads of the nodes are imbalanced. Responsive to determining, in accordance with the criteria, that rebalancing of workload between the nodes is needed, the rebalancing may be performed. A notification may be sent to the host regarding any path state changes made as a result of the workload rebalancing.

Abstract: A technique preserves replication to a storage node. The technique involves, from a first storage node, sending a replication query to a second storage node. The technique further involves, in response to the replication query sent to the second storage node, receiving replication session data from the second storage node. The replication session data describes replication which has terminated from a third storage node to the second storage node for a particular storage object. The technique further involves, based on the replication session data, establishing replication from the first storage node to the second storage node for the particular storage object to preserve use of the particular storage object.

Abstract: A technique preserves replication to a storage node. The technique involves, from a first storage node, sending a replication query to a second storage node. The technique further involves, in response to the replication query sent to the second storage node, receiving replication session data from the second storage node. The replication session data describes replication which has terminated from a third storage node to the second storage node for a particular storage object. The technique further involves, based on the replication session data, establishing replication from the first storage node to the second storage node for the particular storage object to preserve use of the particular storage object.

Abstract: Techniques for creating consistent snapshots on synchronously replicated storage resources. The techniques perform such creation of consistent snapshots using snapshot requests that are handled in-band with other IO requests (e.g., write requests, read requests) being processed at a data storage site. By processing snapshot requests as a type of IO request with other IO requests in an IO path to a storage resource, a data storage system can employ the same synchronization logic for efficiently performing both synchronous data replication and synchronous snapshot replication. Further, the disclosed techniques serially process snapshot requests along with write requests that target overlapping sectors of a storage resource according to their order-of-arrival, while concurrently processing write requests that target non-overlapping sectors of the storage resource, thereby reducing repeated pausing and un-pausing of the processing of IO requests received at the data storage system.

Abstract: Techniques for creating consistent snapshots on synchronously replicated storage resources. The techniques perform such creation of consistent snapshots using snapshot requests that are handled in-band with other IO requests (e.g., write requests, read requests) being processed at a data storage site. By processing snapshot requests as a type of IO request with other IO requests in an IO path to a storage resource, a data storage system can employ the same synchronization logic for efficiently performing both synchronous data replication and synchronous snapshot replication. Further, the disclosed techniques serially process snapshot requests along with write requests that target overlapping sectors of a storage resource according to their order-of-arrival, while concurrently processing write requests that target non-overlapping sectors of the storage resource, thereby reducing repeated pausing and un-pausing of the processing of IO requests received at the data storage system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing data replication between data storage resources with differing capabilities. A system can check whether capabilities of a primary data storage system are different from capabilities of a secondary data storage system. Such checking can be performed based on a release version of each of the primary and secondary data storage systems. If the capabilities of the respective data storage systems are determined to be different, then the system can make a determination as to whether or not the difference can be rectified. If the difference can be rectified, such as by enabling/disabling certain features of the primary and/or secondary data storage system, then the system can perform such a rectification and proceed with provisioning of data to be replicated. If the difference cannot be rectified, then the system can prevent the provisioning of the data and notify an administrator of the data storage systems.