Abstract: To facilitate both minimal allocations and adaptive allocations, two sets of storage group policies are defined—one policy setting minimal allocation values for storage group access to storage resources and one policy setting maximal allocation values for storage group access to storage. In addition, a set of priority weights is specified that is used to balance access to storage tiers across storage groups. Upon existence of contention for storage resources, minimum allocation values for storage groups are determined based on the priority weights for the storage groups, resulting in threshold values being set to enable at least partial access to storage resources for all storage groups without requiring priority weighting of the activity density distributions of the competing storage groups. Allocations other than the minimal allocations are provided based on relative activity density distribution of storage extents between groups.

Abstract: Described are techniques for performing data storage optimizations. A data storage optimizer on a first data storage system connected to a set of other data storage systems receives performance classification information. The first data storage system includes a first set of storage devices of a first performance classification. The set of other data storage systems includes a second set of storage devices of a second performance classification different from the first performance classification. A write operation is received from the host to write first data to a target address of a virtually provisioned device. It is determined that physical storage is not currently allocated for the target address of the virtually provisioned device. A first portion of physical storage is allocated for storing the first data. The first portion of physical storage is included in a storage device of the second set having the second performance classification.

Abstract: Described are techniques for processing data operations. A request is sent from an application to perform a data operation on a key-value data store. The request is in accordance with a first application-level protocol for performing the data operation on the key-value data store and includes a first key of a first key-value pair used by a data storage system to perform the data operation. The request is received at the data storage system such as by a key-value server that processes requests in accordance with the first application-level protocol for the key-value data store. In response to receiving the request at the data storage system, first processing is performed on the data storage system for the data operation and a response is returned to the application.

Abstract: Described are techniques for discovering physical device dependencies. A set of baseline response times for logical devices of a data storage system are received. A first of the logical devices is selected and a remaining set of logical devices includes each of the logical devices other than the first logical device. Data operations are issued to the first logical device at a first rate while also issuing data operations to the remaining logical devices. A set of observed response times for the remaining logical devices is received. For each remaining logical device, it is determined whether the logical device has a corresponding observed response time that is significantly more the logical device's baseline response time. A first logical device set is determined having physical device dependencies that includes the first logical device set and each remaining logical device having an observed response time significantly greater than it's baseline response time.

Abstract: Described are techniques for performing storage optimizations in a system. The optimizations may include a data movement optimization. First processing may be performed by a first component to determine whether to automatically perform the data movement optimization for devices included in one or more data storage systems. The first component may be external with respect to the data storage systems and may not be included in any of the data storage systems. As a result of performing the data movement optimization, a first portion of data is automatically moved from a first of the devices to a second of the devices. The first and second devices may have different performance classifications. Additionally, automated discovery processing may be performed to determine performance classifications for devices of the data storage systems and/or determine physical device dependencies.

Abstract: Described is data storage system modeling. Received at a first data storage system is information representing a workload for I/O operations directed to a logical devices having storage provisioned on physical devices of a second data storage system. Information representing the workload may be obtained by performing discovery processing to discover performance characteristics of the physical devices of the second data storage system. Discovery processing may include receiving, at the first data storage system, I/O operations from a client directed to the set of one or more logical devices having storage provisioned on the physical devices of the second data storage system. The I/O operations are then issued to the second data storage system. In response, performance data is obtained at the first data storage system representing the workload for the plurality of I/O operations. Performance of the second data storage system is modeled in accordance with the workload.