Abstract: Techniques to operate storage equipment involve, in response to a startup command, registering the storage equipment as an untrusted client at a data center through first connectivity between a connectivity client embedded within the storage equipment and the data center. The connectivity client obtains a set of temporary credentials while registering. The techniques further involve establishing second connectivity between the connectivity client and the data center based on the set of temporary credentials, the second connectivity providing stronger security than the first connectivity. The techniques further involve, after establishing the second connectivity between the connectivity client and the data center, providing trusted communications between the connectivity client and the data center through the second connectivity to manage the storage equipment.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a storage system comprising a plurality of storage nodes each comprising one or more storage devices. Each of the storage nodes further comprises a network protocol target configured to receive delivery of input-output (IO) operations from a network protocol initiator of a host device, a data server configured to execute the IO operations on a given storage node, and a data client configured to communicate the IO operations to at least one of the data server on the given storage node and one or more data servers corresponding to one or more additional ones of the plurality of storage nodes. The data client has knowledge of a distribution of data across the plurality of storage nodes.