Abstract: A data processing system includes host computers and a data storage system that (1) periodically calculates port congestion values for storage system ports based on per-port values for (a) a number of storage IO commands being processed by each port and (b) CPU utilization of one or more CPUs assigned to each port, and (2) periodically sends the port congestion values to the host computers. Each host computer includes multipathing logic for selectively directing storage IO commands on selected paths to the data storage system. The multipathing logic receives the port congestion values from the data storage system and utilizes the port congestion values for path selection by preferentially directing first storage IO commands of higher service level objective to storage system ports having lower congestion and preferentially directing second storage IO commands of lower service level objective to storage system ports having higher congestion.

Abstract: A non-disruptive upgrade (NDU) technique involves installing and activating a first copy of a new version of an application in a temporary directory to (i) obtain control from an original version of the application while the original version is installed in an application directory and (ii) shut down the original version. The technique further involves, after the first copy of the new version obtains control from the original version and the original version is shut down, installing and activating a second copy of the new version of the application in the application directory to (i) obtain control from the first copy of the new version while the first copy of the new version is installed in the temporary directory and (ii) shut down the first copy of the new version. Such operation maintains the continuity of work at each phase of the NDU technique.

Abstract: Various embodiments implement agents as dynamically linked libraries to run within host processes controlled by an executable agent manager. The agent manager runs as a service or daemon continuously after being loaded into the memory of a computer system. Information concerning agents that are configured to carry out tasks on the computer system is stored in a database accessible to the agent manager. When a task that a particular agent is configured to carry out needs to be done, the agent manager assigns an executable host process to run the agent. The agent manager then sends start and stop commands to the host process to load and halt the agent, respectively.