Abstract: Streams of disk image files usable for deploying software in computing environments can be generated according to some examples. In one example, a system can receive, from a client device, a request for a disk image file. The system can determine, based on the request, a base image file and a customized file that are combinable for generating the disk image file. The system can store, in a header of the base image file, characteristics of the disk image file. The system can transmit, to the client device, the base image file as a stream. The system can pause transmission of the base image file based on the characteristics of the disk image file in the header of the base image file. In response to pausing transmission of the base image file, the system can transmit, to the client device, the customized file as the stream.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically allocating host devices in distributed computing environments are provided. In one embodiment, a method is provided that includes receiving a request to execute multiple instances of a software application within a distributed computing environment. The distributed computing environment may be a bare metal computing environment in which application code is executed directly by computing hardware. At least one computing resource requirement, including at least one minimum resource requirement, may be identified and computing resource information may be received from a first plurality of host devices. Based on the computing resource information, a second plurality of host devices may be identified from among the first plurality of host devices that fulfill the minimum resource requirement. At least a subset of the second plurality of host devices may be assigned to a cluster used to execute the multiple instances of the software application.

Abstract: The technology disclosed herein enables adding new host systems to existing clusters. An example method comprises receiving, by a processor, identification data associated with an existing cluster; generating a cluster entity data structure of the existing cluster using the identification data; generating a discovery image using the cluster configuration data structure, wherein the discover image comprises an executable code structured according to a file system; and causing a new host system to boot using the discovery image.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a computing system in which one or more workloads issue storage commands for execution in a storage volume comprising multiple storage blocks. The computing system continually updates a data structure that tracks which of the storage blocks of the storage volume have changed due to the storage commands. The processor is configured, in response to a request to create a copy of the storage volume, to instruct the computing system to (i) create a copy of the data structure and reset the data structure, (ii) create the copy of the storage volume, while continuing to execute the storage commands and update the data structure, and (iii) after the copy of the storage volume is completed, merge the data structure into the copy of the data structure.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a computing system in which one or more workloads issue storage commands for execution in a storage volume comprising multiple storage blocks. The computing system continually updates a data structure that tracks which of the storage blocks of the storage volume have changed due to the storage commands. The processor is configured, in response to a request to create a copy of the storage volume, to instruct the computing system to (i) create a copy of the data structure and reset the data structure, (ii) create the copy of the storage volume, while continuing to execute the storage commands and update the data structure, and (iii) after the copy of the storage volume is completed, merge the data structure into the copy of the data structure.

Abstract: A system for data storage includes a plurality of servers. Each server includes a respective client interface for communicating with one or more clients, and a respective Storage Area Network (SAN) interface for communicating with a SAN appliance. The servers are configured to (i) create on the SAN appliance a plurality of logical volumes, each logical volume uniquely owned by a respective one of the servers, (ii) receive from the clients storage commands relating to one or more objects, in accordance with an object-storage Application Programming Interface (API), and (iii) in response to the storage commands, maintain the objects in the logical volumes on the SAN appliance using a SAN protocol.

Abstract: Optimizing read operations to a storage device in a virtualized computing environment. A read system call is received by a virtual machine's (VM) operating system from an application running on the VM for data on a storage device. The VM is hosted by a hypervisor providing access to the storage device in a virtualized computing environment. A virtual file system (VFS) supported by the operating system is caused to call on a first para-virtualized file system (PVFS FE) supported by the operating system to execute the read operation. In response to determining by the PVS FE that the data to be read exists in a data cache of the PVFS FE, executing by the PVS FE the read operation from the cache of the PVFS FE.

Abstract: A storage apparatus includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a plurality of storage devices. The processor is configured to estimate likelihood metrics that are indicative of likelihoods that respective subsets of the storage devices will fail concurrently, to select from among the plurality of the storage devices, based on the likelihood metrics, a group of the storage devices on which to store given data and redundancy information associated with the given data, and to store the given data and the redundancy information on the storage devices in the selected group.

Abstract: A system for data storage includes one or more storage devices, a cache memory, and one or more processors. The processors are configured to store data in the storage devices, to cache part of the stored data in the cache memory, and to apply a background maintenance process to at least some of the data stored in the storage devices, including modifying the background maintenance process depending on the part of the data that is cached in the cache memory.

Abstract: A storage appliance system is disclosed which may include at least one application server for locally executing an application, and one or more storage servers in communication with the application server for I/O transmission therebetween. Also disclosed are an application server, a method, and a computer program product.

Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing operation of a physical device in a virtualized computing environment are provided. The method comprises monitoring instructions issued by an application running on a virtual machine's (VM) operating system, wherein the VM is hosted by a hypervisor providing access to a physical device connected to a virtualized computing environment; wherein a device driver supported by the operating system issues one or more instructions to an emulated device supported by the hypervisor to control the physical device according to the issued instructions, wherein the emulated device's registers are implemented in memory of the hypervisor and the instructions issued by the device driver are stored in said registers, wherein the hypervisor handles the instructions, in response to learning that the instructions are stored in said registers.

Abstract: Data deduplication is carried out in a storage system in which a set of volumes of data is distributed among a plurality of servers. The technique comprises computing a similarity metric among volumes of the set, making a determination that a difference in the similarity metric is less than a predetermined threshold value. Responsively to the determination there is a migration of the data of the volumes of the set within their respective servers to distribute the migrated data in like manner in the respective servers. Thereafter data deduplication is performed on the respective servers.

Abstract: Optimizing read operations to a storage device in a virtualized computing environment. A read system call is received by a virtual machine's (VM) operating system from an application running on the VM for data on a storage device. The VM is hosted by a hypervisor providing access to the storage device in a virtualized computing environment. A virtual file system (VFS) supported by the operating system is caused to call on a first para-virtualized file system (PVFS FE) supported by the operating system to execute the read operation. In response to determining by the PVS FE that the data to be read exists in a data cache of the PVFS FE, executing by the PVS FE the read operation from the cache of the PVFS FE.

Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing write operations to a storage device in a virtualized computing environment comprise monitoring write operations issued by an application running on a virtual machine's (VM) operating system, wherein the VM is hosted by a hypervisor providing access to a storage device in a virtualized computing environment; and causing a virtual file system (VFS) supported by the operating system to call on a first para-virtualized file system (PVFS FE) supported by the operating system to execute a write operation, in response to determining that the write operation is to write data to the storage device, wherein data that is to be written to the storage device is first written to a VM memory area allocated to the VM and accessible to the hypervisor hosting the VM.

Abstract: A method for processing data using snapshots is provided. The method comprises generating a primary snapshot of data stored in a first storage medium, wherein the primary snapshot is a copy of the data stored in the first storage medium at a point in time; generating one or more secondary snapshots of the primary snapshot, wherein the secondary snapshots are copies of the data stored on the first storage medium at the point in time; and extracting the data stored in the first storage medium at the point in time by accessing the data included in the secondary snapshots, wherein multiple processing units concurrently transform the extracted data and load the transformed data onto a second storage medium.

Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing read operations from a storage device in a virtualized computing environment are provided. One method comprises monitoring read operations issued by an application running on a virtual machine's (VM) operating system, wherein the VM is hosted by a hypervisor providing access to a storage device in a virtualized computing environment; and causing a virtual file system (VFS) supported by the operating system to call on a first para-virtualized file system (PVFS FE) supported by the operating system to execute a read operation, in response to determining that the read operation is for reading target data from the storage device.

Abstract: Machines, systems and methods for compression ratio estimation are provided. The method comprises selecting a plurality of sample points in a data stream to compress sample data selected at said sample points according to a first compression method; and computing an average compression ratio contribution over the selected plurality of sample points, wherein compression ratio contribution of a sample point is determined based on the first compression method and data in locality of the sample point, and wherein the locality for the sample point is defined by locations in the data stream, such that said locations potentially affect the sample point's contribution to the compression ratio.

Abstract: A method for processing data using snapshots is provided. The method comprises generating a primary snapshot of data stored in a first storage medium, wherein the primary snapshot is a copy of the data stored in the first storage medium at a point in time; generating one or more secondary snapshots of the primary snapshot, wherein the secondary snapshots are copies of the data stored on the first storage medium at the point in time; and extracting the data stored in the first storage medium at the point in time by accessing the data included in the secondary snapshots, wherein multiple processing units concurrently transform the extracted data and load the transformed data onto a second storage medium.

Abstract: A storage appliance system is disclosed which may include at least one application server for locally executing an application, and one or more storage servers in communication with the application server for I/O transmission therebetween. Also disclosed are an application server, a method, and a computer program product.

Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing operation of a physical device in a virtualized computing environment are provided. The method comprises monitoring instructions issued by an application running on a virtual machine's (VM) operating system, wherein the VM is hosted by a hypervisor providing access to a physical device connected to a virtualized computing environment; wherein a device driver supported by the operating system issues one or more instructions to an emulated device supported by the hypervisor to control the physical device according to the issued instructions, wherein the emulated device's registers are implemented in memory of the hypervisor and the instructions issued by the device driver are stored in said registers, wherein the hypervisor handles the instructions, in response to learning that the instructions are stored in said registers.