Abstract: Cluster groups define a relationship between clusters in an HCI system. New cluster groups may be created, and a cluster may be added or removed from an existing cluster group. A method and system are disclosed to support a dynamically scaled hyperconverged system with non-overlapping and overlapping cluster groups. A dynamically scalable hyperconverged system may allow for piece-wise upgrades while supporting inter-operable and non-interoperable components having a secure intercommunication capability. A system is disclosed for scaling a single managed hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) where all components are allowed to run a compatible communication protocol (e.g., interoperable communication protocol) but are not required to operate an interoperable software version.

Abstract: Transferring an application from a first site to a second site includes determining that the second site is a destination site for the application, causing writes by the application at the first site to be propagated synchronously to the second site, transferring storage data from the first site to the second site, suspending operation of the application on the first site, and resuming operation of the application on the second site. The application may be a virtual machine or a host cluster capable of transitioning applications between cluster nodes. The virtual machine may be transferred from the first site to the second site by transferring an image of the virtual machine from the first site to the second site. The destination site may be selected by a user. The second site may be located remotely from the first site across an asynchronous distance.

Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms for establishing quorums on an object-by-object basis; e.g., by associating quorum schemes, quorum-eligibility groups and/or quorum rules with objects on an object-by-object basis. For example, a certain quorum scheme may be associated with one object in a system and a different quorum scheme may be associated with another object in the system. A management system may be configured to be part of a quorum-eligibility group of an object based on any of a variety of factors, including any of: the number of management systems in the system, the quorum rule to be employed; whether an instance of the object is stored in a same fault domain of at least one of the management systems that are members of the quorum scheme; and the desire to maintain high availability of the object in response to various failure scenarios.

Abstract: Cluster groups define a relationship between clusters in an HCI system. New cluster groups may be created, and a cluster may be added or removed from an existing cluster group. A method and system are disclosed to support a dynamically scaled hyperconverged system with non-overlapping and overlapping cluster groups. A dynamically scalable hyperconverged system may allow for piece-wise upgrades while supporting inter-operable and non-interoperable components having a secure intercommunication capability. A system is disclosed for scaling a single managed hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) where all components are allowed to run a compatible communication protocol (e.g., interoperable communication protocol) but are not required to operate an interoperable software version.

Abstract: Transferring an application from a first site to a second site includes determining that the second site is a destination site for the application, causing writes by the application at the first site to be propagated semi-synchronously to the second site, transferring storage data from the first site to the second site, suspending operation of the application on the first site, and resuming operation of the application on the second site. The application may be a virtual machine or a host cluster capable of transitioning applications between cluster nodes. The virtual machine may be transferred from the first site to the second site by transferring an image of the virtual machine from the first site to the second site. The destination site may be selected by a user. The second site may be located remotely from the first site across an asynchronous distance.

Abstract: Sharing resources in a virtualized environment includes providing access by a plurality of virtual platform clusters to distributed resources of the virtualized environment, where each of the virtual platform clusters has a director that manages resources for one or more virtual machines in a corresponding one of the virtual platform clusters. Sharing resources also includes dynamically managing sharing of the distributed resources among the plurality of virtual platform clusters according to a sharing arrangement, where the distributed resources include a plurality of objects. A first subset of the plurality of objects is shared among the plurality of virtual platform clusters differently than a second subset of the plurality of objects. At least some of the objects that are shared are also copied locally to different ones of the virtual platform clusters.

Abstract: A method, system and program product for enabling migration of Virtual Machines with concurrent access to data across two geographically disperse sites to enable load balancing across the two geographically disperse sites, by presenting over a network a read writable logical volume at a first site, presenting over a network a read writable logical volume at a second geographically disparate site; wherein the first volume and the second volume are configured to contain the same information, and enabling read write access to the volume at the first site or the volume at the second site for a first virtual machine while keeping the data consistent between the two sites to enable transparent migration of the virtual machine to load balancing across the two sites according to at least one load balancing metric.

Abstract: Example embodiments of the present invention provide a method, an apparatus and a computer-program product for bandwidth management in a metro-cluster data replication environment. The method includes receiving an I/O at a first site and replicating the I/O from the first site to a second site by synchronous replication. Load balancing is then determined between the first site and the second site. Respective portions of the I/O then may be replicated from at least one of the first site and the second site to a third site by asynchronous replication according to the load balancing.

Abstract: In a distributed storage system in which a first copy of a set of data such as a virtualized LUN is maintained by a first site, and a second copy is maintained by a second site, access is provided to both the first site and the second site during loss of communication between the first site and the second site. Affinity determines access privileges for each site, where affinity is an indication that a particular site has or should be given permission to perform an operation to a particular part of the data set. Affinities can be specified such that permissions are non-overlapping, or overlap in a manner which is acceptable and resolvable.

Abstract: Dynamic mobility of virtual data centers and converged infrastructure components, such as Vblocks, may be provided using a virtual platform product that federates and/or coordinates virtual storage. The system described herein enables sharing of distributed resources between multi-connected virtual platform clusters, such as VPLEX clusters, in a dynamic sharing arrangement. A virtual platform cluster may include one or more pairs of directors that enables failover from one director of the pair(s) to the other director of the pair(s) in a cluster in the case of hardware or path failure.

Abstract: A method and system for managing allocation of storage resources, comprises the steps of: the storage network management system allocating one or more virtual data storage volumes for use by a host computer; the storage network management system presenting the virtual data storage volumes to the host computer as representative of available physical storage on the one or more storage arrays, but not allocating physical data storage for the virtual data storage volumes, wherein the virtual data storage volumes can include regions that are either allocated to physical storage or are unallocated to physical storage; the storage management system creating a data storage pool that includes the one and the more data storage arrays; and upon receiving a write request to the virtual data volume that covers an unallocated region of the volume, the storage network management system allocating physical storage from the storage pool for the virtual data volume.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method to provide asymmetric active-active access to a first storage volume using a global cache coupled to a first and second virtual storage volumes includes replicating asynchronously the first storage volume at a first site to a second storage volume at a second site, virtualizing the first storage volume with the first virtual storage volume; and virtualizing the second storage volume with the second virtual storage volume. The first storage volume has primary storage functionality.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes intercepting an I/O sent by a virtual machine at a first site, sending the I/O to a first data protection appliance (DPA) at the first site, sending I/O metadata to a first service layer at the first site, sending I/O data down the I/O stack after receiving acknowledgement that the I/O metadata arrived at the first service layer, intercepting the I/O at the first service layer, sending the I/O metadata from the first service layer to a second service layer at a second site and sending I/O data to the second service layer at the second site by ensuring that I/O metadata mirroring between the first site and the second site is completed before I/O data mirroring occurs between the first site and the second site.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes synchronizing a second storage volume to a first storage volume by synchronizing extents according to priority based on extent activity. In another aspect, an apparatus includes electronic hardware circuitry configured to synchronize a second storage volume to a first storage volume by synchronizing extents according to priority based on extent activity. In a further aspect, an article includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions. The instructions cause a machine to synchronize a second storage volume to a first storage volume by synchronizing extents according to priority based on extent activity.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method to provide synchronous and asymmetric active-active-active access to a first storage volume using a global cache coupled to a first, second and third virtual storage volumes includes replicating asynchronously the first storage volume at a first site to a second storage volume at a second site and mirroring the first storage volume with a third storage volume at a third site. Either one of the first storage volume or the third storage volume has primary storage functionality. The method also includes virtualizing the first storage volume with the first virtual storage volume, virtualizing the second storage volume with the second virtual storage volume and virtualizing the third storage volume with the third virtual storage volume.

Abstract: A method, system and program product for enabling migration of Virtual Machines with concurrent access to data across two geographically disperse sites to enable load balancing across the two geographically disperse sites, by presenting over a network a read writable logical volume at a first site, presenting over a network a read writable logical volume at a second geographically disparate site; wherein the first volume and the second volume are configured to contain the same information, and enabling read write access to the volume at the first site or the volume at the second site for a first virtual machine while keeping the data consistent between the two sites to enable transparent migration of the virtual machine to load balancing across the two sites according to at least one load balancing metric.

Abstract: An architecture for protecting against failure in a switched storage network using virtualization.

Abstract: This invention is a system and method for managing provisioning of resources for one or more data storage networks using a new architecture.

Abstract: A method, system, and program product for enabling a virtual storage layer to offer array based extent services, the virtual storage layer communicatively coupled to one or more storage mediums, the method comprising determining for the one or more storage mediums, the services offered by the storage mediums, and enabling extent based services at the virtual service layer by combining the services offered by the one or more storage mediums to create new services and by providing a set of services at the virtual service layer.

Abstract: This invention is a system and method for managing provisioning of resources for one or more data storage networks using a new architecture.