Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for creating, by a computing device, a snapshot, wherein the snapshot may be a consistent byte for byte identical snapshot of a metro volume on a first site and a second site. A metro clone may be created from the snapshot of the metro volume on the first site and the second site. The metro clone may be mirrored. The metro clone and the metro volume may be refreshed on both the first site and the second site using an identical snapshot on both the first site and the second site.

Abstract: A clustered pair of storage systems configured for active-active bidirectional synchronous replication expose a stretched volume over paths to both storage systems. Writes to the stretched volume received at each system are replicated to the peer system. The cluster can use a time-to-live (TTL) mechanism by which a non-preferred system continuously requests a TTL grant from the preferred system to remain in the cluster. Algorithms that reduce or avoid data unavailability are described and can include assessing the health of the systems in the cluster. An unhealthy system can trigger a one-sided polarization algorithm to notify the peer system that it is polarization winner. An improved polarization technique using a witness to decide the polarization winner includes a system adding a time delay before contacting the witness if the system is unhealthy. A control component can detect an unhealthy system and disable the active-active bidirectional synchronous replication.

Abstract: A clustered pair of storage systems configured for active-active bidirectional synchronous replication expose a stretched volume over paths to both storage systems. Writes to the stretched volume received at each system are replicated to the peer system. The cluster can use a time-to-live (TTL) mechanism by which a non-preferred system continuously requests a TTL grant from the preferred system to remain in the cluster. Algorithms that reduce or avoid data unavailability are described and can include assessing the health of the systems in the cluster. An unhealthy system can trigger a one-sided polarization algorithm to notify the peer system that it is polarization winner. An improved polarization technique using a witness to decide the polarization winner includes a system adding a time delay before contacting the witness if the system is unhealthy. A control component can detect an unhealthy system and disable the active-active bidirectional synchronous replication.

Abstract: Configuring systems to provide host access may include: configuring a stretched volume; and performing processing that allows the host access to the stretched volume. The processing may include: receiving a first command to create a first host object for access control for the host in the first data storage system; in response to receiving the first command, performing first processing including: creating the first host object that includes an initiator set of the host; and creating a second host object on the second data storage system, wherein the second host object includes the initiator set and specifies access control in the second data storage system for the host; receiving a second command to map the stretched volume to the first host object; and in response to receiving the second command, granting the host access to the stretched volume on the first data storage system and the second data storage system.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example methodology implementing the disclosed techniques includes creating, by a first site of a volume that supports active-active bidirectional replication, a local copy of the volume, the local copy of the volume configured to be active. The method also includes enabling, by the first site of the volume, bidirectional write input/output (I/O) mirroring with a second site of the volume. The method further includes, by the second site of the volume, creating a remote copy of the volume, the remote copy of the volume configured to be passive, and enabling bidirectional write I/O mirroring with the first site of the volume.

Abstract: A clustered pair of storage systems configured for active-active bidirectional synchronous replication expose a stretched volume over paths to both storage systems. Writes to the stretched volume received at each system are replicated to the peer system. The cluster can use a time-to-live (TTL) mechanism by which a non-preferred system continuously requests a TTL grant from the preferred system to remain in the cluster. Algorithms that reduce or avoid data unavailability are described and can include assessing the health of the systems in the cluster. An unhealthy system can trigger a one-sided polarization algorithm to notify the peer system that it is polarization winner. An improved polarization technique using a witness to decide the polarization winner includes a system adding a time delay before contacting the witness if the system is unhealthy. A control component can detect an unhealthy system and disable the active-active bidirectional synchronous replication.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for identifying a replication link failure between a first volume of a first storage array and a second volume of a second storage array, wherein a first storage protocol identifier is associated with each of the first volume and the second volume. One of the first volume and the second volume may be defined as inaccessible and the other of the first volume and the second volume as accessible, thus defining an inaccessible volume and an accessible volume. The first storage protocol identifier associated with the inaccessible volume may be replaced with a second storage protocol identifier. Access to the inaccessible volume may be provided via the second storage protocol identifier.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for generating a pair of protocol endpoints within each storage system of a pair of storage systems. One protocol endpoint of the pair of protocol endpoints may be dedicated to each storage system of the pair of storage systems. One or more IO requests may be processed between one or more hosts and one or more virtual volumes within the pair of storage systems via the pair of protocol endpoints.

Abstract: Data storage management may include configuring a stretched volume in a metro cluster configuration using a first volume and a second volume both configured as a same logical volume, L1; receiving I/O operations at the metro cluster configuration directed to L1, wherein the I/O operations include a write operations that are received at a first system of the metro cluster configuration and that write first data to the first volume; viewing values of a metric regarding data replication performed for the first volume to replicate data between systems of the metro cluster configuration for writes directed to the first volume; responsive to said viewing, determining whether the first metric values denote a problem has occurred in the metro cluster configuration at a first point in time; and responsive to determining that the problem has occurred at the first point in time, performing one or more corrective actions.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for generating, at a first storage appliance of a plurality of storage appliances, a first volume that is configured to be managed by the first storage appliance, wherein data within the first volume is accessible by the first storage appliance. In response to generating the first volume, a protocol identifier representation of the first volume may be generated at each other storage appliance of the plurality of storage appliances and may be configured to be managed by a respective storage appliance of the plurality of storage appliances.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example methodology implementing the disclosed techniques includes creating, by a first site of a volume that supports active-active bidirectional replication, a local copy of the volume, the local copy of the volume configured to be active. The method also includes enabling, by the first site of the volume, bidirectional write input/output (I/O) mirroring with a second site of the volume. The method further includes, by the second site of the volume, creating a remote copy of the volume, the remote copy of the volume configured to be passive, and enabling bidirectional write I/O mirroring with the first site of the volume.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for generating a pair of protocol endpoints within each storage system of a pair of storage systems. One protocol endpoint of the pair of protocol endpoints may be dedicated to each storage system of the pair of storage systems. One or more IO requests may be processed between one or more hosts and one or more virtual volumes within the pair of storage systems via the pair of protocol endpoints.

Abstract: Configuring systems to provide host access may include: configuring a stretched volume; and performing processing that allows the host access to the stretched volume. The processing may include: receiving a first command to create a first host object for access control for the host in the first data storage system; in response to receiving the first command, performing first processing including: creating the first host object that includes an initiator set of the host; and creating a second host object on the second data storage system, wherein the second host object includes the initiator set and specifies access control in the second data storage system for the host; receiving a second command to map the stretched volume to the first host object; and in response to receiving the second command, granting the host access to the stretched volume on the first data storage system and the second data storage system.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving, at a host computing device, a request to copy data from a source Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) namespace directly accessible by a source storage controller to a destination NVMe namespace directly accessible by a destination storage controller and may determine whether the destination storage controller can directly access the source NVMe namespace. In response to determining that the destination storage controller cannot directly access the source NVMe namespace, a first identifier associated with the data may be generated via the source storage controller. The first identifier may be provided to the host computing device. A data handle associated with the first identifier may be generated via the destination storage controller. The data may be copied, via the destination storage controller, from the source NVMe namespace to the destination NVMe namespace based upon, at least in part, the data handle.

Abstract: Techniques include receiving a backup request for backing up data on a production VVOL, to which is assigned physical space from storage devices in a first storage tier. When the production VVOL and a snapshot VVOL exist, and a write request is received to a data block on the production VVOL that is shared between the production VVOL and the snapshot VVOL, then the techniques include capturing a snapshot of the production VVOL by redirecting the write request to newly allocated space on the production VVOL, writing new data to the newly allocated space, and storing metadata referring to the original block(s) on the production VVOL. Based on an IO workload threshold, the techniques include copying, in a background process, the original version of the modified block from the production VVOL to a snapshot VVOL, to which is assigned physical storage space from storage devices in a second storage tier.

Abstract: Two data storage systems, DS1 and DS2, may be initially configured with identifiers for target ports and target port groups. Subsequently, the two system may be combined into a cluster including a stretched volume configured from the volumes V1 and V2, respectively, on DS1 and DS2, where V1 and V2 are exposed to the host as the same logical volume, L1, over multiple paths from DS1 and DS2 to the host. V1 may have a normal attribute indicating target ports and port groups of DS1 have associated identifiers as specified in an initial configuration when reporting information regarding L1 to the host. V2 may have an extended attribute indicating that target ports and port groups of DS2 have associated extended identifiers determined using a first extended value and using identifiers from an initial configuration when reporting information regarding L1 to the host.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for creating, with a first replication product, one or more groups of a plurality of groups that is empty in a storage array. A protection policy may be applied to the one or more groups on the first replication product, wherein the protection policy may include a replication rule. A policy profile may be created by the second replication product, wherein the replication rule may be included to the policy profile. The protection policy may be applied to a virtual machine (VM). The policy profile may be applied to the VM. The first replication product may replicate one or more virtual volumes of the VM on a remote system based upon, at least in part, the replication rule.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for maintaining a federation of a plurality of appliances as a single subsystem, wherein maintaining the federation as the single subsystem may include maintaining a centralized discovery mechanism across the plurality of appliances, wherein a discovery service of the centralized discovery mechanism may return a list of all ports in the federation. Controller IDs for a predefined range of controller IDs may be allocated for a plurality of dynamic controllers per appliance of the plurality of appliances, wherein the controller IDs may be allocated as a response to a connect command from a host. An empty namespace list for the plurality of dynamic controllers on the plurality of appliances in the federation may be exposed. The host may receive a notification from at least one dynamic controller of the plurality of dynamic controllers on at least one appliance of the plurality of appliances in the federation.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for identifying a replication link failure between a first volume of a first storage array and a second volume of a second storage array, wherein a first storage protocol identifier is associated with each of the first volume and the second volume. One of the first volume and the second volume may be defined as inaccessible and the other of the first volume and the second volume as accessible, thus defining an inaccessible volume and an accessible volume. The first storage protocol identifier associated with the inaccessible volume may be replaced with a second storage protocol identifier. Access to the inaccessible volume may be provided via the second storage protocol identifier.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for generating, at a first storage appliance of a plurality of storage appliances, a first volume that is configured to be managed by the first storage appliance, wherein data within the first volume is accessible by the first storage appliance. In response to generating the first volume, a protocol identifier representation of the first volume may be generated at each other storage appliance of the plurality of storage appliances and may be configured to be managed by a respective storage appliance of the plurality of storage appliances.