Abstract: A method comprises maintaining a mapping data structure comprising a plurality of mapping entries, each such mapping entry associating an assigned name of a corresponding logical storage device of a storage system with a unique identifier of that logical storage device, a given such mapping entry further comprising a timestamp associated with the logical storage device. The method further comprises identifying a source logical storage device for a migration process, accessing the mapping data structure to determine a timestamp of the source logical storage device and one or more additional timestamps of one or more respective candidate target logical storage devices for the migration process, selecting based at least in part on the determined timestamps a particular one of the one or more candidate target logical storage devices, and initiating the migration process to migrate the source logical storage device to the selected target logical storage device.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to receive multi-pathing settings from a plurality of nodes of one or more clusters, and to identify at least one group of the plurality of nodes belonging to a same cluster of the one or more clusters. The processing device is further configured to identify a master node of the at least one group of nodes, and to deliver at least a portion of the multi-pathing settings of the master node to one or more remaining nodes of the at least one group of nodes.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, with the at least one processing device being configured to provide at least a portion of an input-output (IO) stack for processing of IO operations in a host device for delivery to a storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through a network. The IO stack comprises at least a multi-path device overlying one or more logical storage devices. The at least one processing device is further configured to perform a check at each of one or more points in the IO stack to confirm that a given IO operation directed to a given device of the IO stack is received from an expected overlying device of the IO stack. The IO stack illustratively comprises an encryption device overlying the multi-path device, supporting end-to-end encryption for one or more logical storage devices.

Abstract: Multipath hosts with the ability to detect path latency, report latency values on paths between the Latency Detecting (LD) host and a set of storage systems. The detected latency values are used by the storage system to create a data structure correlating path information with the detected latency values. When hosts without the ability to detect path latencies (non-LD hosts) connect to the storage systems, the path information about paths used by the non-LD hosts is used to determine reported latency values for paths with similar path information, to generate presumed latency values for the paths used by the non-LD hosts. Where paths used by non-LD hosts have higher latency values, the storage system sets a path attribute value, such as an ALUA state for the path, to signal non-LD hosts to preferentially use paths with lower presumed latency values.

Abstract: A first logical storage device associated with a first multi-path device is migrated to a second logical storage device associated with a second multi-path device. The migrating illustratively comprises suspending the first multi-path device, creating a proxy device for the first multi-path device, implementing a mirror device to provide a mirroring arrangement between the proxy device and the second multi-path device, inserting a request splitter between the first multi-path device and the mirror device, redirecting output of the first multi-path device to the request splitter, and resuming the first multi-path device. Responsive to synchronization of the proxy device and the second multi-path device via the mirroring arrangement, the migrating further comprises suspending the first multi-path device, removing the request splitter, the mirror device and the proxy device, redirecting output of the first multi-path device to the second logical storage device, and resuming the first multi-path device.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to receive, from a given host device in a given data center that utilizes a given piece of software, first configuration information associated with the given host device. The processing device is also configured to identify available software upgrades for the given piece of software and to select issue indicators associated with installation of the available software upgrades on other host devices. The processing device is further configured to provide, to the given host device, a recommendation to install the available software upgrades for the given piece of software on the given host device responsive to determining that (i) the first configuration information associated with the given host device has at least a threshold level of similarity to the second configuration information of the other host devices and (ii) the issue indicators have at least a threshold issue criticality level.

Abstract: Multipath hosts with the ability to detect path latency, report latency values on paths between the Latency Detecting (LD) host and a set of storage systems. The detected latency values are used by the storage system to create a data structure correlating path information with the detected latency values. When hosts without the ability to detect path latencies (non-LD hosts) connect to the storage systems, the path information about paths used by the non-LD hosts is used to determine reported latency values for paths with similar path information, to generate presumed latency values for the paths used by the non-LD hosts. Where paths used by non-LD hosts have higher latency values, the storage system sets a path attribute value, such as an ALUA state for the path, to signal non-LD hosts to preferentially use paths with lower presumed latency values.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a host device configured to communicate over a network with a storage system. The host device comprises a multi-path input-output driver configured to control delivery of input-output operations from the host device to the storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through the network. The multi-path input-output driver is further configured to collect information characterizing input-output patterns for each of a plurality of different applications executing on the host device, and to provide the collected information to a machine learning system. The machine learning system utilizes the collected information to generate one or more application predictions based at least in part on analysis of observed input-output patterns. The collected information in some embodiments comprises statistical distributions of numbers of input-output operations having payload sizes falling into specified ranges over a given time period.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a host device that includes a multi-path input-output (MPIO) driver configured to control delivery of input-output (IO) operations from the host device to first and second storage systems over a plurality of paths through a network. The MPIO driver determines latency values for the paths to the first and second storage systems, retrieves additional information corresponding to the paths and first and second storage systems, generates a first message comprising at least portions of the latency values and additional information, and sends the first message to a multi-pathing management appliance. A second message is received from the multi-pathing management appliance, the second message being generated based on at least a portion of the first message. The MPIO driver selects one or more paths for delivery of given ones of the IO operations based at least in part on at least a portion of the second message.

Abstract: A host device is configured to communicate over a network with a storage system. The host device comprises a multi-path input-output (MPIO) driver configured to control delivery of input-output (IO) operations from the host device to the storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through the network. The MPIO driver is further configured to send one or more requests to the storage system for data corresponding to performance of one or more switch fabrics in the network, and to receive the data corresponding to the performance of the one or more switch fabrics from the storage system. The MPIO driver is also configured to identify one or more performance issues associated with at least one of the selected ones of the plurality of paths based on the received data, and to manage one or more of the input-output operations responsive to the identified performance issues.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to receive, from a given host device in a given data center that utilizes a given piece of software, first configuration information associated with the given host device. The processing device is also configured to identify available software upgrades for the given piece of software and to select issue indicators associated with installation of the available software upgrades on other host devices. The processing device is further configured to provide, to the given host device, a recommendation to install the available software upgrades for the given piece of software on the given host device responsive to determining that (i) the first configuration information associated with the given host device has at least a threshold level of similarity to the second configuration information of the other host devices and (ii) the issue indicators have at least a threshold issue criticality level.

Abstract: A host device is configured to communicate with a storage system comprising a root logical volume. The root logical volume comprises an operating system associated with the host device. The host device is configured to obtain execution data from the root logical volume and to store the execution data in the memory of the host device. The host device is further configured to suspend the root logical volume based at least in part on the execution data stored in the memory of the host device and to change a dependency of the host device from a first multipath device of the host device to a second multipath device of the host device. The host device is further configured to reload and resume the root logical volume based at least in part on the execution data.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to receive multi-pathing settings from a plurality of nodes of one or more clusters, and to identify at least one group of the plurality of nodes belonging to a same cluster of the one or more clusters. The processing device is further configured to identify a master node of the at least one group of nodes, and to deliver at least a portion of the multi-pathing settings of the master node to one or more remaining nodes of the at least one group of nodes.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a first host device that is configured to deliver input-output (IO) operations to a storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths. The first host device is configured to obtain an IO operation that targets a logical volume of the storage system and to transmit the obtained IO operation to the storage system along a given path of the plurality of paths. The first host device is further configured to determine that the given path has failed to convey the obtained IO operation to the storage system and to cause information comprising an indication that the given path has failed to convey the obtained IO operation to the storage system to be provided to a second host device that is also configured to communicate with the storage system using the at least a portion of the given path.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first host device comprising a first multi-path input-output (MPIO) driver configured to discover additional MPIO drivers of additional host devices of an enterprise system that utilize a given piece of software for controlling delivery of input-output operations to a storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through a network, the given software being licensed by a license server external to the enterprise system. The first MPIO driver is also configured to obtain a pool of licenses for the given software from the license server and to receive from a given one of the additional MPIO drivers a request for a license to utilize the given software. The first MPIO driver is further configured to check out one of the pool of licenses and enable use of the given software by the given additional MPIO based at least in part on the checked-out license.

Abstract: A host device is configured to communicate over a network with a storage system. The host device comprises a multi-path input-output (MPIO) driver configured to control delivery of input-output (TO) operations from the host device to the storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through the network. The MPIO driver is further configured to send one or more requests to the storage system for data corresponding to performance of one or more switch fabrics in the network, and to receive the data corresponding to the performance of the one or more switch fabrics from the storage system. The MPIO driver is also configured to identify one or more performance issues associated with at least one of the selected ones of the plurality of paths based on the received data, and to manage one or more of the input-output operations responsive to the identified performance issues.

Abstract: A host device comprises a kernel space comprising a multipath driver component and a user space comprising a container comprising an application, a daemon process and a data structure comprising a plurality of file system entries. The multipath driver component comprises a handler that is configured to detect changes to the file system entries. The host device is configured to mount the data structure to the container and the file system entries are modifiable by the application via the mounting. The multipath driver component is configured to determine that a given file system entry has been modified based at least in part on a detection of a change by the handler and to issue an event to the daemon process. The daemon process is configured to execute an operation associated with the multipath driver in the user space based at least in part on the issued event.

Abstract: A host device comprises a kernel space comprising a multipath driver component and a user space comprising a container comprising an application, a daemon process and a data structure comprising a plurality of file system entries. The multipath driver component comprises a handler that is configured to detect changes to the file system entries. The host device is configured to mount the data structure to the container and the file system entries are modifiable by the application via the mounting. The multipath driver component is configured to determine that a given file system entry has been modified based at least in part on a detection of a change by the handler and to issue an event to the daemon process. The daemon process is configured to execute an operation associated with the multipath driver in the user space based at least in part on the issued event.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing device comprising a processor coupled to memory. The processing device is configured to obtain maintenance information comprising an indication that a port of a storage system is scheduled for a maintenance activity and to determine that a host device utilizes the port for communication with the storage system. The processing device is further configured to issue an alert to the host device. The alert is configured to cause the host device to set a path associated with the port to a standby mode. The standby mode is configured to inhibit input-output operations from being submitted to the storage system along the path.

Abstract: A host device configures a first plurality of block devices each corresponding to a path between the host device and a control device of a storage system. The host device submits an inquiry to the storage system using a given block device of the first plurality of block devices. The host device receives from the storage system an indication that the given block device corresponds to a data logical volume that has been provisioned for use by the host device and issues a command to remove the first plurality of block devices based at least in part on receiving the indication. The host device performs a scan of the plurality of paths and configures, based at least in part on the scan, a second plurality of block devices each corresponding to a path of the plurality of paths between the host device and the data logical volume.