Abstract: A storage system may assign a different encryption key to each logical storage unit (LSU) of a storage system. For each LSU, the encryption key of the LSU may be shared only with host systems authorized to access data of the LSU. In response to a read request for a data portion received from a host application executing on the host system, encryption metadata for the data portion may be accessed. If it is determined from the encryption metadata that the data portion is encrypted, the data encryption metadata for the data portion may be further analyzed to determine the encryption key for the data portion. The data may be retrieved from the storage system, for example, by performance of a direct read operation. The retrieved data may be decrypted, and the decrypted data may be returned to the requesting application.

Abstract: A host system may include a computational processing unit implemented using hardware and a hardware virtualizing and remote sharing (HVRS) server that virtualizes and shares the computational processing unit with other host systems, where the host system is directly connected to an internal fabric of a storage system. A storage system interface (SSI) of the host system may be directly connected to the internal fabric of the storage system and also directly connected to a same peripheral device interconnect as the CPU, the computational processing unit and/or other hardware resources of the host system. The SSI may communicate with storage resources of the storage system using remote direct memory access (RDMA) and zero-copy technologies. Such a host system may provide the storage capacity and data protection services of a storage system at relatively fast speeds e.g., comparable to non-volatile RAM on a host system configured for use as persistent memory.

Abstract: A backup data storage system includes non-volatile memory units, a disk interface coupled to at least some of the non-volatile memory units, a connection component that facilitates exchanging data with the backup data storage system, and a smart network interface controller, coupled to the disk interface and the connection component to provide tape emulation to a host coupled to the backup data storage system. The disk interface, the connection component, and the smart network interface controller may be coupled using a PCIe bus. Tape data written to the backup storage device may be stored on the non-volatile memory units. A processor coupled to the smart network interface controller and the disk interface may receive the data from the smart network interface controller and may provide the data to the disk interface to store the data on the non-volatile memory units. The connection component may be a FICON connection component.

Abstract: Embodiments provide for a primary storage array having multiple storage tiers. The multiple storage tiers include one or more performance tiers and at least one deduplicated storage tier storing deduplicated data. One embodiment provides for a data storage system including the storage array and an I/O engine to manage I/O requests for the storage array. The data storage system additionally includes a virtual execution environment to execute a virtual backup engine, the virtual backup engine to generate backup data for the one or more storage tiers of primary storage and deduplicate the backup data and a resource manager to manage a resource allocation to the virtual backup engine based on a hint received from the virtual backup engine, the hint associated with a backup operation that has a characterization selected from a set including computationally intensive and I/O intensive.

Abstract: Secure access to data on a storage system via direct connection to an internal fabric of the storage system may be provided. A storage system interface (SSI) may validate each I/O communication originating on the host system before allowing a corresponding I/O communication to be transmitted on the internal fabric. The validation may include applying predefined rules and/or ensuring that the I/O communication conforms to one or more technologies, e.g., NVMe. The SSI may be configured to encrypt I/O communications originating on a host system and to decrypt I/O communications received from the storage system, for example, in embodiments in which data is encrypted in flight from the host system to physical storage devices, and data may be encrypted at rest in memory of the storage system and/or on physical storage devices.

Abstract: When a read request for the data portion is received from an application executing on a host, the host may determine whether the data portion is in host cache, and if so, whether the logical storage unit of the data portion is shared by another host system. If there is another host system sharing the logical storage unit, a latest version stored on the storage system may be determined and compared to the version stored in the host cache. If the version in the host cache is the same as the latest version stored on the storage system, the data portion may be retrieved from the host cache. If the version in the host cache is not the latest version stored on the storage system, the data portion may be retrieved from the storage system, and the host cache may be updated with the latest version of the data portion.

Abstract: A first host device establishes connectivity to a logical storage device of a storage system. The first host device obtains from the storage system host connectivity information identifying at least a second host device that has also established connectivity to the logical storage device, caches one or more extents of the logical storage device in a memory of the first host device, and maintains local cache metadata in the first host device regarding the one or more extents of the logical storage device cached in the memory of the first host device. In conjunction with processing of a write operation of the first host device involving at least one of the one or more cached extents of the logical storage device, the first host device invalidates corresponding entries in the local cache metadata of the first host device and in local cache metadata maintained in the second host device.

Abstract: In a storage system in which a storage array accesses cloud storage via a cloud gateway, the cloud gateway provides signals to control data rate between the storage array and the cloud. The signals may include commands to reduce or stop all volume streams or a select subset of volume streams. Data rate may be controlled on the basis of available buffering capacity of the cloud gateway and available bandwidth between the cloud gateway and cloud storage. The signals may be SCSI VU commands, where the cloud gateway is a SCSI initiator and the storage array is a SCSI target.

Abstract: Data compression is performed on a storage system for which one or more host systems have direct access to data on the storage system. The storage system may compress the data for one or more logical storage units (LSUs) having data stored thereon, and may update compression metadata associated with the LSUs and/or the data portions thereof to reflect that the data is compressed. In response to a read request for a data portion received from a host application executing on the host system, compression metadata for the data portion may be accessed. If it is determined from the compression metadata that the data portion is compressed, the data compression metadata for the data portion may be further analyzed to determine how to decompress the data portion. The data portion may be retrieved and decompressed, and the decompressed data may be returned to the requesting application.

Abstract: A host system may include a computational processing unit implemented using hardware and a hardware virtualizing and remote sharing (HVRS) server that virtualizes and shares the computational processing unit with other host systems, where the host system is directly connected to an internal fabric of a storage system. A storage system interface (SSI) of the host system may be directly connected to the internal fabric of the storage system and also directly connected to a same peripheral device interconnect as the CPU, the computational processing unit and/or other hardware resources of the host system. The SSI may communicate with storage resources of the storage system using remote direct memory access (RDMA) and zero-copy technologies. Such a host system may provide the storage capacity and data protection services of a storage system at relatively fast speeds e.g., comparable to non-volatile RAM on a host system configured for use as persistent memory.

Abstract: In response to receiving a read metadata request from the host system for a data portion, the storage system may determine a status and location of the data portion, including determining whether the data portion is in a cache of the storage system. If the data portion is in the cache, the storage system may send a response that includes the data portion itself along with the status and location of the data portion. If the data portion is not in the cache, the storage system may send a response to the read metadata request that includes the status and location of the data portion, but not the data portion itself. The host system may be configured to determine whether the data portion has been returned with the metadata response, and if so, refrain from sending a separate data request, for example, to retrieve the data portion from cache.

Abstract: In a data processing system having multiple production hosts, each with a backup agent, interfaced to a storage array and to a backup server, an array I/O priority engine on the storage array establishes and enforces I/O priorities for I/O backup and production communications with the array to ensure that backup does not consume a disproportionate CPU processing and array bandwidth load or disrupt more critical production processing.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for a multi-node file system, such as a clustered or distributed file system, with a file system buffer cache and an additional host-side tier non-volatile storage cache such as 3DXP storage. Cache coherency can be maintained by one of three models: (i) host-side tier management, (ii) file system management, or (iii) storage array management. performing a storage tier-specific file system action in a file system that comprises a namespace that spans multiple tiers of storage.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for dynamically allocating and reallocating system resources between production work tasks and administrative tasks using policies. A resource monitor continuously monitors all resources in a computing system, and whether the resources are used for production work or administrative tasks. A policy can define resources needed to execute an administrative task and conditions which can be used to determine whether or not the administrative command is allocated the resources, even at the expense of a negative impact to production work.

Abstract: A host system is connected to the internal fabric of a storage system without an intervening external network or director or other component of the storage system controlling the host system's access to the internal fabric. The host system may exchange I/O communications with physical storage devices and/or global memory over an I/O path that does not include any directors, for example, over the internal fabric to which the host system is directly attached. In embodiments in which at least a portion of the global memory is considered part of a director, the host system may be configured to communicate with such global memory over the internal fabric and without use of director compute resources.

Abstract: A first host device establishes connectivity to a logical storage device of a storage system. The first host device obtains from the storage system host connectivity information identifying at least a second host device that has also established connectivity to the logical storage device, caches one or more extents of the logical storage device in a memory of the first host device, and maintains local cache metadata in the first host device regarding the one or more extents of the logical storage device cached in the memory of the first host device. In conjunction with processing of a write operation of the first host device involving at least one of the one or more cached extents of the logical storage device, the first host device invalidates corresponding entries in the local cache metadata of the first host device and in local cache metadata maintained in the second host device.

Abstract: A storage entity of the data storage system may be visible to the host over a first path and a second path. The first path may operate in accordance with a first protocol and the second path may operate in accordance with a second different protocol. The storage entity may have a first protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the first path and a second protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the second path. A first native identifier associated of the storage entity on the first path and a second native identifier of the storage entity on the second path may be used to determine that the same storage entity is visible over the first and second paths even though the storage entity may have different protocol level identifiers on the first and second paths that operate using different protocols.

Abstract: A storage entity of the data storage system may be visible to the host over a first path and a second path. The first path may operate in accordance with a first protocol and the second path may operate in accordance with a second different protocol. The storage entity may have a first protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the first path and a second protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the second path. A first native identifier associated of the storage entity on the first path and a second native identifier of the storage entity on the second path may be used to determine that the same storage entity is visible over the first and second paths even though the storage entity may have different protocol level identifiers on the first and second paths that operate using different protocols.

Abstract: Systems and methods for scheduling multiple flows in a computing system or for allocating resources to the flows in the computing system. Each flow may be associated with a target priority and a target performance. A current priority can be determined for each flow and resources are allocated based on the highest current priority. Over time, the current priorities change and each flow will receive resources as the flows are scheduled for execution. No flow is starved of resources.

Abstract: A storage system may assign a different encryption key to each logical storage unit (LSU) of a storage system. For each LSU, the encryption key of the LSU may be shared only with host systems authorized to access data of the LSU. In response to a read request for a data portion received from a host application executing on the host system, encryption metadata for the data portion may be accessed. If it is determined from the encryption metadata that the data portion is encrypted, the data encryption metadata for the data portion may be further analyzed to determine the encryption key for the data portion. The data may be retrieved from the storage system, for example, by performance of a direct read operation. The retrieved data may be decrypted, and the decrypted data may be returned to the requesting application.