Abstract: A virtual storage appliance having multiple storage processors is installed in a virtualized execution environment. Each one of the multiple virtual storage processors is a virtual machine that executes in the virtualized execution environment. At the time the virtual storage appliance is installed, properties of virtual resources provided by the virtualized execution environment to the virtual storage processors are obtained. The virtual resources provided by the virtualized execution environment to the virtual storage processors are consumed by the virtual storage processors while processing Input/Output (I/O) requests that are received by the virtual storage processors from at least one consumer application. The virtual storage processors are automatically configured in response to the properties of the virtual resources provided by the virtualized execution environment that are obtained at the time the virtual storage appliance is installed.

Abstract: A virtual storage appliance having multiple storage processors is installed in a virtualized execution environment. Each one of the multiple virtual storage processors is a virtual machine that executes in the virtualized execution environment. At the time the virtual storage appliance is installed, properties of virtual resources provided by the virtualized execution environment to the virtual storage processors are obtained. The virtual resources provided by the virtualized execution environment to the virtual storage processors are consumed by the virtual storage processors while processing Input/Output (I/O) requests that are received by the virtual storage processors from at least one consumer application. The virtual storage processors are automatically configured in response to the properties of the virtual resources provided by the virtualized execution environment that are obtained at the time the virtual storage appliance is installed.

Abstract: A technique involves performing, in a data storage system, a full-boot procedure which includes a set of critical boot activities and a set of avoidable boot activities. The technique further involves providing, in response to completion of the full-boot procedure, a fastboot notification indicating to the data storage system that a fastboot procedure is to be performed in response to a warm boot event. The technique further involves placing, after providing the fastboot notification, the data storage system into a normal operating mode in which the data storage system performs data storage operations in response to data storage requests from a set of external host computers. Such operation enables the data storage system to subsequently perform a fastboot procedure that avoids the set of avoidable boot activities in response to the next warm boot event.

Abstract: A storage processor of a set of virtual-machine-implemented storage processors (SPs) of a virtual storage appliance (VSA) is operated to avoid potential mis-communications among non-peer SPs in a virtualized environment having multiple VSAs. An operating method includes receiving a peer-SP identifier that uniquely identifies a peer storage processor of the VSA in network packets sent by the peer storage processor via an internal inter-SP network. The peer-SP identifier, which may be a machine-level network address such as a MAC address, is used to configure a network firewall to accept peer-SP packets and reject non-peer-SP packets from the internal inter-SP network. The network firewall is subsequently operated as configured to accept the peer-SP packets for delivery to the main operating logic of the one storage processor and to reject the non-peer-SP network packets.

Abstract: A method of initializing a computing device is provided. The method includes (a) powering up the computing device, (b) initially setting a flag to indicate no need to reboot the computing device, (c) sequentially starting a set of computing components operating on the computing device, (d) in response to one component of the set making a configuration change to the computing device, setting a flag to indicate a need to partially reboot the computing device, and (e) upon all components of the set of components completing to load, partially restarting the computing device conditioned on the flag indicating the need to partially reboot, partially restarting including sequentially restarting the set of computing components without powering up the computing device again. An apparatus, system, and computer program product for performing a similar method are also provided.

Abstract: An installation image of a virtual storage appliance (VSA) is protected by initiating VSA installation from an archive image establishing a pre-installation operating state. The archive image includes an installation image with a lockbox storing a first key for accessing the installation image. The lockbox is encrypted using a second key derived from a stable system value (SSV), such as data for device partitioning, obtainable from an execution environment in the pre-installation operating state. During installation, the SSV is obtained and used in decrypting the lockbox to retrieve the first key and use the installation image to install the VSA. The VSA is installed in a manner establishing a post-installation operating in which the SSV is no longer obtainable from the execution environment, e.g., due to changing the device partition information. An SSV obtained from the partition information post-installation does not yield the key for decrypting the lockbox, protecting the installed image.