Abstract: An upper level protocol processing mechanism is employed with high performance offload processors to increase system performance while amortizing the cost of employing such processors. Such an upper level protocol processing mechanism can be employed to offload, for example, storage access protocols. An example system might have one or more clients and one or more servers each coupled to its respective storage. One or more front end processors is coupled between the clients and the servers. The clients access the storage coupled to the servers via a storage access protocol. In accordance with the invention, the storage access protocol is divided into a front end protocol portion and a back end protocol portion. The front end protocol portion is executed on the front end processors, while the back end protocol portion is executed on the servers. The back end protocol portion is transparent to the clients.

Abstract: A system, computer program product, and computer-implemented method for defining a data stripe that spans one or more of N data storage devices and one or more of M erasure code devices. The one or more N data storage devices and the one or more M erasure code devices are included within a data storage system. A data chunk to be written to the data storage system is received. At least a portion of the data chunk is written to the portion of the data stripe that spans the one or more N data storage devices. Each of the N data storage devices and the M erasure code devices is included within a unique server computer.

Abstract: A method and computer program product for receiving a data read request on a first array for requested data stored on a multi-array storage network that includes the first array and at least a second array. The data read request is processed to determine if the requested data is resident on the first array. If the requested data is resident on the first array, the requested data is obtained from a storage device included within the first array. If the requested data is not resident on the first array, the requested data is obtained from a storage device included within the at least a second array via an out-of-band cache control process.

Abstract: A clustered storage array consists of multiple nodes coupled to one or more storage systems. The nodes provide a LUN-device for access by a client. The LUN-device maps to a source logical unit corresponding to areas of storage on the one or more storage systems. A target logical unit corresponds to different areas of storage on the one or more storage systems. The source logical unit is migrated in parallel by the multiple nodes to the target logical unit. Data to be copied from the source logical unit to the target logical unit are grouped into data chunks. Two or more of the plurality of nodes concurrently attempt to acquire an exclusive lock for a set of data chunks. The node acquiring the exclusive lock migrates the set of data chunks from the source logical unit to the target logical unit, while the exclusive lock is used to prevent other nodes from migrating the set of data chunks.

Abstract: A clustered storage array consists of multiple nodes coupled to one or more storage systems. The nodes provide a LUN-device for access by a client. The LUN-device maps to a source logical unit corresponding to areas of storage on the one or more storage systems. A target logical unit corresponds to different areas of storage on the one or more storage systems. The source logical unit is migrated in parallel by the multiple nodes to the target logical unit. Data to be copied from the source logical unit to the target logical unit are grouped into data chunks. Two or more of the plurality of nodes concurrently attempt to acquire an exclusive lock for a set of data chunks. The node acquiring the exclusive lock migrates the set of data chunks from the source logical unit to the target logical unit, while the exclusive lock is used to prevent other nodes from migrating the set of data chunks.

Abstract: A clustered storage array consists of several nodes coupled to one or more storage systems. The nodes provide a LUN-device for access by a client, the LUN-device mapping to a source logical unit corresponding to areas of storage on the one or more storage systems. A target logical unit corresponds to different areas of storage on the one or more storage systems. The source logical unit is migrated in parallel by the several nodes to the target logical unit.