Abstract: A technique of identifying hosts suspected of being sources of ransomware infection includes initiating a tracking interval in response to a data storage system detecting a suspected ransomware attack. During the tracking interval, write requests received by the data storage system are analyzed and ransomware attributes for those write requests are generated. The ransomware attributes of the write requests indicate risks of ransomware infection and are associated with hosts from which the respective write requests originate. A particular host is identified as a suspected source of ransomware infection based at least in part on the ransomware attributes associated with that host.

Abstract: A virtual volume is initially provided from a first storage appliance within a cluster of storage appliances by providing access to the virtual volume over a data path between a host computer and a protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance, based on an initial binding between the virtual volume and the protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance. A rebind request is conveyed to the host computer, and in response to receiving a bind request for the virtual volume, a new binding is created between the virtual volume and a protocol endpoint hosted by the second storage appliance. The virtual volume is subsequently provided from the second storage appliance by providing the host computer with access to the virtual volume over a data path between the host computer and the protocol endpoint hosted on the second storage appliance based on the newly created binding.

Abstract: At the start of an I/O cutover process that changes host computer access to a logical volume from a source data storage appliance to a destination data storage appliance, and during which processing of host I/O operations directed to the logical volume is frozen, at least one I/O freeze timer is set. In response to expiration of the I/O freeze timer, and prior to completion of the I/O cutover process, processing of host I/O operations directed to the logical volume is resumed.

Abstract: Data storage systems of a cluster associate virtual volumes (VVols) with protocol endpoints (PEs) organized into host-specific initiator groups. From the perspective of the hosts, the PEs are specialized SCSI LUNs that aggregate the VVols bound thereto. In operation, a host directs VVol access requests to the host-specific PEs, and a data storage system processes the VVol requests as received via the corresponding PEs.

Abstract: A virtual volume is initially provided from a first storage appliance within a cluster of storage appliances by providing access to the virtual volume over a data path between a host computer and a protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance, based on an initial binding between the virtual volume and the protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance. A rebind request is conveyed to the host computer, and in response to receiving a bind request for the virtual volume, a new binding is created between the virtual volume and a protocol endpoint hosted by the second storage appliance. The virtual volume is subsequently provided from the second storage appliance by providing the host computer with access to the virtual volume over a data path between the host computer and the protocol endpoint hosted on the second storage appliance based on the newly created binding.

Abstract: At the start of an I/O cutover process that changes host computer access to a logical volume from a source data storage appliance to a destination data storage appliance, and during which processing of host I/O operations directed to the logical volume is frozen, at least one I/O freeze timer is set. In response to expiration of the I/O freeze timer, and prior to completion of the I/O cutover process, processing of host I/O operations directed to the logical volume is resumed.

Abstract: A primary copy and one or more shadow copies of a logical volume are created and discovered by a host rescan performed when the logical volume is initially created. Data storage resources are allocated to the primary copy, but not to the shadow copy. The initial path state of the logical volume describes the path to the primary copy as active, and the path to the shadow copy as unavailable for accessing the logical volume. Movement of the logical volume to the storage appliance providing the shadow copy can be performed without an additional host rescan, by making the shadow copy the new primary copy, making the primary copy a new shadow copy, and updating the path state of the logical volume to indicate i) that the path to the new primary copy is active, and ii) that the path to the new shadow copy is unavailable.

Abstract: A virtual volume is initially provided from a first storage appliance within a cluster of storage appliances by providing access to the virtual volume over a data path between a host computer and a protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance, based on an initial binding between the virtual volume and the protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance. A rebind request is conveyed to the host computer, and in response to receiving a bind request for the virtual volume, a new binding is created between the virtual volume and a protocol endpoint hosted by the second storage appliance. The virtual volume is subsequently provided from the second storage appliance by providing the host computer with access to the virtual volume over a data path between the host computer and the protocol endpoint hosted on the second storage appliance based on the newly created binding.

Abstract: Data storage systems of a cluster associate virtual volumes (VVols) with protocol endpoints (PEs) organized into host-specific initiator groups. From the perspective of the hosts, the PEs are specialized SCSI LUNs that aggregate the VVols bound thereto. In operation, a host directs VVol access requests to the host-specific PEs, and a data storage system processes the VVol requests as received via the corresponding PEs.

Abstract: A primary copy and one or more shadow copies of a logical volume are created and discovered by a host rescan performed when the logical volume is initially created. Data storage resources are allocated to the primary copy, but not to the shadow copy. The initial path state of the logical volume describes the path to the primary copy as active, and the path to the shadow copy as unavailable for accessing the logical volume. Movement of the logical volume to the storage appliance providing the shadow copy can be performed without an additional host rescan, by making the shadow copy the new primary copy, making the primary copy a new shadow copy, and updating the path state of the logical volume to indicate i) that the path to the new primary copy is active, and ii) that the path to the new shadow copy is unavailable.

Abstract: A virtual volume is initially provided from a first storage appliance within a cluster of storage appliances by providing access to the virtual volume over a data path between a host computer and a protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance, based on an initial binding between the virtual volume and the protocol endpoint hosted on the first storage appliance. A rebind request is conveyed to the host computer, and in response to receiving a bind request for the virtual volume, a new binding is created between the virtual volume and a protocol endpoint hosted by the second storage appliance. The virtual volume is subsequently provided from the second storage appliance by providing the host computer with access to the virtual volume over a data path between the host computer and the protocol endpoint hosted on the second storage appliance based on the newly created binding.