Abstract: Techniques for creating and establishing a configuration of connections between an initiator system and a target system can use whitelisted target ports, wherein the configuration only includes connections to selected whitelisted target ports. Automatic login of each initiator to all zoned and discovered target ports can be avoided where, alternatively, an on-demand or needs-based login can be performed by having each initiator only log into its whitelisted target ports. In this manner, better resource usage and scalability can be obtained using the techniques of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the whitelisted target ports can be determined automatically using an intersection of target port lists obtained using a control path connection and using a fabric nameserver query. The configuration including the whitelisted targets can be persistently stored on the initiator system to enable restoration of the whitelisted targets across reboots and resets of the initiator system.

Abstract: Techniques for container environment management are disclosed. For example, a method manages, via a virtual container storage interface controller, a generic mapping for one or more container storage attributes for a set of storage specific container storage interface drivers respectively associated with a set of storage arrays of a storage system so as to isolate an application program, executing on a host device accessing one or more storage volumes stored on the set of storage arrays, from the set of storage specific container storage interface drivers. For example, the isolation can provide a layer of abstraction for application specific handles from the actual underlying storage and then enable use of the abstraction to provide services such as, but not limited to, seamless data mobility.

Abstract: A method comprises requesting and receiving from a cloud mobility platform metadata for accessing one or more file systems which have been tiered to cloud storage, and writing the metadata to at least one backup storage location. In the method, a plurality of stub files are read, the plurality of stub files corresponding to a plurality of files of the one or more file systems which have been tiered to cloud storage. The plurality of stub files are written to the at least one backup storage location.

Abstract: A data path connection can be established between a target of a remote source system and an initiator of a local destination system. A storage object of the remote source system exposed over such a data path connection can be mapped to a local storage object name of the local destination system. Such a remote storage object of the remote source system can be accessed as a local storage object of the local destination system using the local storage object name. Within the destination system, the local storage object name of the destination system can be used as a proxy to access the remote storage object of the remote source system. Accessing the remote storage object from the destination system can be used in several data mobility use cases, including, but not limited to, offloaded data copy across arrays, snapshot mobility and backup use-cases.

Abstract: Techniques for creating and establishing a configuration of connections between an initiator system and a target system can use whitelisted target ports, wherein the configuration only includes connections to selected whitelisted target ports. Automatic login of each initiator to all zoned and discovered target ports can be avoided where, alternatively, an on-demand or needs-based login can be performed by having each initiator only log into its whitelisted target ports. In this manner, better resource usage and scalability can be obtained using the techniques of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the whitelisted target ports can be determined automatically using an intersection of target port lists obtained using a control path connection and using a fabric nameserver query. The configuration including the whitelisted targets can be persistently stored on the initiator system to enable restoration of the whitelisted targets across reboots and resets of the initiator system.

Abstract: A data path connection can be established between a target of a remote source system and an initiator of a local destination system. A storage object of the remote source system exposed over such a data path connection can be mapped to a local storage object name of the local destination system. Such a remote storage object of the remote source system can be accessed as a local storage object of the local destination system using the local storage object name. Within the destination system, the local storage object name of the destination system can be used as a proxy to access the remote storage object of the remote source system. Accessing the remote storage object from the destination system can be used in several data mobility use cases, including, but not limited to, offloaded data copy across arrays, snapshot mobility and backup use-cases.

Abstract: Embodiments for transferring data directly from primary storage to secondary storage in a virtualized network including virtual machine (VM) based storage, by exposing a source volume in the primary storage to a hypervisor host of the virtualized network, preparing a destination volume of the secondary storage as an empty volume and exporting it to the hypervisor host so that the host can the destination volume along with the source volume, and moving, in the hypervisor host, data from the exposed source volume to the exported empty destination volume using a combination of Storage Direct, Storage VMotion, and XCOPY or enhanced XCOPY technologies, wherein the XCOPY technology provides a direct transfer of data from the primary storage to the secondary storage.

Abstract: Embodiments for transferring data directly from primary storage to secondary storage in a virtualized network including virtual machine (VM) based storage, by exposing a source volume in the primary storage to a hypervisor host of the virtualized network, preparing a destination volume of the secondary storage as an empty volume and exporting it to the hypervisor host so that the host can the destination volume along with the source volume, and moving, in the hypervisor host, data from the exposed source volume to the exported empty destination volume using a combination of Storage Direct, Storage VMotion, and XCOPY or enhanced XCOPY technologies, wherein the XCOPY technology provides a direct transfer of data from the primary storage to the secondary storage.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for selecting target volumes within a storage system that are currently accessible to computing devices via first storage protocol paths via a first storage protocol for accessing via second storage protocol paths via a second storage protocol. For each of the selected target volumes, a first storage protocol identifier specific to each selected target volume may be associated with a second storage protocol identifier specific to each selected target volume. The first storage protocol paths and the second storage protocol paths may be grouped into a multipath group based upon the association between the first storage protocol identifier and the second storage protocol identifier. Access between the computing devices and the selected target volumes may be switched from the first storage protocol paths to the second storage protocol paths without application disruption and across multiple host platforms, including host-clusters.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving, at a host computing device, a request to copy data from a source Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) namespace directly accessible by a source storage controller to a destination NVMe namespace directly accessible by a destination storage controller and may determine whether the destination storage controller can directly access the source NVMe namespace. In response to determining that the destination storage controller cannot directly access the source NVMe namespace, a first identifier associated with the data may be generated via the source storage controller. The first identifier may be provided to the host computing device. A data handle associated with the first identifier may be generated via the destination storage controller. The data may be copied, via the destination storage controller, from the source NVMe namespace to the destination NVMe namespace based upon, at least in part, the data handle.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computing system for selecting target volumes within a storage system that are currently accessible to computing devices via first storage protocol paths via a first storage protocol for accessing via second storage protocol paths via a second storage protocol. For each of the selected target volumes, a first storage protocol identifier specific to each selected target volume may be associated with a second storage protocol identifier specific to each selected target volume. The first storage protocol paths and the second storage protocol paths may be grouped into a multipath group based upon the association between the first storage protocol identifier and the second storage protocol identifier. Access between the computing devices and the selected target volumes may be switched from the first storage protocol paths to the second storage protocol paths without application disruption and across multiple host platforms, including host-clusters.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for requesting, by a computing device, information about whether a source and a destination belong to one of a same storage array and storage cluster. Information may be requested about whether the source and the destination support direct data transfer mechanisms between the source and the destination. A copy process may be offloaded from a host computing device to the source and the destination to copy data from the source to the destination when the source and the destination belong to one of a different storage array and storage cluster and when the source and the destination support the direct data transfer mechanisms, and the copy process may be executed on the host device to copy data from the source to the destination when one of the source and the destination does not support the direct data transfer mechanisms.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for requesting, by a computing device, information about whether a source and a destination belong to one of a same storage array and storage cluster. Information may be requested about whether the source and the destination support direct data transfer mechanisms between the source and the destination. A copy process may be offloaded from a host computing device to the source and the destination to copy data from the source to the destination when the source and the destination belong to one of a different storage array and storage cluster and when the source and the destination support the direct data transfer mechanisms, and the copy process may be executed on the host device to copy data from the source to the destination when one of the source and the destination does not support the direct data transfer mechanisms.

Abstract: Individual storage devices of a RAID group are monitored for faults. A health indicator for each storage device is calculated based on fault growth rate. Non-failed storage device are swapped out based on the health indicator. Techniques for monitoring the storage devices include background media scans and growth list polling.

Abstract: A computing environment, such as an data mirroring or replication storage system, may need to process synchronous I/O requests having different priorities in addition to handling I/O requests on the basis of synchronous or asynchronous groupings. The system described herein provides a data storage system that addresses issues involving efficient balancing of response times for servicing synchronous I/O requests having different priorities. Accordingly, the system described herein provides for maintaining an optimal response time for the host-synchronous I/O requests and the optimal throughput of non-host-synchronous I/O requests using a host-synchronous request time window within which processing of non-host-synchronous I/O requests is throttled. The host-synchronous request time window may be selected to enable the optimal response time for the host-synchronous I/O and also to minimize the impact on the overall throughput of the I/O processor of the storage device.

Abstract: A computing environment, such as an data mirroring or replication storage system, may need to process synchronous I/O requests having different priorities in addition to handling I/O requests on the basis of synchronous or asynchronous groupings. The system described herein provides a data storage system that addresses issues involving efficient balancing of response times for servicing synchronous I/O requests having different priorities. Accordingly, the system described herein provides for maintaining an optimal response time for the host-synchronous I/O requests and the optimal throughput of non-host-synchronous I/O requests using a host-synchronous request time window within which processing of non-host-synchronous I/O requests is throttled. The host-synchronous request time window may be selected to enable the optimal response time for the host-synchronous I/O and also to minimize the impact on the overall throughput of the I/O processor of the storage device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for preserving a disk geometry when relabeling a storage device containing data migrated from a previous data storage device having different disk geometry. Prior to relabeling, the label of the storage device includes information on the disk geometry of the previous data storage device. An exemplary method includes reading the label of the storage device in response to a request for information related to a disk geometry of the storage device, which is normally answered without reference to the label of the storage device, and reporting the information related to the disk geometry from the label if the label is associated with an operating system that considers a geometry of a storage device when partitioning.

Abstract: Methods and systems for preserving disk geometry when relabeling a data volume encapsulated in a virtual storage device that presents a different disk geometry than the data volume. An exemplary method includes maintaining information from a label of the data volume in a memory associated with the virtual storage device and intercepting a request for information related to a disk geometry of the encapsulated data volume that is normally answered without reference to the label. The request may be associated with a command to relabel the encapsulated data volume. The method also includes reporting the information from the label of the data volume related to the disk geometry of the data volume if the label is associated with an operating system that considers a geometry of a data volume when partitioning.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for executing a vendor specific command in a storage area network including a plurality of data storage volumes and at least one host. In one embodiment, a system includes an intelligent multi-protocol switch (IMPS) and a storage and switch controller that is coupled to the IMPS. The IMPS receives a command from the at least one host. The command includes a command byte field storing a vendor specific service action. The storage and switch controller receives the command from the IMPS. A processor included in the storage and switch controller interprets the vendor specific service action and executes the command.