Dell Products Inc.

Emc IP Holding Company LLC

Emc Corporation

Erik P Smith

Joseph LaSalle White

Arieh Don

Claudio Desanti

Pawan Kumar Singal

David Lionel Black

Scott Rowlands

Raja Subbiah

Mark C Lippitt

Vinay G Rao

Alan Rajapa

Sakti Lakshmiy R Paulchamy

Jean Evans Pierre

Massarrah N Tannous

Balaji Rajagopalan

Douglas L Farley

Owen Crowley

Martin Gilbert Belanger

Kavitha Govindasami

Balasubramanian Muthukrishnan

Owen Martin

Sanjib Mallick

Marik Marshak

Vinay Sawal

Michael J Scharland

Helen S Raizen

Vibin Varghese

Ramesh Kumar Subbiah

Peniel Charles

Ron Arnan

Krishna Deepak Nuthakki

Ajith Balakrishnan

Kevin Martin

Marina Shem Tov

Saravanan Obulisami

Igor Fradkin

Boris Glimcher

Jean E Pierre

Ramprasad Shetty

Vincent H Westin

James R Salvadore

Daniel Mckay

Richard Isaac

Jai Bansal

Claire O'keeffe

A multiple independent storage fabric SAN system includes a storage system. A first storage fabric includes a first switch device that is directly connected to the storage system, and first host devices that are directly connected to the first switch device and each configured to transmit storage data traffic via the first switch device with the storage system. A second storage fabric is independent from the first storage fabric and includes a second switch device that is directly connected to the storage system and that is not configured to transmit storage data traffic with the first switch device, and second host devices that are directly connected to the second switch device and each configured to transmit storage data traffic via the second switch device with the storage system. The storage system is configured to provide first storage services to each of the first storage fabric and the second storage fabric.

Multiple independent storage fabric SAN system

An apparatus in an illustrative embodiment comprises at least one processing device that includes a processor coupled to a memory. The at least one processing device is configured to implement a centralized discovery controller for coupling to a host and to a storage system accessed by the host, with the centralized discovery controller being configured to receive from the host a congestion alert, and responsive to the received congestion alert, to send to the host and to one or more targets of the storage system corresponding congestion control messages. The congestion alert is illustratively received in the centralized discovery controller from a multi-path input-output (MPIO) driver of the host, where the MPIO driver controls delivery of IO operations from the host to the storage system over selected paths. The congestion control messages may comprise respective Asynchronous Event Notifications (AENs) associated with respective Asynchronous Event Requests (AERs).

Host multi-path layer with congestion mitigation through interaction with centralized discovery controller

Embodiments presented herein enable non-volatile memory express (NVMe®) subsystem-driven command execution requests. By configuring subsystems as pull model devices, subsystems can request a centralized discovery controller to perform one or more operations. Embodiments may leverage a command execution request architecture to achieve the subsystem-driven pull model functionality.

Systems and methods for command execution request for pull model devices

Border gateway protocol (BGP) configuration systems and methods automatically establish a BGP peering relationship between a BGP peer device and a centralized discovery controller (CDC) that allow the CDC to advertise routes to the BGP peer device. Various embodiments accomplish this by exchanging BGP information between the CDC, the BGP peer device, and a BGP auto-configuration service, which configures BGP parameters that establish the BGP peering relationship.

Zerotouch border gateway protocol (BGP) configuration in non-volatile memory express over-fabrics (NVMe-oF) environments

Embodiments of using command tags are described to prevent data corruption in a multi-path network in an NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-OF) environment. A command tag is incorporated in a written command send from a host for command identification. Once the host detects an issue of a first link between the host and namespace, the host may immediately send, using a second link, a retry of a command that was previously sent by the host to a first controller via the first link. The retry of the command comprises the same command tag which allows the first and second controllers to detect an execution condition of the first write command, and thus avoiding repeat execution of the first write command by the first controller and the second controller. Therefore, data corruption may be addressed efficiently to the root cause.

Command tags

In some embodiments, systems or devices, such as removable attachments, bars, multi-bars, or handles, are disclosed that allow binding to a wide variety of dumbbells and barbells available on the market. Binding to dumbbells and barbells of various sizes, types, brands, shapes, weights, dimensions, diameters and/or handle diameters, etc., is advantageous to allow interoperability and adaptability. In some examples, the variety of exercises that can be performed with a single dumbbell or barbell may be expanded to include two-handed techniques with minimal additional equipment. In some examples, this can reduce costs of additional equipment, storage space needed to store additional equipment, etc.

Dumbbell attachment apparatus with two-handed grip configuration

Systems and methods use zoning configuration to construct border gateway protocol (BGP) route maps. The constructed route maps may then be used to selectively advertise routes between BGP peer devices without having to advertise all available routes to all entities or subsystems in a network. Advantageously, this significantly reduces potential security risks to the network and improves scalability of services in non-volatile memory express over Fabric and other systems.

Zoning configurations and border gateway protocol (BGP) route maps for route advertisements

Techniques for determining an impact that a congested switch port is having on a network and for estimating a reason as to why the congested switch port is congested are disclosed. Configuration data and performance data from a network are obtained. Based on the configuration data, a shortest path between a storage port and a host port is identified. A particular switch port is also identified as a result of that port being congested. An impact as to how the switch port, due to its congestion in the particular shortest path, is impacting or is being impacted by other switch ports in the network is determined. An alert, which includes information indicating the impact, is triggered.

Slow drain and congestion spreading detection service

A traditional storage platform performs many basic functions, such as storage partitions allocation (i.e., namespace masking) and many advanced functions, such as deduplication or dynamic storage allocation. These functions need to be managed and this results in a multiple management system paradigm in which a fabric management application manages the fabric connectivity policies (i.e., zoning), while a storage management application manages the storage namespace mappings and advanced functions. Embodiments herein provide for centralized management for both connectivity and storage namespace mapping, among other advanced features. Namespace zoning information may comprise namespace zone groups, namespace zones, namespace zone members, namespace zone aliases, and namespace zone alias members, which expand the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) zoning framework from just connectivity control to full namespace allocation.

Systems and methods for NVMe over fabric (NVMe-oF) namespace-based zoning

Systems and methods utilize discovery log entry identifiers (DLEIDs) to identify individual discovery log page entries (DLPEs) in a discovery log page, for example, to allow a name server to manipulate DLPEs and perform specific operations, including zoning operations. Thus, DLEIDs advantageously reduce data flow and repetitive full discovery log page requests and responses and associated processing times; especially, in scenarios where changes to data are minimal. Further, a DLEID-based get log page command may be used to perform push and pull registrations, e.g., to query a specific set of end devices. Advantageously, this reduces message size or sizes and, thus, the number of messages that need to be exchanged, e.g., during an addition or deletion of end devices, especially in larger environments.

Discovery log entry identifiers (DLEIDs) applications in non-volatile memory express® environments

Systems and methods utilize discovery log entry identifiers (DLEIDs) to identify individual discovery log page entries (DLPEs) in a discovery log page, for example, to allow a name server to manipulate DLPEs and perform specific operations, including zoning operations. Thus, DLEIDs advantageously reduce data flow and repetitive full discovery log page requests and responses and associated processing times; especially, in scenarios where changes to data are minimal Further, a DLEID-based get log page command may be used to perform push and pull registrations, e.g., to query a specific set of end devices. Advantageously, this reduces messages size and, thus, the number of messages that need to be exchanged, e.g., during an addition or deletion of end devices, especially in larger environments.

Discovery log entry identifiers (DLEIDs) for devices in non-volatile memory express™-over fabrics (NVMe-oF™) environments

In the case of FC-NVMe (NVMe over Fabrics using Fibre Channel (FC) as a transport), zoning is typically performed using the interface WWPNs, but the masking of NVMe namespaces is performed using a host's NVMe Qualified Name (NQN or HOSTNQN). The use of two identifiers (i.e., one identifier used for zoning and another identifier used for masking) introduces a potential security related concern. A bad actor may obtain the NQN of a host that has access to sensitive information and use it to access this sensitive information. Accordingly, in one or more embodiments, by correlating different identifiers and using a combination of the different identifiers, access can easily be provided to the appropriate host adapters while prohibiting access to rogue hosts.

Preventing unauthorized access to non-volatile memory (NVM) subsystem namespaces

Solutions to configure congestion reaction behavior of end devices of a Fibre Channel (FC) fabric, to the extent that any such solutions exist, are inefficient, cumbersome, and unscalable. The present document discloses embodiments of a distributed Congestion Control Service that may use FC services and communication paths to distribute congestion control actions (e.g., during login or at other times such as configuration parameters change). Embodiments also allow for congestion configuration parameters to be provided to end devices in a transport-agnostic way. Furthermore, congestion control actions may be delivered on-demand or at other times, such as after a change.

Retrieving congestion configuration information automatically from a centralized repository

Centralized quality-of-service (QoS) policies administration in a storage area network (SAN) is a problem without meaningful solutions. Current implementations require explicit administration of end points, which is error-prone and not scalable. Zoning for NVMe-oF is defined as a method to specify connectivity access control information on the Discovery Controller (DC) of an NVMe-oF fabric, not as a way to specify QoS policies. Embodiments comprise centrally specifying one or more QoS parameters as part of NVMe-oF zoning definitions maintained at an NVMe-oF DC to centrally controlled QoS parameters. Accordingly, embodiments provide mechanisms to specify QoS parameters in a centralized manner to eliminate requiring a system administrator having to perform per-connection QoS provisioning.

Scalable quality of service (QoS) for a nonvolatile memory express™ environment

A scalable EBOF storage system identifies its storage devices and external physical interfaces, and respective public IP addresses assigned to each external physical interface. The scalable EBOF storage system assigns a respective private IP address to each storage device, private port identifier(s) to the storage devices, and respective public port identifier(s) to each storage device. The scalable EBOF storage system then generates an EBOF NAT table by mapping, for each storage device: each respective public IP address assigned to the external physical interfaces to the public port identifier assigned to that storage device to provide a public connection information combination for that storage device, the private IP address assigned to that storage device to the private port identifier assigned to that storage device to provide a private information connection combination for that storage device, and the public information connection combination to the private information connection combination for that storage device.

Scalable ethernet bunch of flash (EBOF) storage system

Growing community of inventors

Douglas, MA, United States of America

Erik P Smith