Emc Corporation

Emc IP Holding Company LLC

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Miles Aram De Forest

Jean-Pierre Bono

Walter Forrester

David Haase

William C Davenport

Himabindu Tummala

Paul Thomas McGrath

Philippe Armangau

Xiangping Chen

Dennis Thomas Duprey

Nagapraveen Veeravenkata Seela

Frederic Corniquet

Dayanand Suldhal

Michael D Haynes

Alan Lee Taylor

Karl M Owen

Charles Christopher Bailey

Ye Zhang

Michal Marko

Robert F Goudreau

Samuel Mullis

Dipak Prasad

David W Harvey

Thomas Earl Linnell

Matthew H Long

Michael Lee Burriss

Michael C Brundage

Yining Si

Samuel L Mullis, Ii

Dean D Throop

Khang Can

Scott David Von Rhee

Saurabh M Pathak

Chetan Rameshchandra Vaidya

Dean A Herington

Earle Trounson MacHardy, Jr

Prabu Surendra

Jeffrey S Kimmel

Walter A O'Brien, Iii

Ivan Bassov

Robert Anthony Alfieri

Richard P Ruef

Ahsan Rashid

Mark A O'Connell

Alexander S Mathews

Somnath A Gulve

Morgan A Clark

Srinivasa Rao Vempati

Mark K Ku

Michael Scheer

Jackson Brandon Myers

Dixit Patel

Peter E Tolvanen

Siyu Zhou

Brandon Myers

Sriram Nagasubramanian

William K McGrath

Joseph B Shimkus

Carson Jeffrey Barker

Li Wan

Michael J McLeod

Samuel Lee Mullis, Ii

Robert F Goudreau, Jr

Brian M Spadafora

Joseph B Shiimkus, Jr

C Christopher Bailey

Guy A Simpson

A technique for managing host data in a data storage apparatus having a storage processor (SP) provides virtualized storage processors (VSPs) as substantially self-describing and independent entities. Each VSP has its own namespace, independent of the namespace of any other VSP. Each VSP also has its own network address. Hosts may thus access VSPs directly, without having to include path information relative to the SP on which the VSP is operated. VSPs can thus be moved from one physical SP to another with little or no disruption to hosts, which may continue to access the VSPs on the new SPs using the same paths as were used when the VSPs were running on the original SPs.

Unified datapath processing with virtualized storage processors

A technique operable in a data storage system performs initialization of storage structures in multiple stages and allows hosts to request access to a data object even when some of the storage structures supporting the data object have not been initialized. Rather than initializing all storage structures for a data object before allowing host access, a storage processor instead initializes only a protocol stub structure. The protocol stub structure is configured to receive protocol requests from hosts and to initiate further processing should a storage request in that protocol be received. The further processing includes, in response to receiving a protocol request directed to a host-accessible data object, identifying storage structures involved in processing that protocol request and directing the storage processor to initialize those storage structures. Once the storage structures have been initialized, the storage processor may process the protocol request to completion via the initialized storage structures.

Demand-driven initialization of data storage structures

A technique for replicating a file from a source data storage system (source) to a destination data storage system (destination) includes receiving, by the destination from the source, (i) file data for multiple logical extents of the file and (ii) respective tiering metadata for those logical extents. The destination selects, based on the tiering metadata, one or more storage tiers available on the destination. The destination updates a local replica of the file by placing the logical extents on the selected tier or tiers.

Storage tiering in replication target based on logical extents

An improved technique involves providing file system shrink capability by shrinking the size of the volume file in which an upper deck file system is stored. Along these lines, a data storage system, upon receiving a request to shrink an upper deck file system, determines a new address in the upper deck file system, based on an amount the upper deck file system is to be shrunk, to which the end-of-file (EOF) pointer of the volume file will point. The new address will have a smaller distance from the address of the file pointer than the original address to which the EOF pointer points. The data storage system then identifies nonempty data blocks of the upper deck file system that have logical addresses having a larger distance from the address of the file pointer than the second logical address.

Upper deck file system shrink for directly and thinly provisioned lower deck file system in which upper deck file system is stored in a volume file within lower deck file system where both upper deck file system and lower deck file system resides in storage processor memory

A method includes (a) receiving a command to create an upper-deck filesystem of a specified size, the upper-deck filesystem residing within a logical volume expressed from a container file of a lower-deck filesystem, (b) provisioning a plurality of storage provisioning units (SPUs) from a storage pool of the data storage system to the container file in an order reflecting proximity of the SPUs within storage devices of the data storage system, the plurality of SPUs providing storage for the entire container file, and (c) subsequent to provisioning the plurality of SPUs to the container file, executing a plurality of threads in parallel to write metadata of the upper-deck filesystem to the plurality of SPUs, representing the upper-deck filesystem. Other embodiments are directed to a system, a computerized apparatus, and a computer program product for performing methods similar to that described above.

Coordination of file system creation to ensure more deterministic performance characteristics

Embodiments are directed to methods for allowing an I/O path of a data storage system to directly modify an object model while bypassing the highly-contested transaction lock used by a control path. This may be done by introducing a local lock to be used for individual resources within the object model. The control path also uses this local lock mechanism (in the context of a transaction lock) for essential resources that might be accessed by the I/O path in order to avoid accessing a given essential resource at the same time as the I/O path. A data storage system, apparatus, and computer program product for performing similar methods are also provided.

Using locks of different scopes in a data storage system to optimize performance and complexity

A technique performs replication. The technique involves receiving, by processing circuitry, a virtual storage processor (VSP) replication command from a user. The VSP replication command specifies a source VSP and a destination VSP (e.g., configuration data which defines an operating environment). The technique further involves identifying, by the processing circuitry and in response to the VSP replication command, multiple source data objects which are configured to store data from the context of the source VSP. The technique further involves automatically creating, after the multiple source data objects are identified, multiple replication sessions to replicate the multiple source data objects as multiple destination data objects which are configured to store data from the context of the destination VSP. Once created, the entire lifecycle of the replication session occurs at the VSP level and replication of the internals of the VSP are entirely hidden from the end user.

Automatically creating multiple replication sessions in response to a single replication command entered by a user

A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving a storage operation request for a logical storage object. A storage insurance value is associated with the logical storage object. The storage operation request is processed to associate a storage liability value with the storage operation request. Whether the storage operation request should be effectuated is determined based, at least in part, upon the storage liability value and the storage insurance value.

Storage management

A technique manages host data in a data storage array. The technique involves placing, in response to host input/output (I/O) requests from a set of host devices, host data in a container file system which is stored in a slice pool of storage slices (e.g., storage space of a standard size such as 256 MB) formed by multiple storage tiers of the data storage array. Each storage tier provides storage access at a different storage access speed. The technique further involves assigning classifications to storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system, each classification being assigned based on storage slice access history resulting from the host I/O requests. The technique further involves relocating portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices of the slice pool.

Managing host data placed in a container file system on a data storage array having multiple storage tiers

A technique forms contents of a deduplication container from a standalone container file system stored on the same data storage array on which the deduplication container is stored. Such a standalone container includes a container file which is formed by standalone blocks that are not shared with any other file within the standalone container outside of snapshots of that file. The standalone blocks store host data and which are hierarchically related to each other. Upon receiving a deduplication command, the storage processor carries out a set of deduplication operations which include creating and storing the deduplication container in the data storage array. The deduplication container includes container files which are formed by deduplication blocks storing the host data and which are hierarchically related to each other.

Deduplicating container files

A technique for managing data storage operations in a data storage system having a file-based front end system and a block-based back end array includes provisioning a set of storage resources on the array for use exclusively with one or more virtualized storage processors (VSPs), where each VSP identifies multiple file systems. In response to a management command to perform a data storage operation on a VSP, the back-end array performs the specified operation on the provisioned set of storage resources. Thus, the back-end array performs the data operation exclusively on the VSP (or on multiple VSPs) and therefore on all of its constituent file systems as one.

Leveraging array operations at virtualized storage processor level

A method, computer program product, and computing system for defining a master slice pool within a backend storage array of a storage system. The master slice pool includes a plurality of data storage slices. A first portion of the plurality of data storage slices is assigned to a first frontend system included within the storage system, thus defining a first frontend slice pool. One or more data storage slices included within the first frontend slice pool are allocated to one or more storage objects associated with the first frontend system. A quantity of unused data storage slices included within the first frontend slice pool is determined. The quantity of unused data storage slices is adjusted based upon a target slice level.

Scalable distributed slice broker

A technique provides mobility to VSPs. The technique involves receiving, by processing circuitry, a VSP move command from a user. The VSP move command specifies a source VSP and a destination. The technique further involves identifying, by the processing circuitry and in response to the VSP move command, multiple source data objects which are configured to store data from the context of the source VSP. The multiple source data objects reside in a source storage pool. The technique further involves, after the multiple source data objects are identified, transforming the multiple source data objects into multiple destination data objects which are configured to store data from the context of a destination VSP at the destination. The multiple destination data objects reside in a destination storage pool which is different from the source storage pool. Such operation effectively provides VSP migration from source to destination.

Providing mobility to virtual storage processors

A technique is used for optimizing data location in data storage arrays. A primary storage array is associated with a secondary storage array, the primary storage array and secondary storage array including auto-tiering functionality, where the secondary storage array is configured as a backup storage array for the primary storage array. Tiering metadata is derived for a storage object stored on the primary storage array. The tiering metadata is transmitted to the secondary storage array. Auto-tiering is initiated at the secondary storage array, where the received tiering metadata is provided as input to the secondary storage array's auto-tiering function when auto-tiering replicated storage object associated with the tiering metadata.

Optimizing data location in data storage arrays

A technique performs virtual storage processor (VSP) failover. The technique involves accessing, by a first physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, a VSP to create an operating environment for a host file system from the first physical storage processor. The technique further involves, after accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor, detecting a failure of the first physical storage processor. The technique further involves accessing, in response to detecting the failure of the first physical storage processor and by a second physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor.

Virtual storage processor failover

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Bahama, NC, United States of America

Miles Aram De Forest