Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Naveen Bali

Tao Jin

Michael E Root

Tomasz Barszczak

Praveen Killamsetti

Evan Chiu

Jason M Fox

Neha Siddha

Methods, storage arrays and computer readable media for path discovery to ports of a Fibre Channel storage system that includes a multi-array pool and is part of a group of arrays are provided. One example method includes executing a pull operation via a group leader array of the group of arrays. The pull operation is configured to gather port status of each one of the arrays in the group of arrays. The method further executes a push operation via the group leader array of the group of arrays. The push operation is configured to populate a local cache of each array in the group of arrays with the port status of each one of the arrays in the group of arrays. The method executes the pull operation and the push operation on a periodic schedule, such that changes that occur at particular ones of the arrays of the group of arrays are pushed to each one of the arrays in the group of arrays. Configurations for enabling volume moves, striping data across arrays and pools, pool creation, pool deletes, pool adds, group merge and other processes are also provided.

Fibre channel scale-out with physical path discovery and volume move

According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by the processor to assign a first object identifier and a data identifier to a first volume, the first object identifier being assigned exclusively to the first volume. The instructions may also be executable by the processor to identify an identifier of a second volume, determined whether the identifier of the second volume matches the data identifier, and based on a determination that the identifier of the second volume matches the data identifier of the first volume, configure a replication relationship between the first volume and the second volume.

Assignment of a data identifier to first and second volumes

In some examples, with respect to pool partner based replication, a first pool may be generated for a first storage array and may include a first volume of data stored in a storage space of the first storage array. A second pool may be generated for a second storage array and may include a second volume to receive data replicated from the first volume. Based on the generation of the second pool, first and second pool partners respectively representing end points for communication with the first and second pools may be generated. A volume collection may be generated and may include identifications of the first pool partner and the second pool partner, and a first volume identification of the first volume. Based on the volume collection, replication of the first volume may be performed from the first pool to the second volume of the second pool.

Pool partner based replication

Storage arrays, systems and methods for processing commands to enable SCSI-level forwarding between an active controller and a standby controller are provided. In one example, the standby controller has ports that operate in an asymmetric logical unit access (ALUA) standby (SB) mode. One such method includes receiving a command by a port of the standby controller, wherein the port operates in the ALUA SB mode. The method includes identifying that the command is of a type that is predefined for forwarding, and forwarding the command from a SCSI layer of the standby controller to a SCSI layer of the active controller. The method further includes processing the command in a user space of the active controller to generate return data and forwarding the return data from the active controller to the standby controller. The method additionally includes sending the return data to the initiator, over the port of the standby controller.

Fibre channel storage array having standby controller with ALUA standby mode for forwarding SCSI commands

Methods and systems for processing failover operations in a storage array configured for Fiber Channel communication are provided. One example method includes executing a primary process in user space of a controller of the storage array. The primary process is configured to process request commands from one or more initiators and has access to a volume manager for serving data input/output (I/O) requests. The primary process has a connection to a port of storage array when in operation. The method further executes a secondary process in the user space of the controller to process request commands from one or more of the initiators. The secondary process is not provided access to the volume manger and is provided access to data for responding to non-I/O requests. The secondary process is not provided a connection to the port when the primary process is in operation. The second process is configured to detect that the primary process has entered a state of non-operation, and in response performing a port grab of the port by the secondary process. The method further includes causing a replay of in-progress commands that were being executed by the primary process before entering the state of non-operation and deleting the in-progress commands. The method continues to execute the secondary process while the primary process is in the non-operation state.

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Durham, NC, United States of America

Naveen Bali