Emulating a local storage by accessing an external storage through a shared port of a NIC

    公开(公告)号:US11636053B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-04-25

    申请号:US17145319

    申请日:2021-01-09

    Applicant: VMware, Inc.

    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of providing distributed storage services to a host computer from a network interface card (NIC) of the host computer. At the NIC, the method accesses a set of one or more external storages operating outside of the host computer through a shared port of the NIC that is not only used to access the set of external storages but also for forwarding packets not related to an external storage. In some embodiments, the method accesses the external storage set by using a network fabric storage driver that employs a network fabric storage protocol to access the external storage set. The method presents the external storage as a local storage of the host computer to a set of programs executing on the host computer. In some embodiments, the method presents the local storage by using a storage emulation layer on the NIC to create a local storage construct that presents the set of external storages as a local storage of the host computer.

    USING PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A NIC TO ACCESS AN EXTERNAL STORAGE THROUGH NETWORK FABRIC DRIVER

    公开(公告)号:US20220100545A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-31

    申请号:US17145322

    申请日:2021-01-09

    Applicant: VMware, Inc.

    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of providing distributed storage services to a host computer from a network interface card (NIC) of the host computer. At the NIC, the method accesses a set of one or more external storages operating outside of the host computer through a shared port of the NIC that is not only used to access the set of external storages but also for forwarding packets not related to an external storage. In some embodiments, the method accesses the external storage set by using a network fabric storage driver that employs a network fabric storage protocol to access the external storage set. The method presents the external storage as a local storage of the host computer to a set of programs executing on the host computer. In some embodiments, the method presents the local storage by using a storage emulation layer on the NIC to create a local storage construct that presents the set of external storages as a local storage of the host computer.

    EMULATING A LOCAL STORAGE BY ACCESSING AN EXTERNAL STORAGE THROUGH A SHARED PORT OF A NIC

    公开(公告)号:US20220206964A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-06-30

    申请号:US17145319

    申请日:2021-01-09

    Applicant: VMware, Inc.

    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of providing distributed storage services to a host computer from a network interface card (NIC) of the host computer. At the NIC, the method accesses a set of one or more external storages operating outside of the host computer through a shared port of the NIC that is not only used to access the set of external storages but also for forwarding packets not related to an external storage. In some embodiments, the method accesses the external storage set by using a network fabric storage driver that employs a network fabric storage protocol to access the external storage set. The method presents the external storage as a local storage of the host computer to a set of programs executing on the host computer. In some embodiments, the method presents the local storage by using a storage emulation layer on the NIC to create a local storage construct that presents the set of external storages as a local storage of the host computer.

    ACCESSING AN EXTERNAL STORAGE THROUGH A NIC

    公开(公告)号:US20220103629A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-31

    申请号:US17145321

    申请日:2021-01-09

    Applicant: VMware, Inc.

    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of providing distributed storage services to a host computer from a network interface card (NIC) of the host computer. At the NIC, the method accesses a set of one or more external storages operating outside of the host computer through a shared port of the NIC that is not only used to access the set of external storages but also for forwarding packets not related to an external storage. In some embodiments, the method accesses the external storage set by using a network fabric storage driver that employs a network fabric storage protocol to access the external storage set. The method presents the external storage as a local storage of the host computer to a set of programs executing on the host computer. In some embodiments, the method presents the local storage by using a storage emulation layer on the NIC to create a local storage construct that presents the set of external storages as a local storage of the host computer.

    ACCESSING MULTIPLE EXTERNAL STORAGES TO PRESENT AN EMULATED LOCAL STORAGE THROUGH A NIC

    公开(公告)号:US20220103490A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-31

    申请号:US17145320

    申请日:2021-01-09

    Applicant: VMware, Inc.

    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of providing distributed storage services to a host computer from a network interface card (NIC) of the host computer. At the NIC, the method accesses a set of one or more external storages operating outside of the host computer through a shared port of the NIC that is not only used to access the set of external storages but also for forwarding packets not related to an external storage. In some embodiments, the method accesses the external storage set by using a network fabric storage driver that employs a network fabric storage protocol to access the external storage set. The method presents the external storage as a local storage of the host computer to a set of programs executing on the host computer. In some embodiments, the method presents the local storage by using a storage emulation layer on the NIC to create a local storage construct that presents the set of external storages as a local storage of the host computer.

    USING A NIC AS A NETWORK ACCELERATOR TO ACCESS AN EXTERNAL STORAGE

    公开(公告)号:US20220100546A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-31

    申请号:US17145329

    申请日:2021-01-09

    Applicant: VMware, Inc.

    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of providing distributed storage services to a host computer from a network interface card (NIC) of the host computer. At the NIC, the method accesses a set of one or more external storages operating outside of the host computer through a shared port of the NIC that is not only used to access the set of external storages but also for forwarding packets not related to an external storage. In some embodiments, the method accesses the external storage set by using a network fabric storage driver that employs a network fabric storage protocol to access the external storage set. The method presents the external storage as a local storage of the host computer to a set of programs executing on the host computer. In some embodiments, the method presents the local storage by using a storage emulation layer on the NIC to create a local storage construct that presents the set of external storages as a local storage of the host computer.

    DISTRIBUTED STORAGE SERVICES SUPPORTED BY A NIC

    公开(公告)号:US20220100432A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-31

    申请号:US17145318

    申请日:2021-01-09

    Applicant: VMware, Inc.

    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of providing distributed storage services to a host computer from a network interface card (NIC) of the host computer. At the NIC, the method accesses a set of one or more external storages operating outside of the host computer through a shared port of the NIC that is not only used to access the set of external storages but also for forwarding packets not related to an external storage. In some embodiments, the method accesses the external storage set by using a network fabric storage driver that employs a network fabric storage protocol to access the external storage set. The method presents the external storage as a local storage of the host computer to a set of programs executing on the host computer. In some embodiments, the method presents the local storage by using a storage emulation layer on the NIC to create a local storage construct that presents the set of external storages as a local storage of the host computer.

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