Storage handling guidance for host input/output operations

A system for providing storage handling guidance for host input/output (I/O) operations, comprising:

• a processor;
• and a computer-readable storage media coupled to the processor, wherein the computer-readable storage media contains computer program instructions executing a computer-implemented method comprising:
• providing a guidance array of indications of storage operations handling instructions accessible to a storage system controller, the guidance array having multiple dimensions of performance characteristics with each dimension having multiple levels;
• receiving, by a storage system controller, an input/output (I/O) operation from a host application, the I/O operation comprising a command and a reference vector, wherein the reference vector points to a level for each dimension of the guidance array to obtain an indication of a storage operations handling instruction at an intercept of the dimension levels for the host application by the storage system controller for the I/O operation;
• extracting, by the storage system controller, the reference vector from the command;
• looking up, by the storage system controller, the reference vector in the guidance array for the storage operations handling instruction;
• and
• determining, by the storage system controller, whether there is a customized storage operations handling instructions for the I/O operation within the guidance array, and if the customized storage operations handling instructions are present in the guidance array, applying, by the storage system controller, the customized storage operations handling instructions, otherwise, applying, by the storage system controller, default storage handling behavior;
• selecting, by the storage system controller, a level value for each dimension of the guidance array;
• and
• adding each level value to the reference vector, wherein the level value added to the reference vector points to an indication of an instruction in the guidance array for handling a combination of performance characteristic.

A computer program product for providing storage handling guidance for host input/output (I/O) operations, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
• provide a guidance array of indications of storage operations handling instructions, the guidance array having multiple dimensions of performance characteristics with each dimension having multiple levels;
• receive, by a storage system controller, an input/output (I/O) operation from a host application, the I/O operation comprising a command and a reference vector, wherein the reference vector points to a level for each dimension of the guidance array to obtain an indication of a storage operations handling instruction at an intercept of the dimension levels for application by the storage system controller for the one or more I/O operations;
• extract, by the storage system controller, the reference vector from the command;
• look up, by the storage system controller, the reference vector in the guidance array for the storage operations handling instruction;
• determine, by the storage system controller, whether there is a customized storage operations handling instructions for the I/O operation within the guidance array, and where the customized storage operations handling instructions are present in the guidance array, applying, by the storage system controller, the customized storage operations handling instructions, otherwise, applying, by the storage system controller, default storage handling behavior;
• select, by the storage system controller, a level value for each dimension of the guidance array;
• and
• add each level value to the reference vector, wherein the level value added to the reference vector points to an indication of an instruction in the guidance array for handling a combination of performance characteristic.