Storage system configured with stealth drive group

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by a processor of a storage system comprising a plurality of storage devices, causes the storage system:

• to establish a production drive group comprising a first subset of the storage devices, using a first firmware-level configuration process based at least in part on a first configuration file;
• to establish a stealth drive group comprising a second subset of the storage devices, using a second firmware-level configuration process different than the first firmware-level configuration process, the second firmware-level configuration process being based at least in part on a second configuration file different than the first configuration file, the first firmware-level configuration process being performed at least in part in parallel with the second firmware-level configuration process, the storage devices of the stealth drive group thereby being separated at a firmware level of the storage system from the storage devices of the production drive group;
• to copy data of one or more logical storage volumes from the production drive group to the stealth drive group;
• and
• responsive to completion of the copying of the data of the one or more logical storage volumes from the production drive group to the stealth drive group, to initiate a firmware-level reconfiguration process for the storage devices of the stealth drive group;
• wherein establishing the production drive group comprising the first subset of the storage devices, using the first firmware-level configuration process, comprises forming a first system resources pool comprising the first subset of the storage devices;
• wherein establishing the stealth drive group comprising the second subset of the storage devices, using the second firmware-level configuration process, comprises forming a second system resources pool, different than the first system resources pool, comprising the second subset of the storage devices, the second subset of the storage devices used for forming the second system resources pool comprising storage devices that have not previously been used for forming any portion of the first system resources pool;
• and
• wherein the first and second subsets of storage devices comprising the respective production drive group and stealth drive group comprise respective distinct and non-overlapping subsets of the storage devices of the storage system;
• the copied data of the one or more logical storage volumes as stored in the stealth drive group thereby being stored in its entirety on one or more storage devices that are different than any of those utilized to store the data of the one or more logical storage volumes in the production drive group.

A method for use in a storage system comprising a plurality of storage devices, the method comprising:

• establishing a production drive group comprising a first subset of the storage devices, using a first firmware-level configuration process based at least in part on a first configuration file;
• establishing a stealth drive group comprising a second subset of the storage devices, using a second firmware-level configuration process different than the first firmware-level configuration process, the second firmware-level configuration process being based at least in part on a second configuration file different than the first configuration file, the first firmware-level configuration process being performed at least in part in parallel with the second firmware-level configuration process, the storage devices of the stealth drive group thereby being separated at a firmware level of the storage system from the storage devices of the production drive group;
• copying data of one or more logical storage volumes from the production drive group to the stealth drive group;
• and
• responsive to completion of the copying of the data of the one or more logical storage volumes from the production drive group to the stealth drive group, initiating a firmware-level reconfiguration process for the storage devices of the stealth drive group;
• wherein establishing the production drive group comprising the first subset of the storage devices, using the first firmware-level configuration process, comprises forming a first system resources pool comprising the first subset of the storage devices;
• wherein establishing the stealth drive group comprising the second subset of the storage devices, using the second firmware-level configuration process, comprises forming a second system resources pool, different than the first system resources pool, comprising the second subset of the storage devices, the second subset of the storage devices used for forming the second system resources pool comprising storage devices that have not previously been used for forming any portion of the first system resources pool;
• and
• wherein the first and second subsets of storage devices comprising the respective production drive group and stealth drive group comprise respective distinct and non-overlapping subsets of the storage devices of the storage system;
• the copied data of the one or more logical storage volumes as stored in the stealth drive group thereby being stored in its entirety on one or more storage devices that are different than any of those utilized to store the data of the one or more logical storage volumes in the production drive group.