Host bus adaptor (hba) virtualization aware multi-pathing failover policy

A method performed by a host device configured to communicate over a network with a storage system, comprising:

• configuring a multi-path input-output driver of the host device to control delivery of input-output operations from the host device over selected ones of a plurality of paths through the network;
• the multi-path input-output driver:
• identifying whether given ones of a plurality of initiators associated with the plurality of paths comprise given ones of a plurality of virtual initiator instances;
• identifying given ones of a plurality of physical initiator components corresponding to the given ones of the plurality of virtual initiator instances;
• wherein identifying given ones of the plurality of physical initiator components corresponding to the given ones of the plurality of virtual initiator instances comprises accessing data mapping sets of two or more virtual initiator instances of the plurality of virtual initiator instances to respective single physical initiator components of the plurality of physical initiator components;
• detecting a failure of at least one input-output operation of the plurality of input-output operations over a first path of the plurality of paths, wherein the first path is through a first virtual initiator instance of the plurality of virtual initiator instances mapped to a first physical initiator component of the plurality of physical initiator components;
• identifying a second path of the plurality of paths that is through a second virtual initiator instance of the plurality of virtual initiator instances mapped to a second physical initiator component of the plurality of physical initiator components different from the first physical initiator component;
• and
• selecting the second path of the plurality of paths for retrying the at least one input-output operation;
• wherein the identification and selection of the second path is based at least in part on the data mapping the sets of two or more virtual initiator instances of the plurality of virtual initiator instances to the respective single physical initiator components of the plurality of physical initiator components;
• and
• wherein the host device comprises a processor coupled to a memory.

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 host device comprising a multi-path input-output driver, the host device being configured to communicate over a network with a storage system, causes the multi-path input-output driver:

• to control delivery of input-output operations from the host device to the storage system over selected ones of a plurality of paths through the network;
• to identify whether given ones of a plurality of initiators associated with the plurality of paths comprise given ones of a plurality of virtual initiator instances;
• to identify given ones of a plurality of physical initiator components corresponding to the given ones of the plurality of virtual initiator instances;
• wherein, in identifying given ones of the plurality of physical initiator components corresponding to the given ones of the plurality of virtual initiator instances, the program code causes the multi-path input-output driver to access data mapping sets of two or more virtual initiator instances of the plurality of virtual initiator instances to respective single physical initiator components of the plurality of physical initiator components;
• to detect a failure of at least one input-output operation of the plurality of input-output operations over a first path of the plurality of paths, wherein the first path is through a first virtual initiator instance of the plurality of virtual initiator instances mapped to a first physical initiator component of the plurality of physical initiator components;
• to identify a second path of the plurality of paths that is through a second virtual initiator instance of the plurality of virtual initiator instances mapped to a second physical initiator component of the plurality of physical initiator components different from the first physical initiator component;
• and
• to select the second path of the plurality of paths for retrying the at least one input-output operation;
• wherein the identification and selection of the second path is based at least in part on the data mapping the sets of two or more virtual initiator instances of the plurality of virtual initiator instances to the respective single physical initiator components of the plurality of physical initiator components.