Methods and systems for nvme target load balancing based on real time metrics

A network appliance comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a cpu core operatively coupled to the memory,
• wherein the network appliance is configured to:
• assign a plurality of NAS appliances (network attached storage appliances) to a plurality of service sets that include an active load balancing set, a monitored inactive set, and an out of service set, wherein the plurality of NAS appliances are configured to mirror a namespace;
• track a storage performance metric of the plurality of NAS appliances by monitoring a plurality of IO operations for accessing a non-volatile memory in the namespace;
• move a NAS appliance into the monitored inactive set based at least in part on a tracked value of the storage performance metric;
• use dummy IO operations to track the storage performance metric of the NAS appliance that was moved into the monitored inactive set;
• and
• move the NAS appliance from the monitored inactive set into the active load balancing set or into the out of service set in response to a value of the storage performance metric that was tracked using the dummy IO operations.

A network appliance comprising:

• a means for assigning a plurality of NAS appliances (network attached storage appliances) to a plurality of service sets that include an active load balancing set, a monitored inactive set, and an out of service set, wherein the plurality of NAS appliances are configured to mirror a namespace;
• a means for accessing a non-volatile memory in the namespace via the plurality of NAS appliances;
• a means for quantifying IO performance of the plurality of NAS appliances based on the means for accessing the non-volatile memory;
• a means for determining that a NAS appliances is to be moved into the monitored inactive set;
• a means for determining that the NAS appliances is to be moved out of the monitored inactive set;
• and
• a means for moving the NAS appliances into and out of the monitored inactive set.