Virtual storage appliance with virtual disk instances for backend non-volatile data storage

A system comprising:

• a virtual storage appliance executing on a cloud computing platform, wherein the virtual storage appliance includes program code for providing backend non-volatile data storage for the virtual storage appliance;
• wherein the program code, when executed by computing resources of the cloud computing platform including at least one central processing unit, causes the computing resources to:
• create a plurality of virtual disk instances, wherein each one of the virtual disk instances is a virtual machine, and wherein each one of the virtual disk instances aggregates non-volatile data storage of a plurality of cloud storage volumes that are directly attached only to that virtual disk instance into a single logical volume of non-volatile data storage corresponding to that virtual disk instance;
• create a sub-network that connects the virtual disk instances to a network interface of each one of multiple storage controllers of a virtual storage appliance;
• and
• consume, over the sub-network by each one of the multiple storage controllers in the virtual storage appliance, the logical volumes of non-volatile data storage corresponding to the virtual disk instances to persistently store user data received by the virtual storage appliance from one or more host devices.

A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed on processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform steps including:

• creating a plurality of virtual disk instances, wherein each one of the virtual disk instances is a virtual machine, and wherein each one of the virtual disk instances aggregates non-volatile data storage of a plurality of cloud storage volumes that are directly attached only to that virtual disk instance into a single logical volume of non-volatile data storage corresponding to that virtual disk instance;
• creating a sub-network that connects the virtual disk instances to a network interface of each one of multiple storage controllers of a virtual storage appliance;
• and
• consuming, over the sub-network by each one of the multiple storage controllers in the virtual storage appliance, the logical volumes of non-volatile data storage corresponding to the virtual disk instances to persistently store user data received by the virtual storage appliance from one or more host devices.