Method and apparatus for bringing an array port offline

A storage processor that part of a storage system, the storage processor comprising:

• a memory;
• a processing circuitry that is operatively coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry being configured to perform the operations of:
• receiving a notification that an array port in the storage processor is going to be brought offline;
• transitioning the array port into a first state in which the array port continues to execute in-flight input-output (I/O requests) while rejecting new I/O requests, wherein each rejection includes an Upper Layer Protocol (ULP) response/status message that would cause a sender of the rejection's corresponding I/O request to select an alternative network path that connects the sender to the storage system and re-transmit the corresponding I/O request to the storage system via the alternative network path;
• and
• transitioning the array port from the first state into a second state, the second state being a state in which the array port is offline, the array port being transitioned into the second state in response to detecting that a waiting period has passed since the receiving of the notification.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuitry of a storage processor, cause the processing circuitry to perform the operations of:

• receiving a notification that an array port in the storage processor is going to be brought offline;
• transitioning the array port into a first state in which the array port continues to execute in-flight input-output (I/O requests) while rejecting new I/O requests, wherein each rejection includes an Upper Layer Protocol (ULP) response/status message that would cause a sender of the rejection's corresponding I/O request to select an alternative network path that connects the sender to a storage system and re-transmit the corresponding I/O request to the storage system via the alternative network path;
• and
• transitioning the array port from the first state into a second state, the second state being a state in which the array port is offline, the array port being transitioned into the second state in response to detecting that a waiting period has passed since the receiving of the notification.