Explicit data segment boundaries with SCSI I/O referrals

A storage system, comprising:

• means for receiving a first command at a first storage system included in a plurality of storage systems of the block storage cluster, the first command being transmitted by the initiator system to the first storage system, the first command including a request for data associated with a data transfer, a first portion of the data being stored by the first storage system and a second portion of the data being stored by a second storage system;
• means for transmitting at least one referral response from the first storage system to the initiator system, the at least one referral response including a first segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the first storage system and a second segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the second storage system, the first segment start value representing a virtual volume Logical Block Address (LBA) of a first block of a first data segment including the first portion of the data associated in the first command, the second segment start value representing a virtual volume LBA of a first block of a second data segment including the second portion of the data associated in the first command;
• and
• means for directing in parallel a second command from the initiator system to the first storage system and a third command from the initiator system to the second storage system, each of the second command and the third command including a request for the respective one of the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data stored on the respective one of the first storage system and the second storage system based upon the first segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the first storage system and the second segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the second storage system.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for communication between an initiator system and a block storage cluster, the method comprising:

• receiving a first command at a first storage system included in a plurality of storage systems of the block storage cluster, the first command being transmitted by the initiator system to the first storage system, the first command including a request for data associated with a data transfer, a first portion of the data being stored by the first storage system and a second portion of the data being stored by a second storage system;
• transmitting at least one referral response including from the first storage system to the initiator system, the at least one referral response including a first segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the first storage system and a second segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the second storage system, the first segment start value representing a virtual volume Logical Block Address (LBA) of a first block of a first data segment including the first portion of the data associated in the first command, the second segment start value representing a virtual volume LBA of a first block of a second data segment including the second portion of the data associated in the first command;
• and
• directing in parallel a second command from the initiator system to the first storage system and a third command from the initiator system to the second storage system, each of the second command and the third command including a request for the respective one of the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data stored on the respective one of the first storage system and the second storage system based upon the first segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the first storage system and the second segment start value and corresponding port identifier associated with the second storage system.