Virtual private storage array service for cloud servers

A method to provide a virtual private storage array as a service over a computer network, the method comprising:

• receiving parameters for the virtual private storage array over the computer network, the parameters for the virtual private storage array including a virtual controller hardware model for each virtual controller in the virtual private storage array, drive characteristics for the virtual private storage array, and a drive quantity for the virtual private storage array;
• and
• creating the virtual private storage array from processor/memory complexes and physical drives available from server computers, each server computer running software including at least one of a storage node and a compute agent, said creating the virtual private storage array comprising:
• selecting a set of the physical drives that meets or exceeds the drive characteristics and the drive quantity, the selected physical drives being from a set of the server computers;
• instructing storage nodes on the set of the server computers to allocate virtual drives to the virtual private storage array, the storage nodes being configured to:
• create the virtual drives from the selected physical drives, each virtual drive being a partition that is one entire selected physical drive or a part of one selected physical drive;
• and
• expose the virtual drives to virtual controllers in the virtual private storage array;
• selecting a set of the processor/memory complexes that each meets or exceeds the virtual controller hardware model, the selected processor/memory complexes being from an other set of the server computers;
• instructing compute agents on the other set of the server computers to spawn virtual machines for the virtual controllers, the compute agents being configured to:
• spawn one virtual machine on at least part of each selected processor/memory complex dedicated to the virtual machine;
• and
• start one virtual controller per virtual machine so each virtual controller in the virtual private storage array runs on a different server computer, one or more of the virtual controllers being configured to:
• discover the exposed virtual drives;
• create one or more virtual pools comprising the exposed virtual drives;
• implement a data protection scheme on the one or more virtual pools;
• create one or more volumes from the one or more virtual pools;
• expose the one or more volumes over the computer network to one or more customer computers;
• and
• handle access requests to the exposed one or more volumes over the computer network from the one or more customer computers.

A data storage system providing a virtual private storage array as a service over a computer network in a cloud computing environment to one or more customer computers in a public or a private cloud, the data storage system comprising:

• an availability zone controller being configured to create the virtual private storage array from processor/memory complexes and physical drives available from server computers by:
• receiving parameters for the virtual private storage array, the parameters including a virtual controller hardware model for each virtual controller in the virtual private storage array, drive characteristics for the virtual private storage array, and a drive quantity for the virtual private storage array;
• selecting a set of the physical drives that meets or exceeds the drive characteristics and the drive quantity, the selected physical drives being from a set of the server computers;
• instructing storage nodes on the set of the server computers to allocate virtual drives from the selected physical drives to the virtual private storage array;
• selecting a set of the processor/memory complexes that each meets or exceeds the virtual controller hardware model, the selected processor/memory complexes being from an other set of the server computers;
• and
• instructing compute agents on the other set of the server computers to spawn virtual machines for virtual controllers;
• the server computers with the physical drives and the processor/memory complexes, the server computers including at least one server computer comprising:
• one or more physical drives;
• a processor/memory complex;
• a storage node running on a first part of the processor/memory complex, the storage node being configured to:
• create one or more virtual drives from the one or more physical drives, each virtual drive being a partition that is one entire selected physical drive or a part of one selected physical drive;
• and
• expose the one or more virtual drives to the virtual controllers in the virtual private storage array;
• a compute agent being configured to:
• spawn a virtual machine on a second part of the processor/memory complex dedicated to the virtual machine;
• and
• start a virtual controller on the virtual machine;
• the virtual machine running on the second part of the processor/memory complex dedicated to the virtual machine;
• the virtual controller running on the virtual machine, the virtual controller being configured to:
• discover the one or more exposed virtual drives;
• create one or more virtual pools comprising the exposed one or more virtual drives;
• implement a data protection scheme on the one or more virtual pools;
• create one or more volumes from the one or more virtual pools;
• expose the one or more volumes over the computer network to the one or more customer computers;
• and
• handle access requests to the exposed one or more volumes over the computer network from the one or more customer computers;
• one or more public switches coupling the computer network and the other set of the server computers for communication between the virtual controllers and the one or more customer computers;
• and
• one or more private switches coupling the set of the server computers for communication between the virtual controllers and the storage nodes located on different server computers.