Non-disruptive insertion of virtualized storage appliance

1. A method of non-disruptive insertion of a storage appliance providing virtualized storage comprising:

exposing a first logical device of a data storage system to a first host and a second host, wherein a data store is provisioned from physical storage of the first logical device and the data store is uniquely identified by a signature stored on the first logical device, wherein the first host and the second host each identify the first logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store;

performing first processing that inserts the storage appliance providing virtualized storage between the first host and the data storage system, wherein after said first processing, the first logical device is presented, through the storage appliance, to the first host as a second logical device, wherein the first host identifies the second logical device and the first logical device as a same logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store, wherein the first logical device is provisioned from first physical non-volatile storage of the data storage system, wherein the data store has its data stored on the first physical non-volatile storage provisioned for the first logical device, wherein the second logical device presented by the storage appliance is mapped to the first logical device, and the second logical device is provisioned from the first physical non-volatile storage provisioned for the first logical device; and

performing second processing that inserts the storage appliance providing virtualized storage between the second host and the data storage system, wherein after said second processing, the first logical device is presented, through the storage appliance, to the second host as the second logical device,

wherein the second host identifies the second logical device and the first logical device as the same logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first logical device and the second logical device are configured to each have a different logical device identifier.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the data store is a virtual machine file system data store and wherein, prior to said first processing, the first host includes a first virtual machine and the second host includes a second virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first logical device and the second logical device are identified by the first host and the second host as the same logical device configured with the virtual machine file system data store as the same data store.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein prior to said first processing, the first virtual machine and the first host access the data store through the first logical device and not the second logical device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said first processing includes:

migrating the first virtual machine from the first host to the second host while any application executing in a context of the first virtual machine continues execution in the context of the first virtual machine during the migration of the first virtual machine from the first host to the second host; and

wherein said second processing includes:

migrating the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine from the second host to the first host while any applications executing in a context of the first virtual machine continue execution in the context of the first virtual machine during the migrating of the first virtual machine from the second host to the first host, and any applications executing in a context of the second virtual machine continue execution in the context of the second virtual machine during the migrating of the second virtual machine from the second host to the first host.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein after said first processing and after migrating the first virtual machine from the second host to the first host, the first virtual machine and the first host access the data store through the second logical device presented by the storage appliance, and the first virtual machine and the first host do not access the data store through the first logical device presented by the data storage system.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein prior to said second processing, the second virtual machine and the second host access the data store through the first logical device and not the second logical device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein additional processing is performed subsequent to said second processing, said additional processing including:

migrating the second virtual machine from the first host to the second host while any applications executing in a context of the second virtual machine continue execution during the migration of the second virtual machine from the first host to the second host.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein after said additional processing, the second virtual machine and the second host access the data store through the second logical device presented by the storage appliance, and the second virtual machine and second host do not access the data store through the first logical device presented by the data storage system.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first processing includes the first host mounting the second logical device having the data store identified using the signature, and wherein the second processing includes the second host mounting the second logical device having the data store identified using the signature, and wherein the first logical device and the second logical device are viewed by the first host after the first processing and viewed by the second host after the second processing as including the data store as the same data store on both the first logical device and the second logical device.

12. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising code stored thereon, that when executed, performs a method of non-disruptive insertion of a storage appliance providing virtualized storage comprising:

exposing a first logical device of a data storage system to a first host and a second host, wherein a data store is provisioned from physical storage of the first logical device and the data store is uniquely identified by a signature stored on the first logical device, wherein the first host and the second host each identify the first logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store;

performing first processing that inserts the storage appliance providing virtualized storage between the first host and the data storage system, wherein after said first processing, the first logical device is presented, through the storage appliance, to the first host as a second logical device, wherein the first host identifies the second logical device and the first logical device as a same logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store, wherein the first logical device is provisioned from first physical non-volatile storage of the data storage system, wherein the data store has its data stored on the first physical non-volatile storage provisioned for the first logical device, wherein the second logical device presented by the storage appliance is mapped to the first logical device, and the second logical device is provisioned from the first physical non-volatile storage provisioned for the first logical device; and

performing second processing that inserts the storage appliance providing virtualized storage between the second host and the data storage system, wherein after said second processing, the first logical device is presented, through the storage appliance, to the second host as the second logical device,

wherein the second host identifies the second logical device and the first logical device as the same logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon that, when executed, performs a method for non-disruptive insertion of a storage appliance providing virtualized storage comprising:

exposing a first logical device of a data storage system to a first host and a second host, wherein a data store is provisioned from physical storage of the first logical device and the data store is uniquely identified by a signature stored on the first logical device, wherein the first host and the second host each identify the first logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store;

performing first processing that inserts the storage appliance providing virtualized storage between the first host and the data storage system, wherein after said first processing, the first logical device is presented, through the storage appliance, to the first host as a second logical device, wherein the first host identifies the second logical device and the first logical device as a same logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store, wherein the first logical device is provisioned from first physical non-volatile storage of the data storage system, wherein the data store has its data stored on the first physical non-volatile storage provisioned for the first logical device, wherein the second logical device presented by the storage appliance is mapped to the first logical device, and the second logical device is provisioned from the first physical non-volatile storage provisioned for the first logical device; and

performing second processing that inserts the storage appliance providing virtualized storage between the second host and the data storage system, wherein after said second processing, the first logical device is presented, through the storage appliance, to the second host as the second logical device,

wherein the second host identifies the second logical device and the first logical device as the same logical device using the signature uniquely identifying the data store.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the first logical device and the second logical device are configured to each have a different logical device identifier.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the data store is a virtual machine file system data store and wherein, prior to said first processing, the first host includes a first virtual machine and the second host includes a second virtual machine.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the first logical device and the second logical device are identified by the first host and the second host as the same logical device configured with the virtual machine file system data store as the same data store.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein prior to said first processing, the first virtual machine and the first host access the data store through the first logical device and not the second logical device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein said first processing includes:

migrating the first virtual machine from the first host to the second host while any application executing in a context of the first virtual machine continues execution in the context of the first virtual machine during the migration of the first virtual machine from the first host to the second host; and wherein said second processing includes:

migrating the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine from the second host to the first host while any applications executing in a context of the first virtual machine continue execution in the context of the first virtual machine during the migrating of the first virtual machine from the second host to the first host, and any applications executing in a context of the second virtual machine continue execution in the context of the second virtual machine during the migrating of the second virtual machine from the second host to the first host.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium method of claim 18 , wherein after said first processing and after migrating the first virtual machine from the second host to the first host, the first virtual machine and the first host access the data store through the second logical device presented by the storage appliance, and the first virtual machine and the first host do not access the data store through the first logical device presented by the data storage system.