Patent attributes
Memory of a storage system is made available (i.e., exposed) for use as host memory of a host, for example, as an extension of the main memory of the host. The host may be directly connected to an internal fabric of the data storage system. Portions of the storage system memory (SSM) may be allocated for use as host memory, and this may be communicated to the host system. The host OS and applications executing thereon then may make use of the SSM as if it were memory of the host system, for example, as second-tier persistent memory. The amount of SSM made available may be dynamically increased and decreased. The SSM may be accessed by the host system as memory; i.e., in accordance with memory-based instructions, for example, using remote direct memory access instructions. The SSM may be write protected using mirroring, vaulting and other techniques.
