Which PowerFlex component provides the information that application servers require to connect to the cluster's...

The PowerFlex component that provides the information application servers require to connect to the cluster’s virtualized storage is the Storage Data Client (SDC). The SDC is installed on application servers and is responsible for translating standard block I/O requests from the server’s operating system into network I/O requests that can be understood and processed by the PowerFlex storage cluster.

Here’s a detailed explanation:

SDC Role: The SDC acts as the interface between the application servers and the PowerFlex storage system. It allows servers to access the virtualized storage as if it were local to the server1.

Connection Process: When an application server needs to connect to the PowerFlex cluster, the SDC communicates with the Meta Data Manager (MDM) to understand the layout of the storage and then interacts with the Storage Data Server (SDS) to perform I/O operations1.

Virtualized Storage Access: Through the SDC, application servers can perform read and write operations on the virtualized storage volumes provided by the PowerFlex cluster, ensuring seamless integration with the existing applications and services1.

The SDC is a critical component in the PowerFlex architecture, enabling the connection and communication between application servers and the PowerFlex storage cluster, thus facilitating the use of virtualized storage resources1.