A storage virtualization environment is provided that includes a system
for providing one or more virtual volumes. The system may include a host
system and a set of storage devices, each of which includes physical
block addresses that stores data. Further, the system includes a network
switch system connecting the host system and the set of storage devices
and is configured to define and manage a virtual volume associated with
data distributed across the physical block addresses. The network switch
system includes a first virtualization layer that maintains first tier
objects including information reflecting a relationship between the
physical block addresses and one or more logical partitions of virtual
volume data. Moreover, the network switch system includes a second
virtualization layer that maintains second tier objects including
information reflecting a logical configuration of the virtual volume. The
network switch system manages the virtual volume for the host system
using the first and second tier objects.