Fibre Channel Storage Array Having Standby Controller With ALUA Standby Mode for Forwarding SCSI Commands

Storage arrays, systems and methods for processing commands to enable SCSI-level forwarding between an active controller and a standby controller are provided. In one example, the standby controller has ports that operate in an asymmetric logical unit access (ALUA) standby (SB) mode. One such method includes receiving a command by a port of the standby controller, wherein the port operates in the ALUA SB mode. The method includes identifying that the command is of a type that is predefined for forwarding, and forwarding the command from a SCSI layer of the standby controller to a SCSI layer of the active controller. The method further includes processing the command in a user space of the active controller to generate return data and forwarding the return data from the active controller to the standby controller. The method additionally includes sending the return data to the initiator, over the port of the standby controller.