An apparatus comprising: a target network interface device comprising circuitry configured to: receive a storage access command, which is transmitted by a client device to a sender network interface device and forwarded by the sender network interface device, through a network via one or more switches, to the target network interface device, wherein the storage access command is configured as a Non-volatile Memory Express over Fabrics, NVMe-oF, command, and is to be processed by the target network interface device; and determine a processing path in the target network interface device for the storage access command by mapping RDMA, which includes: a connection queue pair identifier, QP ID, a fabric NSID, fNSID, a logical block address, LBA, start and number of logical blocks, and a command type, of the NVMe-oF command either to the QP ID and NSID of a target storage device determined to be associated with the command or to a software emulated queue, the target storage arranged in a plurality of storage devices, wherein the processing path is within the target network interface device; and wherein the processing path is selected, based at least on the command type and the source of command, to be either direct mapped processing that provides an unmodified version of the command and associated data to a hardware interface for submission to the target storage device, or control plane processing that provides a modified version of the command and associated data to the hardware interface for submission to the target storage device; and wherein the command type comprises a read command or a write command; wherein the target storage device is either configured to be connected to the target network interface device through a device interface of the apparatus, or accessible through a host system configured to be in communication with the apparatus via the target network interface device; wherein if the command type comprises the read command and the direct mapped processing is selected, the circuitry is configured to transmit the storage access command directly to the target storage device for processing; and wherein if the command type comprises the write command and the control plane processing is selected, the circuitry is configured to transmit the storage access command to a software emulated device for processing, the software emulated device arranged on the host system, or the target network interface device. receive a storage access command, which is transmitted by a client device to a sender network interface device and forwarded by the sender network interface device, through a network via one or more switches, to the target network interface device, wherein the storage access command is configured as a Non-volatile Memory Express over Fabrics, NVMe-oF, command, and is to be processed by the target network interface device; and determine a processing path in the target network interface device for the storage access command by mapping RDMA, which includes: a connection queue pair identifier, QP ID, a fabric NSID, fNSID, a logical block address, LBA, start and number of logical blocks, and a command type, of the NVMe-oF command either to the QP ID and NSID of a target storage device determined to be associated with the command or to a software emulated queue, the target storage arranged in a plurality of storage devices, wherein the processing path is within the target network interface device; and wherein the processing path is selected, based at least on the command type and the source of command, to be either direct mapped processing that provides an unmodified version of the command and associated data to a hardware interface for submission to the target storage device, or control plane processing that provides a modified version of the command and associated data to the hardware interface for submission to the target storage device; and wherein the command type comprises a read command or a write command; wherein the target storage device is either configured to be connected to the target network interface device through a device interface of the apparatus, or accessible through a host system configured to be in communication with the apparatus via the target network interface device; wherein if the command type comprises the read command and the direct mapped processing is selected, the circuitry is configured to transmit the storage access command directly to the target storage device for processing; and wherein if the command type comprises the write command and the control plane processing is selected, the circuitry is configured to transmit the storage access command to a software emulated device for processing, the software emulated device arranged on the host system, or the target network interface device.