Application Object Policy Management for Virtual Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current policy management systems in storage environments do not provide efficient management at a higher level than storage objects and fail to manage virtual entities such as virtual applications and storage components effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for managing application objects by using an application policy manager to group application objects into datasets, assign policies, and implement storage system characteristics on both application and underlying storage objects, enabling flexible and efficient policy management for both virtual and non-virtual applications and storage resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If policy management systems only manage storage objects at the lowest level, then storage object management is simple, but higher-level application objects and virtual entities cannot be managed effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage management hierarchy into multiple levels: storage objects at the lowest level, application objects at the intermediate level, and virtual entities at the highest level. Each level can be managed independently with appropriate policy management capabilities, allowing effective management from basic storage objects to complex virtual entities without overwhelming system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to policy management by organizing objects across multiple levels (storage objects → application objects → virtual entities). This dimensional organization allows the system to manage both simple storage objects and complex virtual entities simultaneously, expanding management scope while maintaining structured control through the hierarchy.
2Productivity
If a standardized representation system for application objects is implemented, then policy management becomes more efficient and flexible, but the complexity of representing and mapping objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal application object representation that can represent multiple types of entities (virtual machines, physical servers, storage volumes, files) through a common structure. This standardized representation enables efficient policy management across diverse object types while the modular design keeps the representation structure manageable by only adding complexity when needed for specific object types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an application object as an intermediary layer between storage objects and policy management systems. This intermediary standardizes the interface for policy management while handling the complexity of mapping to underlying storage objects internally, thus improving policy management efficiency without exposing the full complexity to policy administrators.
3Productivity
If application objects are grouped into datasets and policies are assigned at the dataset level, then policy implementation becomes more efficient, but the complexity of grouping and organizing objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple application objects into datasets, allowing policies to be applied to groups of objects simultaneously. This combining approach improves policy implementation efficiency by reducing the number of individual policy applications needed, while the logical grouping mechanism keeps organization complexity manageable through clear dataset definitions.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are systems and methods for providing data policy management over application objects in a storage system environment. An application object may comprise non-virtual or virtual objects (e.g., non-virtual-based applications, virtual-based applications, or virtual storage components). An application object manager may represent application objects by producing mapping graphs and/or application object data that represent application objects in a standardized manner. A mapping graph for an application object may describe a mapping between the application object and its underlying storage objects on a storage system. Application object data may describe a mapping graph in a standardized format. Application object data representing application objects may be received by an application policy manager that manages data policies on the application objects (including virtual applications and virtual storage components) based on the received application object data. Data policies may include policies for backup, service level objectives, recovery, monitoring and/or reporting.