Cloud Storage Gateway With Local Cache for Low-Latency Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data storage systems face challenges in scalability and efficiency, particularly in enterprise networks, due to the need for large-scale hardware storage that occupies significant physical space and incurs high operational overhead and security risks with remote storage solutions.
Innovation Solution
A gateway system that integrates local cache memory and cloud-based storage servers into a virtual disk, allowing for dynamically adjustable and configurable storage volumes, using cluster blocks for efficient data management and cryptographic security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If local hardware storage is scaled to meet data storage demand, then storage capacity is improved, but physical space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested storage architecture where cloud storage servers are integrated within the local storage system. The local storage device stores data locally while also maintaining references to corresponding data in cloud storage servers, creating a nested structure where cloud storage capacity is embedded within the local storage framework, thereby expanding total storage capacity without proportionally increasing physical space at the local site.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional local storage expansion to a three-dimensional storage architecture by adding the cloud dimension. Instead of only horizontally expanding local storage capacity, the system vertically integrates cloud storage servers, effectively adding a new dimension to storage capacity while maintaining compact local footprint.
2Quantity of substance
If remote storage solution is implemented, then storage capacity is improved, but operational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges local storage and cloud storage into a unified storage system where the storage manager coordinates both storage devices. This integration allows the system to present a single virtual storage volume to users, combining the benefits of local accessibility with cloud scalability while abstracting away the complexity of managing separate remote storage operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage manager acts as an intermediary between users and the distributed storage system. It handles the complexity of data placement, retrieval, and coordination between local and cloud storage, shielding users from operational overhead while enabling expanded storage capacity through both local and cloud resources.
3Quantity of substance
If remote storage solution is implemented, then storage capacity is improved, but data security and latency are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by storing frequently accessed or critical data in the local storage device while using cloud storage for less critical or less frequently accessed data. This differentiation allows the system to optimize for both security (through local access control) and latency (through local caching of frequently used data) while maintaining expanded storage capacity through cloud integration.
Data Source
AI summary
The systems and methods disclosed herein transparently provide an improved scalable cloud-based dynamically adjustable or configurable storage volume. In one aspect, a gateway provides a dynamically or configurably adjustable storage volume, including a local cache. The storage volume may be transparently adjusted for the amount of data that needs to be stored using available local or cloud-based storage. The gateway may use caching techniques and block clustering to provide gains in access latency compared to existing gateway systems, while providing scalable off-premises storage.