Cloud Storage Performance SLA Allocation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Cloud storage platforms face challenges in dynamically scaling storage capacity to meet surging demand, leading to performance degradation and inefficiencies due to limitations in physical resource management and outdated service level agreements (SLAs) that focus solely on availability rather than performance.

Innovation Solution

Implementing performance-based SLAs that specify parameters like latency, I/O operations, and throughput, along with mechanisms for scheduling and dynamically managing storage allocations to ensure compliance, thereby improving storage request efficiency and reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If thin provisioning is implemented to conserve storage resources, then storage utilization is improved, but storage performance and availability deteriorate when physical storage space is exhausted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage utilizationVSAvoidstorage performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by proactively identifying storage capacity issues before they cause performance degradation. Storage health metrics are continuously monitored and analyzed to predict potential out-of-space conditions, allowing the system to take corrective actions in advance, such as expanding storage capacity or redistributing data, thereby preventing performance deterioration while maintaining high utilization through thin provisioning

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring storage capacity metrics and using this information to dynamically adjust storage management decisions. The monitoring system provides real-time feedback on storage utilization and health status, enabling the system to respond to changing conditions and maintain optimal performance while maximizing storage utilization through adaptive thin provisioning strategies

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If storage capacity is expanded to meet surging demand, then storage availability is improved, but the complexity and time of physical resource management increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage availabilityVSAvoidphysical resource management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by automatically performing storage capacity expansion and resource management tasks without requiring manual intervention. The storage system autonomously monitors demand, identifies when capacity expansion is needed, and executes expansion operations based on predefined policies and available resources, thereby maintaining high storage availability while eliminating the complexity of manual physical resource management

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies dynamics by making storage capacity and resource allocation flexible and adaptable to changing demands. Rather than static provisioning, the system dynamically adjusts storage capacity based on real-time monitoring of usage patterns and performance metrics, allowing it to respond to surging demand automatically and reducing the complexity of managing physical resources through automated, policy-driven decisions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Loss of energy

If thin provisioning is used to reduce storage wastage, then cost efficiency is improved, but the risk of out-of-space conditions and performance degradation increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage wastageVSAvoidout-of-space conditions

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system takes preliminary action by proactively monitoring storage capacity and predicting potential out-of-space conditions before they occur. By analyzing storage usage trends and capacity metrics in advance, the system can identify when thin provisioning may lead to harmful out-of-space conditions and take corrective actions, such as expanding capacity or adjusting provisioning ratios, thereby maintaining cost efficiency while preventing performance degradation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial or excessive action by implementing monitoring and protective measures that exceed the minimum requirements of simple thin provisioning. Rather than relying solely on basic thin provisioning algorithms, the system adds layers of monitoring, prediction, and automated response that provide a safety margin against out-of-space conditions, allowing it to maintain aggressive thin provisioning ratios while protecting against harmful effects

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10432722B2Cloud storage platform providing performance-based service level agreements

Publication Date: 2019.10.01 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A performance-based storage service level agreement (SLA) can be established that specifies one or more storage performance parameters. A storage allocation process can include receiving a request for a storage SLA that specifies one or more storage performance parameters, determining, for a virtual machine (VM) and based at least in part on the one or more storage performance parameters in the storage SLA: (i) a storage location among a set of candidate storage locations, and (ii) an amount of storage to allocate. The amount of storage can then be allocated at the storage location for the VM to use in making storage requests. Runtime enforcement of the storage SLA can utilize a scheduling mechanism that buffers individual storage requests into different queues that are used for meeting one or more storage performance requirements specified in storage SLA.