Cloud Storage Rank Management via Virtual RAID Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cloud storage systems lack advanced management features such as redundancy, failover, and data management capabilities similar to local storage systems, limiting their functionality to basic remote archiving, backup, and retrieval.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that allocates storage space on cloud storage devices via a cloud interface, maps it to virtual local addresses, groups these addresses into virtual RAID arrays, and converts local data access requests into cloud-compatible requests, enabling advanced management features like RAID array management, failover, and data redundancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cloud storage is used for basic archiving and backup, then storage capacity and accessibility are improved, but advanced management features such as redundancy, failover, and RAID array management are lost
Solution Approach 1:
A device adapter is introduced as an intermediary component between the host adapter and cloud storage devices. This adapter implements a conversion module that translates local storage commands into cloud storage operations, enabling advanced features like RAID array management, data redundancy, and failover capabilities that would otherwise be unavailable with direct cloud storage access
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system is segmented into distinct functional components: host adapter, device adapter, and cloud storage devices. The device adapter is further divided into allocation module, mapping module, and conversion module, each handling specific aspects of cloud storage management to provide comprehensive advanced features
2Ease of operation
If cloud storage devices are accessed directly, then storage accessibility is improved, but data management capabilities and control are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device adapter is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both a command translation layer and a management interface. It handles allocation of cloud storage space, mapping to virtual addresses, conversion of local commands to cloud operations, and provides unified access points for both cloud storage devices and virtual local ranks, making cloud storage as versatile as local storage
3Reliability
If virtual local ranks are created from cloud storage, then advanced management features are enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Virtual local ranks are created as virtual copies or representations of cloud storage resources. These virtual ranks replicate the structure and interface of local storage ranks, allowing the system to manage cloud storage with the same commands and protocols used for local storage, thereby adding redundancy and failover without fundamentally changing the system architecture
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for utilizing cloud storage as a rank comprises allocating storage space on one or more cloud storage devices via a cloud interface; mapping the allocated storage space to corresponding virtual local addresses; grouping the virtual local addresses to create one or more virtual local ranks from the allocated storage space on the one or more cloud storage devices; converting local data access requests for the one or more virtual local ranks to cloud data access requests configured for the cloud interface; and communicating the cloud data access requests to the one or more cloud storage devices via the cloud interface.