Hyper-Converged Storage Coherency Module
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed storage systems, ensuring data coherency across multiple redundant copies stored in a high availability fashion is challenging, particularly in hyper-converged storage environments where data is simultaneously accessed and modified across multiple nodes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an IO splitter module and a coherency module within each node to manage data requests, locking and unlocking storage locations to maintain data integrity during read and write operations across local and remote storage locations, ensuring that data is consistently updated and synchronized across the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is stored in multiple redundant copies across distributed nodes for high availability, then system reliability is improved, but maintaining data coherency becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coherency module as an intermediary component that mediates between multiple storage nodes and manages lock states. This coherency module tracks which nodes have locks on which data extents, providing a centralized coordination mechanism that simplifies coherency management while allowing distributed storage architecture to maintain high availability through redundant copies
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary locking mechanisms where nodes must acquire locks before accessing data extents. The coherency module pre-establishes lock states and tracks them proactively, preventing coherency issues before they occur rather than resolving them after data inconsistency arises. This preliminary action approach maintains data integrity while enabling distributed access
2Manufacturing precision
If locking mechanisms are implemented to maintain data coherency during read/write operations, then data integrity is improved, but system operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coherency module serves as an intermediary that centralizes lock management, tracking lock states across all nodes in a standardized manner. This intermediary approach simplifies the locking mechanism by providing a single source of truth for lock states, reducing the complexity that would otherwise arise from distributed lock tracking
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a uniform locking interface and standardized lock state representation across all nodes. The coherency module uses consistent data structures and protocols for managing locks, making the locking mechanism more manageable and less complex by applying homogeneous approaches throughout the distributed system
3Productivity
If multiple nodes simultaneously access and modify data across the network, then system productivity is improved, but data coherency becomes harder to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The system acquires locks preliminarily before nodes access or modify data extents. This preliminary locking ensures that when multiple nodes simultaneously access data, their operations are properly coordinated and serialized, preventing coherency issues while maintaining efficient parallel access to different data extents
Solution Approach 2:
The coherency module continuously tracks lock states and provides feedback to nodes about current data extent availability. This feedback mechanism allows nodes to make informed decisions about data access, ensuring coherency is maintained while enabling productive simultaneous operations where possible
Data Source
AI summary
A method, computer program product, and computing system for defining an IO splitter module within each of a plurality of nodes included within a hyper-converged storage environment. A coherency module is defined on at least one of the plurality of nodes. A data request is received.