Consistency Group Management for Storage Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage systems lack a unified method for simplified administration of storage containers, such as snapshots and clones, which are typically managed individually rather than collectively, leading to complex management processes.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a consistency group (CG) as a basic unit of data management, allowing for collective creation, restoration, replication, and deletion of storage containers through the Storage Area Network (SAN) administration layer, enabling unified management of storage containers as a set, including snapshots and clones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If storage containers are managed individually, then each container can be controlled precisely, but the administrative complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple storage containers into a consistency group, allowing administrative commands to operate on multiple containers simultaneously. This merging approach simplifies administration by treating grouped containers as a single manageable unit while maintaining individual container control when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The consistency group structure provides multi-functionality by enabling both collective management operations (affecting all members) and individual management operations (affecting single members). This universal approach allows the system to adapt to different administrative needs without requiring separate management mechanisms.
2Productivity
If snapshots and clones are created individually for each storage container, then each operation can be precisely controlled, but the time and resources required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables batch operations on consistency groups, where snapshots and clones can be created for multiple storage containers in a single administrative command. This merging of operations significantly improves productivity by reducing the number of separate operations required while maintaining precise control over each container's state.
Solution Approach 2:
The consistency group structure allows preliminary organization of storage containers into manageable units. This preliminary action enables subsequent batch operations to execute more efficiently, as the system is pre-configured to recognize and operate on grouped containers as cohesive units.
3Ease of operation
If collective management operations are implemented, then administrative efficiency improves, but ensuring consistency across all containers becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements consistency group mechanisms that provide feedback on the state of member containers during collective operations. This feedback system ensures that administrative commands are properly propagated and executed across all members, maintaining data consistency while enabling efficient collective management.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging the management of multiple containers into a unified consistency group structure, the system ensures that operations affecting one member are appropriately reflected in others. This merging approach maintains consistency across containers while simplifying the administrative process.
Data Source
AI summary
A consistency group is used as a basic unit of data management of storage containers served by a storage input/output (I/O) stack executing on one or more nodes of a cluster. The storage container may be a LUN embodied as parent volume (active volume), a snapshot (represented as an independent volume embodied as read-only copy of the active volume), and a clone (represented as another independent volume embodied as a read-write copy (clone) of the active volume). A consistency group (CG) is a set (i.e., collection) of objects, e.g., LUNs or other CGs (nested CG), which may be managed and operated upon collectively by an administrative command via a Storage Area Network administration layer (SAL) of the storage I/O stack. The SAL may interact with one or more layers of the storage I/O stack to (i) create a clone of a set of object members of the CG; (ii) create one or more snapshots of the set of object members of the CG; (iii) restore the set of object members of the CG from a group of CG snapshots; (iv) replicate the set of object members of the CG as a single entity; and (v) delete a CG and a nested CG according to specific semantics.