Delta Components for Distributed Data Object Maintenance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Distributed data objects face reduced data availability and durability when components go into maintenance mode, leading to stale data and increased risk of multiple failures, requiring multiple levels of redundancy to ensure data integrity.

Innovation Solution

The generation and placement of multiple temporary delta components that track and mirror data changes during downtime, using fault domains to enhance redundancy and synchronization efficiency, thereby maintaining data durability and availability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If components are placed in maintenance mode for server updates, then system maintenance can be performed, but data availability and durability are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem maintenanceVSAvoiddata availability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates delta components as temporary placeholders before the base component is taken offline for maintenance. These delta components are pre-configured to receive I/O traffic and track data changes during the maintenance window, ensuring data availability is maintained throughout the update process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The delta component acts as an intermediary between the I/O traffic and the base component during maintenance. It receives and tracks all data changes that would normally go to the base component, then synchronizes this data back to the base component after maintenance, effectively mediating the data flow during the unavailability period.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If components are placed in maintenance mode, then server updates can be applied, but components become stale due to missing I/O traffic

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveserver updatesVSAvoiddata staleness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The delta component is created in advance to capture all I/O traffic during the maintenance period. This preliminary action ensures that no data changes are lost while the base component is offline, as the delta component continuously tracks modifications to the data structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the delta component continuously monitors and tracks data changes during maintenance, then feeds this tracked information back to the base component after maintenance completes. This feedback loop ensures the base component is fully synchronized with all data changes that occurred during its unavailability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If multiple levels of redundancy are implemented to satisfy failure requirements, then data durability is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata durabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the redundancy mechanism into distinct components: the base component for primary data storage and multiple delta components for incremental changes. This segmentation allows the system to achieve multiple levels of redundancy through clear component separation, making the complexity manageable through modular design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a temporal dimension to redundancy by creating delta components that represent different time points of data changes. Instead of only spatial redundancy (multiple copies at the same time), the system uses temporal redundancy (data at different time points), achieving enhanced durability without proportionally increasing spatial complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Productivity

If delta components are placed on the same fault domain as sibling components, then fault domain utilization is optimized, but risk of simultaneous failures increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefault domain utilizationVSAvoidfailure risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allowing delta components to be placed on the same fault domain as sibling components only when specific conditions are met (when the fault domain lacks components of the same type). This localized placement strategy optimizes fault domain utilization in safe locations while avoiding high-risk placements, achieving productivity improvement without compromising reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11422904B2Identifying fault domains for delta components of a distributed data object

Publication Date: 2022.08.23 VMWARE INC

AI summary

The disclosure herein describes placing delta components of a base component in target fault domains. One or more delta components are generated. When a first fault domain that lacks a sibling component of the base component is identified, the first fault domain is selected as a single delta target fault domain and a single delta component is placed on the single delta target fault domain. When a second fault domain that includes a first sibling component of the base component is identified and a third fault domain that includes a second sibling component of the base component is identified, the second fault domain and the third fault domain are selected as a first double delta target fault domain and a second double delta target fault domain, and a first double delta component and a second double delta component are placed on the first and second double delta target fault domains.