Distributed Control Plane for Storage Object Ownership Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional control plane logic struggles to facilitate communication between container orchestration platforms and distributed storage architectures, particularly due to differences in programming models and the dynamic nature of volume ownership, leading to scalability issues and single points of failure.

Innovation Solution

A distributed control plane is implemented within the container orchestration platform, allowing for scalable pairing with worker nodes, reformating commands between declarative and imperative models, and tracking object ownership to ensure efficient command routing and failure handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional control plane logic is used to facilitate communication between container orchestration platforms and distributed storage architectures, then the system structure is simple, but scalability is limited and single points of failure exist

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidcontrol plane structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control plane is segmented into multiple distributed control plane nodes instead of a single centralized control plane. Each node independently manages communication between container orchestration platforms and distributed storage architectures, eliminating single points of failure and improving system reliability through distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The distributed control plane nodes act as intermediaries between container orchestration platforms and distributed storage architectures. These intermediary nodes translate and facilitate communication between the two systems, enabling scalable and reliable integration while maintaining system simplicity through standardized mediation protocols.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If volume ownership is dynamically changed in distributed storage architecture, then storage flexibility is improved, but tracking ownership changes becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage flexibilityVSAvoidownership tracking

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The distributed control plane implements feedback mechanisms where control plane nodes continuously monitor and track volume ownership changes in the distributed storage architecture. When ownership changes occur, the system receives feedback signals and automatically updates the mapping between container orchestration platforms and storage resources, enabling dynamic flexibility while maintaining accurate tracking through automated feedback loops.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing mapping relationships between container orchestration platforms and distributed storage resources through the distributed control plane. Ownership tracking information is prepared and maintained in advance, allowing the system to quickly adapt to ownership changes without complex real-time computation during operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If container orchestration platform communicates with distributed storage architecture, then functionality is enhanced, but communication complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication capabilityVSAvoidcommunication structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The distributed control plane nodes are designed with universal functionality to handle multiple communication protocols and interaction patterns between container orchestration platforms and distributed storage architectures. This multi-functional design enables enhanced communication capability while maintaining relative simplicity through standardized universal interfaces that can adapt to different communication scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20240419362A1Distributed control plane tracking object ownership changes within a distributed storage architecture

Publication Date: 2024.12.19 NETAPP INC

AI summary

Techniques are provided for implementing a distributed control plane to facilitate communication between a container orchestration platform and a distributed storage architecture. The distributed storage architecture hosts worker nodes that manage distributed storage that can be made accessible to applications within the container orchestration platform through the distributed control plane. The distributed control plane includes control plane controllers that are each paired with a single worker node of the distributed storage architecture. The distributed control plane is configured to selectively route commands to control plane controllers that are paired with worker nodes that are current owners of objects targeted by the commands. If ownership of an object has changed from one worker node to another worker node, then subsequent commands will be re-routed to a control plane controller paired with the other worker node now owning the object.