Distributed Discovery Service for NVMe Storage Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
In NVMe environments, host nodes face challenges in dynamically discovering and connecting to target systems with storage resources across a network, leading to inefficiencies in accessing and managing storage devices due to the lack of a centralized discovery service that provides necessary connection information and access control.
Innovation Solution
A distributed discovery service is implemented across separate systems or subsystems in a network, enabling host nodes to discover target systems, their subsystems, controllers, and storage resources, and providing access control lists to manage host access, thereby facilitating direct connections to provisioned storage resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If host nodes directly discover and connect to target systems without a centralized discovery service, then connection establishment is possible, but discovery efficiency is low and access control is difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized discovery service as an intermediary component that mediates between host nodes and target systems. This discovery service maintains discovery information about target systems and provides controlled access to connection details, thereby improving discovery efficiency while enabling centralized access control management without requiring direct peer-to-peer discovery between hosts and targets
2Reliability
If a centralized discovery service is implemented, then access control and connection information management are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the discovery service functionality into distinct components: a discovery service that maintains discovery information, an access control list mechanism that manages permissions, and a connection establishment process. This segmentation allows the system to implement reliable access control while managing complexity through modular design, where each component has a specific responsibility
3Ease of operation
If host nodes obtain connection information from a distributed discovery service, then access to storage resources is streamlined, but network dependency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The discovery service performs preliminary actions by maintaining pre-established discovery information about target systems, including their capabilities and access permissions. Host nodes can query this pre-prepared information to quickly establish connections to storage resources without performing complex discovery procedures at connection time, thereby simplifying operation while the network infrastructure supports this pre-computed information model
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a computer product, method, and system to dynamically provide discovery services for host nodes of target systems and storage resources in a network. Discover on storage resources available at target systems. An access control list indicates subsets of the host nodes that can access the storage resources at the target systems. A query is received from a requesting host node comprising one of the host nodes for storage resources the host node is permitted to access according to the access control list. Host discovery information is returned to the requesting host node indicating the storage resources the requesting host node is provisioned to access, wherein the requesting host node establishes a connection with the target systems indicated in the returned host discovery information to access the storage resources the requesting host node is provisioned to access indicated in the access control list.