Distributed Ledger for Multi-Cloud Operational State Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current cloud computing platforms, such as Cloud Foundry, lack visibility and management capabilities across multiple cloud environments, leading to difficulties in tracking operational states, ensuring transactional integrity, and making cost-effective workload redistribution decisions due to the absence of a centralized registry and reliable monitoring mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a peer-to-peer distributed ledger system, specifically a blockchain, to monitor and manage operational states across multiple cloud environments, allowing for transparent and tamper-proof recording of transactions without a centralized authority, enabling better visibility and management of cloud application deployments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If a centralized registry is used to monitor cloud operational states, then visibility and management capabilities are improved, but system complexity and single points of failure increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisibility of operational stateVSAvoidcentralized registry structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the centralized registry concept and replaces it with a distributed ledger system where each cloud infrastructure maintains its own operational state information independently. This eliminates the need for a central coordinating registry while preserving visibility through cryptographic verification of state transactions across the distributed network.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the centralized monitoring function into distributed ledger nodes across multiple cloud infrastructures. Each node independently validates and records operational state transactions, eliminating the single point of failure inherent in centralized registries while maintaining collective visibility through the distributed ledger.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If manual data aggregation is used to track multi-cloud operational states, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but operational overhead and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata aggregation mechanismVSAvoidtime for data aggregation

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual data aggregation with an automated cryptographic system. Ledger nodes automatically validate, record, and propagate operational state transactions across the distributed network using cryptographic proof mechanisms, eliminating manual intervention and significantly reducing time consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

Each ledger node in the distributed system performs self-service by independently validating and recording operational state transactions from its own cloud infrastructure. The system automatically maintains consistency across all nodes through cryptographic verification, eliminating the need for external manual data aggregation processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Device complexity

If centralized transaction authority is used to manage cloud transactions, then transaction coordination is simplified, but reliability and trust transparency decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction coordination structureVSAvoidtransactional integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional centralized authority model by eliminating the central transaction coordinator entirely. Instead, trust and transactional integrity emerge from the distributed verification process where multiple independent ledger nodes collectively validate transactions through cryptographic proofs, making the system more reliable and transparent.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The distributed ledger itself acts as an intermediary mechanism that replaces the need for centralized transaction authority. Cryptographic verification protocols serve as the mediating process, enabling trustless coordination between distributed ledger nodes while maintaining transactional integrity without requiring a central coordinating entity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10484341B1Distributed ledger for multi-cloud operational state

Publication Date: 2019.11.19 EMC IP HLDG CO LLC

AI summary

An apparatus comprises at least one processing device having a processor coupled to a memory. The processing device is configured to implement a first ledger node of a first cloud. The first ledger node of the first cloud is configured to communicate over one or more networks with a plurality of additional ledger nodes associated with respective additional clouds. The first ledger node is further configured to obtain a transaction associated with a cloud-related operational state. The first ledger node is further configured to broadcast the transaction to the additional ledger nodes. A cryptographic block characterizing at least the transaction is generated and entered into a blockchain distributed ledger collectively maintained by the first and additional ledger nodes. The first and additional ledger nodes collectively maintain the blockchain distributed ledger on a peer-to-peer basis without utilizing a centralized transaction authority.