Distributed Resource Lease Management with Local Caching

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Solution Overview

Problem

In distributed systems, resource utilization monitoring and enforcement face challenges due to communication delays and security issues, such as message loss, corruption, and intentional tampering with resource utilization records, leading to inaccurate or incomplete data and unauthorized access.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a distributed system where devices act as individual policy enforcement points, using local and centralized storage of lease records, with additional states (pending inactive and pending active) to manage uncertainty caused by delays, and automatic alerts for tampering detection to ensure resource allocation integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If a centralized storage device is used to store resource utilization information, then resource allocation can be managed centrally, but the stored information may become inaccurate or incomplete due to communication delays and message loss

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecentralized resource managementVSAvoidaccuracy of resource utilization information

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by having devices write lease records to local storage before writing to centralized storage. This ensures that even if centralized storage fails or experiences delays, the local copy maintains accurate resource utilization information for immediate policy enforcement decisions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Local storage acts as an intermediary between the device and centralized storage. It buffers and caches lease records, allowing the system to continue operating with accurate local information even when communication with centralized storage is delayed or fails, thus resolving the contradiction between centralized management and information reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If centralized storage is made accessible to multiple devices with read/write capability, then resource information can be shared, but security risks increase allowing unauthorized alteration or deletion of records

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccessibility of resource informationVSAvoidtampering with resource utilization records

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The storage system is segmented into local storage (on each device) and centralized storage. Each device maintains its own lease records locally, which are read-only for policy enforcement. This segmentation allows wide accessibility for resource information sharing while preventing tampering, as devices cannot modify records they did not create.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of allowing write access to centralized storage for all devices (which creates security risks), the system inverts the approach: devices write to their own local storage and can only read from centralized storage. This reversal maintains accessibility while eliminating the security vulnerability of unauthorized modification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Measurement precision

If lease records are written frequently to centralized storage to maintain accuracy, then resource utilization data remains current, but communication overhead and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecurrency of resource utilization dataVSAvoidcommunication overhead for lease record updates

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of writing every lease record update to centralized storage (excessive action), the system writes only when necessary - initially when creating a lease and periodically for renewal. The local storage maintains the current state, providing precise resource utilization data without the overhead of constant centralized communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

Each device serves itself by maintaining its own lease records in local storage. This self-service approach ensures accurate, current resource utilization data is always available locally for policy enforcement, eliminating the need for frequent centralized writes and reducing communication overhead while maintaining data precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9860194B1Resource management methods and apparatus

Publication Date: 2018.01.02 ACCUSOFT CORP

AI summary

Methods and apparatus for managing resource utilization in a distributed system are described. Devices, e.g., servers, which use resources, e.g., processing cores, act as individual policy enforcement points. Individual servers retrieve and maintain local copies of resource lease records which are stored in a centralized data storage system. The individual server compares locally stored lease records to the retrieved lease records to check for any tampering in the centralized data storage and multiple states are supported to take into consideration transitory conditions and/or communications delays. Verification states include, e.g., a Pending Active state and a Pending Inactive State, in addition to an Active state and Inactive state, to delay licensing enforcement to account for centralized storage system eventual consistency delays.