Distributed Storage Quota Management via Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Managing storage quotas across multiple virtual machines hosted on different storage targets and host machines is complex, resource-intensive, and difficult to scale, as existing systems require synchronization across various machines and networks to enforce quota limits.
Innovation Solution
A mechanism that logically divides a user's storage quota into portions assigned to individual virtual machines or resources, allowing dynamic allocation and reallocation based on usage, with a virtualization manager and management agents monitoring and adjusting quotas to optimize storage allocation without needing extensive synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If storage targets and host machines are synchronized to enforce user quotas across multiple virtual machines, then quota enforcement accuracy is improved, but system complexity and network resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized quota enforcement into distributed quota portions assigned to individual host machines. Each host machine maintains and enforces its own local quota limits without requiring continuous synchronization with other hosts, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining effective quota control across the distributed environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the synchronization requirement from the quota enforcement mechanism. By assigning quota portions to individual hosts and allowing independent enforcement, the system removes the need for inter-host synchronization while preserving quota accuracy through the mathematical relationship between individual quotas and the total user quota.
2Reliability
If storage targets and host machines are synchronized to enforce user quotas across multiple virtual machines, then quota enforcement accuracy is improved, but network resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments centralized quota management into distributed local quota enforcement at each host machine. This eliminates the need for continuous network communication and synchronization between hosts, thereby reducing network resource consumption while maintaining accurate quota enforcement through locally stored quota portions.
3Reliability
If storage targets and host machines are synchronized to enforce user quotas across multiple virtual machines, then quota enforcement accuracy is improved, but scalability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments quota enforcement into independent distributed units at each host machine, allowing the system to scale horizontally by simply adding new hosts. Each new host receives appropriate quota portions and independently enforces them without requiring system-wide reconfiguration or synchronization infrastructure, thereby enabling easy scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the synchronization dependency from the system architecture, allowing individual host machines to operate independently with their assigned quota portions. This extraction enables the system to scale to any number of hosts without the synchronization overhead that would otherwise limit growth.
4Ease of operation
If storage quota is statically allocated to each virtual machine, then quota management simplicity is improved, but storage utilization efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic quota management where virtual machine quota portions can be automatically adjusted based on actual storage usage patterns. The system monitors usage and reallocates quota portions among virtual machines to optimize overall storage utilization while maintaining simplicity through automated management rather than manual configuration.
5Productivity
If storage quota is dynamically reallocated based on usage, then storage utilization efficiency is improved, but management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service dynamic quota management where the system automatically monitors storage usage and reallocates quota portions among virtual machines without requiring administrator intervention. This automation maintains simplicity while achieving optimal storage utilization through usage-based dynamic adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where storage usage information is continuously monitored and fed back to the quota management system, which then automatically adjusts quota portions accordingly. This closed-loop control achieves efficient storage utilization while keeping management simple through automation rather than manual processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device assigns a quota to a entity, the quota specifying a total amount of a low level resource that the entity is permitted to use. The computing device divides the quota into quota portions, and assigns each of the quota portions to one of a plurality of high level resources assigned to the entity. Each of the plurality of high level resources may use low level resources of a plurality of targets. The computing device automatically adjusts quota portions for one or more of the plurality of high level resources in response to changes in utilization requirements of the plurality of high level resources.