Disaster Recovery Site Protection via Temporal Compute Node Segmentation

Solution Overview

Problem

Disaster recovery sites are vulnerable to malicious attacks due to their connection with primary data centers through replication links, compromising their safety.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a storage system with separate compute nodes for data ingestion and replication, where ingestion and replication processes are temporally separated, ensuring that during ingestion periods, only source compute nodes are active and connected to the external network, and during replication periods, only replication compute nodes are active, thereby isolating the disaster recovery site from potential attacks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If replication links connect primary site to DR site for data copying, then data consistency is maintained, but DR site becomes vulnerable to malicious attacks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidmalicious attack vulnerability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides compute nodes into separate source compute nodes at the primary site and replication compute nodes at the DR site. This segmentation isolates the DR site's computation functions from the primary site, so that even if replication links are compromised, the segmented architecture prevents attackers from controlling both ends of the replication connection, thereby maintaining data consistency while reducing attack vulnerability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If source compute nodes are continuously connected to external network for data ingestion, then data intake is efficient, but exposure to external attacks increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata ingestion efficiencyVSAvoidexternal attack exposure

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic switching between source compute nodes and replication compute nodes. During ingestion periods, source compute nodes are active while replication compute nodes are deactivated. During replication periods, the roles reverse. This periodic action ensures continuous data ingestion capability while limiting the time window for external attacks, as attackers would need to successfully compromise nodes during both ingestion and replication periods to maintain persistent control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Duration of action of stationary object

If replication compute nodes are always active at DR site, then data replication is continuous, but DR site remains accessible to attacks via replication links

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereplication continuityVSAvoidDR site accessibility to attacks

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic switching between source compute nodes and replication compute nodes. During ingestion periods, source compute nodes are active while replication compute nodes are deactivated. During replication periods, the roles reverse. This periodic action ensures continuous data ingestion capability while limiting the time window for external attacks, as attackers would need to successfully compromise nodes during both ingestion and replication periods to maintain persistent control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS12189789B2Protecting disaster recovery site

Publication Date: 2025.01.07 VAST DATA LTD

AI summary

A method for protecting a disaster recovery site, the method may include receiving by source compute nodes of a storage system, during source storage periods, write requests for storing content in the storage system; writing by source compute nodes, during the source storage periods, the content into the storage nodes of the storage system; maintaining replication compute nodes of the storage system deactivated during the source storage periods; reading the content by the replication compute nodes from the storage nodes during replication periods; participating, by the replication compute nodes, in outputting the content to one or more data recovery sites during the replication periods; and maintaining the source compute nodes deactivated during the source storage periods.