Elastic External Storage Expansion for Diskless Cloud Hosts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers with diskless host subscriptions face challenges in managing variable storage needs for management software in a software-defined data center (SDDC) due to the inability to leverage local storage, leading to inefficient over-provisioning and unnecessary costs.
Innovation Solution
A storage manager in the cloud dynamically manages external storage capacity by batching and expanding it based on requests from the SDDC, ensuring only the required capacity is allocated and released as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external storage capacity is over-provisioned to support all possible management software types and features, then the storage capacity requirement is satisfied under worst-case scenarios, but the customer incurs unnecessary costs for unused storage capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic storage capacity adjustment by provisioning an initial storage capacity for management software and enabling customers to request additional capacity when needed. The system dynamically expands storage capacity based on actual software deployment requirements rather than using fixed over-provisioned capacity, allowing the storage allocation to adapt to changing software needs while minimizing unused capacity costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the storage capacity parameter from a static over-provisioned value to a dynamic value that can be adjusted based on actual software requirements. The system allows customers to modify their storage capacity allocation as software features are enabled or disabled, transforming the storage parameter to match real-time operational needs and eliminating waste from fixed excessive provisioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If storage capacity is fixed at a specific level, then the storage allocation is simple to manage, but the system cannot adapt to varying storage needs of management software over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments storage capacity into an initial fixed allocation for management software and a separate expandable portion that can be increased on demand. This segmentation allows the base storage to remain simple and manageable while providing a mechanism to expand capacity when software requirements change, balancing simplicity with adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic capacity expansion capabilities that allow the storage system to adapt to varying software requirements. The storage capacity transitions from a static fixed value to a dynamic allocation that can grow based on customer requests, enabling the system to respond to changing software deployment needs while maintaining manageable complexity through structured expansion procedures.
3Reliability
If storage capacity is continuously expanded to meet peak demands, then the storage requirement is always satisfied, but the storage cost increases due to capacity that may never be used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic storage capacity management where the system starts with a base storage allocation and only expands capacity when customers explicitly request additional storage due to increased software requirements. This dynamic approach ensures storage capacity is available when needed while avoiding the waste of continuously expanding capacity to meet peak demands that may never materialize, optimizing the balance between availability and resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where customers can request storage capacity expansions based on their actual software deployment needs. The system responds to these feedback signals by expanding capacity only when necessary, rather than continuously expanding to anticipated peak demands. This feedback-driven expansion reduces storage resource waste while maintaining capacity availability when truly needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method of managing external storage for a software-defined data center (SDDC) executing in a cloud is described. The method includes receiving, at a storage manager from the SDDC, requests to consume capacity of the external storage, the external storage allocated for the SDDC according to a cloud subscription; determining, by the storage manager based on a batch of the requests in combination, an amount by which to expand a current capacity of the external storage to a target capacity comprising a sum of an expanded capacity and the current capacity; executing, by the storage manager in cooperation with a storage server of the external storage, a first activity to obtain the target capacity of the external storage; and sending, from the storage manager to the SDDC, at least one identifier that enables software executing in the SDDC to use the expanded capacity for the batch of requests.