Event Management Device for Virtual Volume SLA Violation Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional computer systems fail to provide timely and appropriate notifications to users when physical resource failures in virtual volumes violate Service Level Agreements (SLAs), leading to potential performance degradation and redundancy loss.
Innovation Solution
A computer system comprising a server device, storage apparatus, and event management device that identifies affected virtual volumes and determines SLA violations, notifying the management server through an event filter to alert administrators and users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional failure notification systems are used, then basic failure information is provided to administrators, but users are not notified of SLA violations that affect service levels
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system is segmented into multiple notification paths: one for administrators (detailed technical information) and another for users (SLA violation information). The event management device divides event processing based on the affected target type (physical resource vs. service level), allowing selective notification to different stakeholders without overwhelming them with irrelevant information.
Solution Approach 2:
The event management device acts as an intermediary between the failure detection system and notification recipients. It receives events from the storage apparatus, determines whether they constitute SLA violations by comparing against predefined service levels, and then selectively notifies appropriate parties. This intermediary function filters and transforms raw failure data into meaningful SLA violation notifications.
2Ease of operation
If detailed failure information is provided to all users, then complete transparency is achieved, but unnecessary information overload occurs for users who only care about service levels
Solution Approach 1:
Different notification contents are provided to different user groups based on their specific needs. Users receive notifications focused on service level impacts (whether SLA was violated), while administrators receive comprehensive technical details. This local quality approach ensures each recipient gets information tailored to their role and concerns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial notification action by selectively notifying users only about SLA violation events rather than all failure events. The event management device filters events to notify users only when service levels are actually impacted, avoiding unnecessary notifications about failures that do not affect user-facing service levels.
3Reliability
If SLA violation detection and notification is added to the system, then user awareness of service level issues is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Service levels are predefined and registered in advance in the event management device before any failures occur. These predefined service levels include thresholds and conditions that automatically trigger notifications. When failures happen, the system simply compares actual events against these pre-established criteria, eliminating the need for complex real-time analysis and reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring events against predefined service levels and automatically generating notifications when violations occur. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures service level compliance is actively maintained and communicated, with the notification serving as feedback to both users and administrators about system health relative to agreed service levels.
Data Source
AI summary
If a failure occurs in physical resources constituting a virtual volume, a management server device is notified of information required by a user. A computer system includes a server device for managing a plurality of virtual volumes, a storage apparatus having a storage unit equipped with a plurality of storage devices, and a controller for controlling data input to, or output from, the storage unit, a management server device which is an access target of a user terminal, and an event management device for managing an event(s) generated by the server device or the storage apparatus, wherein when the event management device receives the event, it judges the content of the event and identifies a virtual volume to be affected by the event; and if a service level that should be satisfied by the identified virtual volume is defined for the identified virtual volume, the event management device identifies, based on the content of the received event, whether an incident in violation of the service level has occurred or not, and then notifies the management server device of the identified content as an event based on an event filter.