External Provisioning Service for Storage Resource Adaptability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional storage resource provisioning systems require sophisticated knowledge and frequent software upgrades to adapt to changing application requirements, and they struggle to efficiently manage storage resources across multiple applications and vendors, limiting scalability and flexibility.

Innovation Solution

A centralized provisioning decision-making service is used to derive storage provisioning decisions based on application-specific best practices, allowing for efficient management of storage resources across multiple applications and vendors without requiring detailed scripting or programming knowledge, and enabling updates to be made externally, reducing the need for software upgrades.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional storage provisioning software with embedded best-practices algorithms is used, then storage provisioning can be automated, but the system requires frequent software upgrades to adapt to changing application requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to changing application requirementsVSAvoidsoftware upgrade frequency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the provisioning decision-making logic from the storage system software and places it in an external provisioning server. This allows the storage system to remain stable while the external server handles adaptability to changing requirements, eliminating the need for frequent storage system software upgrades.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The provisioning server acts as an intermediary between the storage system and host systems. It receives provisioning requests, applies best-practices algorithms, and returns decisions without requiring the storage system software to change, thus mediating between stability and adaptability needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If storage administrators manually configure storage resources, then they can make informed decisions, but they require sophisticated knowledge and face many complex choices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprovisioning decision accuracyVSAvoidconfiguration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service provisioning where the provisioning server automatically makes provisioning decisions based on embedded best-practices algorithms. Administrators simply provide basic requirements, and the system autonomously determines optimal storage configurations, eliminating the need for sophisticated expert knowledge.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual administrative decision-making with automated algorithmic decision-making. The provisioning server uses embedded best-practices algorithms to substitute for human expert judgment, maintaining decision accuracy while dramatically simplifying the operational process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Adaptability or versatility

If storage systems from multiple vendors are integrated, then resource sharing is enabled, but management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-vendor compatibilityVSAvoidintegration management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The provisioning server is designed with universal functionality to work with storage systems from multiple vendors. It implements a vendor-agnostic interface that can provision resources across heterogeneous storage infrastructure, enabling multi-vendor compatibility without increasing management complexity for administrators.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Extent of automation

If embedded provisioning software is used in storage systems, then provisioning decisions can be made automatically, but maintenance costs increase due to frequent upgrades

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprovisioning automationVSAvoidmaintenance cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By extracting the automated provisioning logic from the storage system into a separate provisioning server, the patent maintains provisioning automation while isolating the upgrade burden to a single external component. This reduces overall maintenance costs compared to upgrading embedded software in every storage system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9934069B2Managing provisioning of storage resources

Publication Date: 2018.04.03 EMC IP HLDG CO LLC

AI summary

A method is used in managing provisioning of storage resources. An access is provided to a provisioning decision making service configured to derive a storage provisioning decision based on information provided to the provisioning decision making service. Provisioning of storage resources is enabled on a storage system over a communication medium by using the provisioning decision making service.