Journaling Storage System for Seamless Failover and Resource Utilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems fail to effectively utilize redundant storage apparatuses for continuous service availability, particularly during failures, as they do not ensure sequential journal numbering consistency across storage units and cannot efficiently switch resources during failures, leading to suboptimal resource utilization and service continuity issues.
Innovation Solution
A storage system configuration with duplicated storage apparatuses that store data and update information, allowing the host computer to access either apparatus during normal operation, by using a first storage apparatus with data volumes and a journal volume for write order tracking, and a second storage apparatus with duplicated data volumes and a journal volume for continuous update management, ensuring seamless failover and resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is synchronized between two physical volumes in separate storage apparatuses, then redundancy and failover capability are improved, but write response time increases due to the need to complete writing to both volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the storage apparatus into a first storage apparatus (primary) and a second storage apparatus (secondary), allowing the host computer to access either apparatus independently. This segmentation enables parallel operation where both storage apparatuses can be accessed simultaneously during normal operations, improving resource utilization while maintaining redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal access mechanism where the host computer can access either the first or second storage apparatus for both read and write operations during normal operations. This multi-functionality allows the system to balance access load between the two storage apparatuses while maintaining failover capability, resolving the contradiction between redundancy and response time.
2Productivity
If the host computer can access both storage apparatuses with the same volume identifier, then resource utilization improves, but maintaining sequential journal numbering consistency across both apparatuses becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the relationship between the first and second storage apparatuses, including pre-configuring the volume identifiers and journal numbering schemes. This allows the host computer to access both apparatuses seamlessly without real-time coordination complexity, as the sequencing rules are predetermined.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism in the form of a standardized interface layer that manages journal numbering consistency. This intermediary handles the complexity of sequential numbering across both storage apparatuses transparently, allowing the host computer to access both apparatuses without directly managing the sequencing complexity.
3Reliability
If remote copy is implemented between storage apparatuses at different locations, then service continuity during disasters is improved, but the distance constraint limits response performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds another dimension to the storage architecture by implementing a hierarchical structure with local storage apparatuses (first and second) for fast access and remote copy capabilities for disaster recovery. This multi-dimensional approach allows the system to achieve both fast local response performance and reliable remote service continuity simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by optimizing the local storage apparatuses for fast read/write operations with identical volume identifiers, while implementing remote copy with relaxed synchronization requirements. This allows local operations to maintain high speed while remote copies provide disaster recovery, resolving the contradiction between distance and response performance.
Data Source
AI summary
Fault-tolerance is improved by duplicating data and update information of that data. A storage system has a first storage apparatus that is connected to a host computer, and includes a plurality of first data volumes and a first journal volume, a second storage apparatus that is connected to the host computer and the first storage apparatus, and includes a plurality of second data volumes for storing duplicated data of each of the plurality of first data volumes, and a second journal volume for storing the duplicated data of the first journal volume, a third storage apparatus that is connected to the first storage apparatus, and includes a plurality of third data volumes that configure a remote copy pair with the plurality of first data volumes by using the journal data received from the first storage apparatus, and a fourth storage apparatus that is connected to the third storage apparatus.