Logical Volume Feature Licensing with Capacity Limit Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing licensing mechanisms lack the ability to enable or disable features at a logical volume level of granularity, leading to inadequate control over licensed capacity limits in storage systems, where features are either enabled for all volumes or none, failing to accommodate user preferences for selective feature usage on specific logical volumes without exceeding licensed storage capacity.
Innovation Solution
A licensing application that determines whether enabling a feature for a logical volume or a resource group exceeds the licensed capacity limit, allowing for granular control by enabling features only if the capacity limit is not exceeded, and sending a single interrupt to hosts for status changes across multiple logical volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If features are enabled for all logical volumes, then feature availability is improved, but control over licensed capacity limit deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the licensing control from a system-wide level down to the individual logical volume level. Each logical volume can have features enabled or disabled independently, allowing the system to provide fine-grained control over which volumes consume licensed capacity. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling feature availability on a selective basis while maintaining precise control over the total licensed capacity consumption across all volumes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic licensing control where the state of feature enablement can be changed individually for each logical volume at runtime. The licensing mechanism dynamically tracks capacity consumption and enables/disables features based on current licensed limits, allowing the system to adapt feature availability while maintaining control over capacity constraints.
2Device complexity
If features are disabled for selective logical volumes, then control over licensed capacity limit is improved, but feature availability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different feature enablement states for different logical volumes based on specific licensing requirements. Each volume can have its own feature configuration, enabling the system to provide targeted feature availability where needed while maintaining overall control over licensed capacity. This resolves the contradiction by making feature availability local rather than universal.
3Loss of information
If individual status changes are communicated to each host, then information accuracy is improved, but processing burden deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual status change notifications into a single batched communication event. When multiple logical volumes experience status changes, the system consolidates these changes and communicates them to hosts in a single operation rather than sending separate notifications for each change. This reduces the processing burden on hosts while maintaining information accuracy by conveying all relevant status changes in the unified notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic or batched status change communication rather than immediate individual notifications. Status changes are accumulated and communicated at scheduled intervals or when a threshold is reached, reducing the frequency of communications to hosts while ensuring that information about feature enablement changes is ultimately conveyed accurately.
Data Source
AI summary
A licensing application implemented in a computational device receives a request to enable a feature for a logical volume of a plurality of logical volumes controlled by the computational device, wherein each feature of a plurality of features is configurable to be enabled or disabled for one or more logical volumes of the plurality of logical volumes. The licensing application determines, whether enabling the feature for the logical volume causes a licensed capacity limit for the feature to be exceeded. Enabling the feature for the logical volume is avoided, in response to determining that enabling the feature for the logical volume causes the licensed capacity limit for the feature to be exceeded.