Multi-Cloud Data Replication via Shared Instantaneous Snapshots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud storage solutions lack adequate security measures and reliability, making them unsuitable for business use, particularly in terms of data replication across different cloud systems, which is cumbersome, inefficient, and not scalable without compromising performance.
Innovation Solution
A multi-cloud data replication system utilizing shared storage resources with unique object identifiers for secure and reliable data replication, employing a 'shared snapshot' model that distributes instantaneous copies across multiple cloud arrays, ensuring enterprise-level security, reliability, and operational performance without latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cloud storage services are used for data capacity rental, then storage flexibility and reduced management overhead are improved, but security and reliability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments data into multiple copies and distributes them across different cloud storage systems. Each cloud system stores a portion of the data, and the data can be reconstructed from any sufficient combination of these copies, thereby improving security and reliability while maintaining ease of management
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary software layer that manages data replication, storage, and retrieval across multiple cloud systems. This intermediary handles security measures, encryption, and data reconstruction, allowing users to benefit from improved security and reliability without increasing management overhead
2Reliability
If data is replicated between different cloud storage systems, then data availability and reliability are improved, but operational complexity and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service automation where the software automatically handles data replication, monitoring, and reconstruction across cloud systems. The system self-manages the complexity of multi-cloud operations, providing data availability improvements without increasing operational complexity for users
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple cloud storage systems into a unified virtual storage pool, managing data replication and access across them through a single interface. This combining approach improves data availability while hiding operational complexity behind a simplified unified management layer
3Reliability
If continuous data replication is implemented across multi-cloud arrays, then data security and reliability are improved, but performance latency and operational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-replicating data across multiple cloud systems before actual data loss or security threats occur. Data is proactively distributed and secured in advance, reducing the time penalty during actual replication operations and improving overall security without significant latency
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates multiple copies of data and distributes them across different cloud storage systems. These copies can be retrieved independently, improving security and reliability while optimizing replication latency through parallel copy operations rather than sequential processes
Data Source
AI summary
A system for resource sharing across multi-cloud storage arrays includes a plurality of storage arrays and a cloud array storage (CAS) application. The plurality of storage resources are distributed in one or more cloud storage arrays, and each storage resource comprises a unique object identifier that identifies location and structure of the corresponding storage resource at a given point-in-time. The cloud array storage (CAS) application manages the resource sharing process by first taking an instantaneous copy of initial data stored in a first location of a first storage resource at a given point-in-time and then distributing copies of the instantaneous copy to other storage resources in the one or more cloud storage arrays. The instantaneous copy comprises a first unique object identifier pointing to the first storage location of the initial data in the first storage resource and when the instantaneous copy is distributed to a second storage resource, the first unique object identifier is copied into a second storage location within the second storage resource and the second storage location of the second storage resource is assigned a second unique object identifier.