Multicast Transport Component for Heterogeneous Data Copy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current computing environments face inefficiencies in data copying operations across heterogeneous storage configurations, requiring clients to implement multiple data copy commands and possess detailed knowledge of various transport protocols, leading to increased resource consumption and potential inability to mirror data without protocol-aware software.

Innovation Solution

A multicast transport component facilitates data copy operations over multiple destinations using heterogeneous transports by abstracting away data copy operation logic, allowing clients to issue a single data copy request, and implementing application-specific transport modifiers to manage quality of service and fault policies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple data copy commands are implemented per destination and transport, then data can be copied to heterogeneous storage configurations, but computational burden and bandwidth usage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata copying capabilityVSAvoidcomputational burden

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple separate data copy commands into a single multicast data copy command that can simultaneously target multiple destinations across heterogeneous transports. The storage system consolidates the coordination of multiple data copies into one unified operation, reducing client-side computational burden while maintaining adaptability to various storage configurations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The storage system acts as an intermediary that receives a single multicast data copy request from the client and automatically distributes data to multiple destinations using appropriate transports. This intermediary role eliminates the need for the client to implement multiple separate commands and understand various transport protocols, reducing both computational burden and bandwidth usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If protocol-aware software is implemented on the client, then data can be copied over various transports, but memory, processor, and bandwidth resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport compatibilityVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The storage system serves as an intermediary that handles transport protocol knowledge and implementation details, freeing the client from needing protocol-aware software. The client simply issues a high-level multicast data copy request, while the storage system manages the complex interactions with different transports (TCP, IP, Ethernet, local storage protocols, cluster protocols), thereby reducing client resource consumption while maintaining transport compatibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts transport protocol implementation details from the client side and relocates them to the storage system side. This extraction eliminates the need for clients to maintain protocol-aware software, reducing memory, processor, and bandwidth resources consumed by protocol handling on the client while preserving the ability to operate across heterogeneous transports.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If separate data copy commands are used for each destination, then data replication can be performed, but additional processing resources and bandwidth are used

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata replicationVSAvoidbandwidth usage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple separate data copy operations into a single multicast data copy operation that replicates data to multiple destinations simultaneously. This consolidation reduces the total bandwidth required compared to sequential or parallel separate copy commands, while maintaining data replication reliability through the storage system's coordinated distribution to all destinations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9639431B2Fault policy implementation

Publication Date: 2017.05.02 NETAPP INC

AI summary

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for multicast transport configuration, for multicast transport, and/or for fault policy implementation. In an example, a multicast component may receive a data copy request from an application to copy data to multiple destinations. A scheduler component may create a transport schedule specifying an order with which to facilitate data copy operations across transports, such as heterogeneous transports, to the destinations. A dispatcher component may apply application specified transport modifiers to the data copy operations (e.g., a modification to a quality of service for a transport). The dispatcher component may facilitate the data copy operations and provide operation result information to a policy agent. The policy agent may provide notifications of data copy operation statuses from the operation result information and/or may implement a fault policy (e.g., a retry on a different transport) for a data copy operation that experienced a fault.