Backup Manager for NAS Stream Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current backup systems for network attached storage (NAS) assets face inefficiencies in workload distribution, leading to suboptimal usage of available capacity among backup agents, as they lack a systematic approach to manage parallel streams and slice distribution based on various factors like user input, IO operations, and metadata analysis.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that dynamically distribute backup and recovery streams by determining the number of parallel streams based on user input, available compute node capacity, and metadata analysis, allowing for optimal workload distribution and maximizing throughput while minimizing impact on the NAS array, using a backup manager to assign and monitor streams for efficient slice processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If backup operations are distributed across multiple backup agents using parallel streams, then productivity and throughput are improved, but device complexity and workload management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
A backup manager component is introduced as an intermediary between the NAS asset and multiple backup agents. The backup manager receives backup requests, determines the number of parallel streams based on user input and system capacity, divides the backup into slices, and distributes them to appropriate backup agents. This intermediary handles the complexity of coordination, monitoring, and load balancing, allowing individual backup agents to focus on executing their assigned streams without managing overall workload distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup operation is segmented into multiple independent slices, each assigned to a different backup agent or stream. The backup manager divides the overall backup task into manageable portions based on available capacity and performance requirements. Each slice can be processed independently in parallel, improving throughput while allowing the system to manage complexity by handling smaller, discrete units rather than a monolithic backup operation.
2Productivity
If the number of parallel streams is increased to maximize capacity usage, then productivity improves, but loss of time for coordination and monitoring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backup manager performs preliminary actions by determining the optimal number of parallel streams before initiating backup operations. It analyzes user input, available compute node capacity, and performance requirements to pre-calculate the appropriate stream count. The backup is also pre-divided into slices and assigned to backup agents before the actual backup begins. This preliminary planning reduces the need for dynamic coordination during execution, minimizing time loss while maximizing capacity utilization.
3Manufacturing precision
If backup slices are distributed based on metadata analysis and multiple factors, then manufacturing precision of backup distribution is improved, but measurement precision requirements and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes multiple parameters to optimize backup slice distribution, including the number of parallel streams, slice size, assignment to specific backup agents, and monitoring intervals. The backup manager adjusts these parameters based on user input, available capacity, and performance requirements. By systematically varying and optimizing these parameters, the system achieves precise backup distribution without requiring excessively precise metadata analysis, as the optimization works across multiple adjustable dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing network attached storage (NAS) assets includes obtaining, by a backup manager, a backup request for backing up the NAS assets, in response to the backup request: determining a number of streams available to be performed in parallel by a set of backup agents, assigning a pre-backup operation to a first stream of the streams to obtain a set of slices for a first NAS asset of the NAS assets, initiating a first slice distribution of the set of slices to the set of backup agents based on the number of streams, assigning a second pre-backup operation to a second stream of the streams to obtain a second set of slices for a second NAS asset of the NAS assets, and storing the set of slices and the second set of slices in a backup storage system.