NAS Disaster Recovery Initialization via Configuration Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for initializing primary and secondary NAS relationships for disaster recovery lack coordination, leading to potential incompatible mappings due to the complexity of NAS components and versions, which can result in inaccurate backup configurations and data loss during disasters.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves the secondary NAS retrieving configuration information from the primary NAS to identify and map compatible secondary components, ensuring accurate standby component selection through a user interface, thereby ensuring that only components with adequate capabilities are considered for disaster recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual mapping methods are used by network administrators at each site, then flexibility in configuration is maintained, but mapping accuracy and compatibility between primary and secondary NAS components deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that automatically discovers and maps components between primary and secondary NAS sites. This intermediary mechanism retrieves configuration information from both sites, compares component capabilities, and generates accurate mappings without requiring manual administrator intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between operational flexibility and mapping precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where configuration information is continuously exchanged between primary and secondary NAS sites. The mapping accuracy is verified through capability comparison feedback, and incompatible mappings are automatically corrected based on this feedback mechanism, ensuring high precision while maintaining system flexibility
2Measurement precision
If automated component mapping is implemented between primary and secondary NAS, then mapping accuracy improves, but system complexity and coordination requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses configuration information copying between primary and secondary NAS sites to enable automated mapping. By retrieving and comparing copied configuration data, the system achieves high mapping accuracy without requiring complex real-time coordination, as the copying process is a straightforward data transfer that can be performed independently at each site
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary configuration information retrieval and component capability assessment before establishing mappings. This preliminary action allows the automated mapping to proceed with pre-validated information, reducing the complexity of real-time coordination while maintaining high mapping accuracy
3Reliability
If comprehensive configuration information is exchanged between sites, then component compatibility verification improves, but communication overhead and initialization time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential configuration information needed for compatibility verification from the complete NAS configuration data. By selectively retrieving and comparing only the relevant component capability parameters, the system ensures accurate compatibility verification while minimizing communication overhead and reducing initialization time
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for initializing a Network Attached Storage (NAS) system having disaster recovery capabilities uses a communication link disposed between control stations of a source and destination NAS to enable the destination NAS to consolidate configuration and mapping information at a centralized location, thereby enabling validation of disk mirroring and mapping of standby components to be performed in a consistent manner.