Network Virtualization Storage Path Without Target Server Bottlenecks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cloud service provider systems require two separate network communication steps, leading to bottlenecks and long wait times for data storage and access due to the involvement of a target server in data striping and storage operations.

Innovation Solution

A network virtualization device (NVD) performs data striping and communicates directly with multiple extent servers to store data stripes, receiving confirmation of successful storage and providing it to the compute instance, thereby bypassing the target server bottleneck.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a target server is used for data striping and storage operations, then data can be stored on multiple extent servers, but network communication steps increase and bottlenecks occur at the target server

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedistributed storage capabilityVSAvoidnetwork communication steps

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the data striping and storage operation functions from the target server and relocates them to the network virtualization device. The NVD directly performs data striping and communicates with extent servers, eliminating the target server bottleneck and reducing network communication steps while maintaining distributed storage capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The network virtualization device acts as an intermediary between compute instances and extent servers. It receives storage requests from compute instances, performs data striping, and directly communicates with multiple extent servers to store data stripes, thereby mediating the storage operation without requiring a separate target server.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a target server is involved in storage operations, then data can be striped and stored on multiple extent servers, but wait times for data access increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata distribution across serversVSAvoidwait times for data access

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the data striping function from the target server and implements it at the network virtualization device. This relocation eliminates the target server bottleneck, allowing storage requests to be processed directly by the NVD without waiting for target server processing, thereby significantly reducing data access wait times while maintaining the ability to distribute data across multiple servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If conventional storage operations are used, then data can be stored on multiple extent servers, but network utilization increases due to additional communication steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage distributionVSAvoidnetwork utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the data striping operation from the target server and performs it at the network virtualization device. This eliminates the need for additional network communication steps between the target server and extent servers, thereby reducing overall network utilization while maintaining the capability to store data on multiple extent servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12547438B2Single hop approach for distributed block storage via a network virtualization device

Publication Date: 2026.02.10 ORACLE INT CORP

AI summary

A network virtualization device receives a storage request from a compute instance executed by a host machine separate from the network virtualization device, the storage request comprising data to be stored. Responsive to receiving the storage request, the network virtualization device divides the data to be stored into a set of one or more data stripes. For a first data stripe in the set of data stripes, the network virtualization device determines, from a plurality of extent servers, a first extent server to which the first data stripe is to be sent for storing the first data stripe, transmits the first data stripe to the first extent server, wherein the first extent server stores the first data stipe to a first physical storage device, and receives, from the first extent server, an acknowledgement confirming that the first data stripe was stored.