Network File Copy Migration Between Hosts

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Solution Overview

Problem

In cloud computing environments, network file copy (NFC) operations often conflict with maintenance tasks, leading to long execution times that block hosts from entering maintenance mode, forcing administrators to choose between waiting or disrupting ongoing operations, resulting in inefficiencies and potential data loss.

Innovation Solution

A method to migrate NFC operations from one host to another, allowing the operation to complete without disruption, by selecting a new host to finish the data transfer and ensuring seamless continuation of the process, thereby freeing the original host for maintenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a host computing device executes a long-running NFC operation to transfer multiple terabytes of data, then the data transfer can be completed, but the host is blocked from entering maintenance mode and maintenance schedules are disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transfer completionVSAvoidmaintenance schedule disruption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The NFC operation is extracted from the original host computing device and transferred to a different host computing device. The virtualization manager detects that the first host is blocked due to a long-running NFC operation and migrates the operation to a second host, freeing the first host to enter maintenance mode without disrupting the data transfer completion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If a VI administrator waits for an ongoing NFC operation to complete before performing maintenance, then data loss is prevented, but the maintenance schedule is disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata loss preventionVSAvoidmaintenance schedule disruption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The virtualization manager acts as an intermediary that detects when a host is blocked by an NFC operation and automatically migrates the operation to a different host. This allows the original host to enter maintenance mode without data loss, as the virtualization manager manages the transition and ensures the NFC operation continues on the new host.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of time

If a VI administrator kills an ongoing NFC operation to perform maintenance, then maintenance can proceed on time, but work is lost and the cloud administrator must restart the operation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance timingVSAvoiddata transfer work loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of killing the NFC operation, the system extracts and migrates the operation to a different host computing device. The virtualization manager detects the blocking condition and transfers the NFC operation to a second host, preserving all progress made and allowing maintenance to proceed without data loss or work repetition.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection of the blocking condition and proactively migrates the NFC operation before maintenance is needed. By detecting that the host is blocked and automatically transferring the operation to another host, the system prevents the need to kill the operation and avoids losing any work progress.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Productivity

If cloud administrators perform long-running NFC operations to optimize resource utilization, then resource optimization is achieved, but hosts cannot enter maintenance mode

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource utilization optimizationVSAvoidmaintenance mode accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The NFC operation is extracted from the host computing device that needs to perform maintenance and transferred to a different host. This allows the original host to enter maintenance mode while the NFC operation continues on the second host, enabling both resource optimization and maintenance accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS11595464B2Migration of network file copy operations between host computing devices

Publication Date: 2023.02.28 VMWARE INC

AI summary

A method of migrating a network file copy (NFC) operation from a first host computing device to a second host computing device includes the steps of: transmitting a first request to the first host computing device to execute the NFC operation, wherein the NFC operation comprises transferring data from a shared datastore to another datastore; after transmitting the first request, selecting the second host computing device to complete the NFC operation in place of the first host computing device, and transmitting a second request to the first host computing device to stop executing the NFC operation; after transmitting the second request, detecting a message indicating that the first host computing device completed the copying of a first portion of the data; and in response to the detection of the message, transmitting a third request to the second host computing device to perform the remainder of the NFC operation.