Network Management Card Assisted Shutdown for Hyperconverged Infrastructure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) environments face challenges in automated shutdown due to technical difficulties with shutting down virtual machines, and existing systems are limited to a single HCI platform, locking hardware purchasers into that specific platform.
Innovation Solution
A network management card (NMC)-assisted shutdown system that includes a network interface communicatively coupled with the HCI environment, capable of receiving and executing multiple sets of shutdown instructions for different HCI platforms, allowing for automated and cross-platform compatible shutdown processes without requiring new hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If shutdown agents are deployed to physical machines to shut down virtual machines, then the shutdown process can be controlled, but the device complexity increases and hardware purchasers are locked into a single HCI platform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a shutdown service running in a virtual machine as an intermediary component. This service receives shutdown requests and coordinates the shutdown sequence of virtual machines, eliminating the need for shutdown agents on physical machines. The shutdown service acts as a mediator between the management plane and the virtualized infrastructure, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining reliable shutdown control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a software-based shutdown service that replicates the functionality previously requiring physical shutdown agents. By copying the shutdown control capability into the virtualized environment as a software service, the system eliminates hardware dependencies and platform lock-in while preserving the essential shutdown control function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sets of shutdown instructions are supported for different HCI platforms, then cross-platform compatibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the shutdown control functionality into multiple platform-specific instruction sets, each optimized for a particular HCI platform. The shutdown service detects the target platform and selects the appropriate instruction set, allowing cross-platform compatibility without requiring a single complex universal shutdown mechanism. This segmentation enables straightforward maintenance and updates of platform-specific protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic selection of shutdown instruction sets based on the detected HCI platform. The system adapts its behavior by choosing the appropriate instruction set at runtime, enabling cross-platform compatibility while keeping each individual instruction set relatively simple. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between versatility and complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for network-management-card-assisted shutdown of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) are disclosed. A network management card (NMC) includes: a network interface communicatively coupled with an HCI environment; one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: receiving, from the HCI environment via the network interface, a selection of a set of shutdown instructions from multiple sets of shutdown instructions supported by the NMC, the multiple sets of shutdown instructions being configured to support shutdown processes for at least two different HCI platforms; detecting that the HCI environment is performing a shutdown; and finalizing the shutdown at least by executing the set of shutdown instructions.