Object Store Replication Guarantee During Communications Outage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data storage systems face challenges in maintaining replication relationships between object stores during communications outages, leading to data integrity and availability issues.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of methods and apparatus for establishing guarantees to maintain replication relationships between object stores, including cross-region replicated object stores, during communications outages, utilizing application-side infrastructure and specific protocols to ensure data consistency and availability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If replication is suspended during communications outages, then data consistency is maintained, but data availability and replication continuity deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidreplication continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing a guarantee mechanism before communications outages occur. This includes setting up local metadata storage, pre-configuring replication state tracking, and preparing conflict resolution protocols so that when outages happen, the system can maintain replication relationships without interruption rather than suspending them.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism in the form of a guarantee layer that mediates between the primary and secondary object stores during communications outages. This intermediary tracks replication state locally and manages data synchronization asynchronously, allowing replication to continue without direct real-time communication between stores.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If real-time replication is maintained during communications outages, then replication continuity is preserved, but data integrity and system stability worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereplication continuityVSAvoiddata integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors communication status and replication state. During outages, the system receives feedback about disconnected states and automatically adjusts its operation mode, switching to asynchronous replication with local state tracking, and then synchronizes upon recovery based on the tracked state feedback.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If replication state is tracked centrally, then coordination is simplified, but single points of failure and communication dependency increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoordination complexityVSAvoidcommunication dependency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the centralized replication state tracking into distributed local state tracking at each object store. Each store maintains its own replication metadata and state information locally, eliminating the single point of failure. The segmentation allows each node to operate independently during outages while still contributing to overall replication consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by allowing each object store to autonomously track its own replication state and manage its local copy of data. Each store independently monitors its replication health, manages local metadata, and can continue serving requests during outages without relying on centralized coordination, thereby reducing communication dependency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12314134B2Establishing a guarantee for maintaining a replication relationship between object stores during a communications outage

Publication Date: 2025.05.27 PURE STORAGE INC

AI summary

Establishing a guarantee for maintaining a replication relationship between object stores during a communications outage, an embodiment including identifying, by a first storage system, respective local clock values of one or more second storage systems, wherein the first storage system and the one or more second storage systems are among a plurality of storage systems replicating an object store, wherein the plurality of storage systems are configured to receive requests directed to the replicated object store; determining, by the first storage system in dependence upon the respective local clock values, respective clock differences of the one or more second storage systems relative to the first storage system; and ordering, by the first storage system, one or more updates to the replicated object store in dependence upon the respective clock differences.