On-Premises Application Migration via Storage Data Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems face inefficiencies in data management and reliability, particularly in handling flash storage devices, where operations are often performed by both higher and lower level processes, leading to unnecessary write operations and reduced reliability.
Innovation Solution
A direct-mapped flash storage system where operations are initiated and controlled by the operating system without involvement from storage controllers, utilizing non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) for quick data buffering and separate addressable fast-write storage to improve latency and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If storage controllers perform operations on flash storage devices, then data management is handled by dedicated hardware, but unnecessary write operations occur and reliability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the flash storage operations from the storage controller and moves them directly to the operating system. The OS performs read and write operations directly on the flash storage device without controller mediation, eliminating unnecessary write operations and improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces NVRAM as an intermediary buffer between the OS and flash storage device. Data is first written to NVRAM for quick buffering, then selectively transferred to flash storage, reducing unnecessary write operations and improving overall system reliability.
2Productivity
If both higher and lower level processes perform operations on flash storage, then functionality is distributed, but data management efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts flash storage operations from the storage controller layer and consolidates them in the operating system layer. This eliminates the complexity of coordinating between multiple process levels and improves data management efficiency by having a single point of control.
3Speed
If traditional storage controllers are used, then data management is handled by dedicated hardware, but access latency is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the storage controller from the data path and allows the operating system to communicate directly with the flash storage device. This eliminates the additional latency introduced by controller mediation while simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses NVRAM as a fast intermediary buffer that sits between the OS and flash storage. This allows quick data buffering and selective transfer to flash, significantly reducing access latency compared to direct controller-mediated access.
Data Source
AI summary
Application migration using data movement capabilities of a storage system, including: executing an application on a first on-premises cloud infrastructure; storing, in a first storage system that is coupled for data communications with the first on-premises cloud infrastructure, data associated with the application; replicating, from the first storage system to a second storage system that is coupled for data communications with a second on-premises cloud infrastructure, the data; and initiating, based on the data, execution of a new instance of the application on the second on-premises cloud infrastructure.