Port Pooling for Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation in Virtual Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In data processing systems, physical servers often experience bandwidth limitations due to excessive demand, leading to the need for additional servers or reassignment of existing ones, which requires manual reconfiguration of gateway ports and can be time-consuming, especially when virtual servers are unavailable for reinitialization.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for port pooling, where a virtual server manager arranges gateway ports into pools, defines virtual server groups, associates virtual servers with these pools, and provides configuration instructions to enable dynamic use of available gateway ports, allowing for on-demand provisioning and load balancing without manual rebalancing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual reconfiguration of gateway ports is performed to meet server demand, then bandwidth allocation can be adjusted, but configuration time increases and virtual servers become unavailable during reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic port pooling and gateway port assignment without requiring manual administrator intervention. The virtual server manager automatically pools available gateway ports and assigns them to virtual servers based on demand, eliminating the need for manual reconfiguration and reducing downtime during bandwidth adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the allocation parameters of gateway ports by creating port pools with varying numbers of ports based on real-time server demand. When demand changes, the system automatically adjusts the port allocation parameters without manual reconfiguration, enabling flexible bandwidth management that adapts to changing conditions.
2Productivity
If additional gateway ports are added to provide more bandwidth, then server capacity increases, but the system complexity increases and manual reconfiguration is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple individual gateway ports into a unified port pool that can be collectively managed and dynamically allocated. Instead of managing each gateway port individually, the system combines them into a pool that can be automatically distributed to virtual servers based on demand, reducing management complexity while maintaining high server capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The port pool serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides bandwidth allocation, load balancing, and dynamic resource distribution. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate manual management processes for each gateway port, reducing system complexity while enabling flexible capacity expansion.
3Adaptability or versatility
If virtual servers are reinitialized to use modified gateway port allocation, then bandwidth mapping is updated, but virtual servers are unavailable during reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-creating port pools with available gateway ports before virtual servers need to be reassigned. When bandwidth requirements change, the system can immediately assign ports from the pre-configured pool without requiring virtual servers to be taken offline for reinitialization, maintaining continuous availability while enabling flexible port mapping.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, methods and systems for port pooling are described. An interface may communicate with at least one physical server. The at least one physical server may host a plurality of virtual servers and be connectable via a plurality of gateway ports to a storage area network (SAN). A virtual server manager configured to arrange the plurality of gateway ports in a plurality of port pools, define a virtual server group including a plurality of virtual servers, associate each virtual server with one or more port pools, the one or more port pools defining available gateway ports for access by the particular virtual server; and provide configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway ports.