Protocol-Agnostic Data Storage Interface for Cloud Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data storage systems often require data accessors to have specific knowledge of configuration aspects and protocols, making it difficult for them to access data across different private cloud systems, and changes in storage systems can disrupt data access, necessitating corresponding changes in accessor systems.
Innovation Solution
A data storage interface provides a unified API and protocol for accessing data across different backend storage systems, translating requests between protocols and maintaining a mapping of data item identifiers to storage configurations, allowing access without requiring knowledge of storage cluster or node locations, and performing operations like filtering and analytics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data accessors use specific knowledge of configuration aspects and protocols to access storage systems, then data access reliability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A protocol translator is introduced as an intermediary component between data accessors and storage systems. The translator receives requests from accessors using a standardized protocol, translates them into the specific protocols required by different storage systems, and vice versa for responses. This mediator eliminates the need for accessors to directly learn and implement multiple storage protocols, thereby reducing accessor system complexity while maintaining reliable data access across heterogeneous storage systems.
2Reliability
If data accessors implement changes in storage configurations, then data access reliability is maintained, but productivity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The protocol translator acts as a buffer between accessors and storage configuration changes. When storage systems modify their configurations or protocols, the translator is updated to accommodate the changes while maintaining the same standardized interface for accessors. This isolates accessors from underlying storage changes, allowing storage systems to evolve without requiring accessor system modifications, thereby maintaining productivity and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protocol translator performs preliminary translation and adaptation of requests before they reach the storage systems. By pre-processing and normalizing protocols at the translator layer, the system can anticipate and accommodate configuration changes in storage systems without propagating complexity back to accessors, maintaining continuous data access reliability while preserving developer efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If a unified API is provided for accessing different storage systems, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The protocol translator serves as the complexity-absorbing intermediary that implements the unified API. It handles the intricate details of protocol translation, data format conversion, and storage system-specific optimizations internally, while presenting a simplified standardized interface to accessors. This allows ease of operation for data accessors without requiring them to understand or manage the underlying complexity of the translator and diverse storage systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage interface provides access to data storage clusters that may not otherwise be accessible to data accessors. The data storage interface can serve as a point of access for data accessors to access stored data via a consistent data access protocol, even when a data storage cluster on which requested data is stored may use a different protocol. The data storage interface can also provide access across network boundaries, such as those between different private cloud computing systems (e.g., virtual private clouds or “VPCs”).