Proxy Device for Virtual Client Storage Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtualized computing environments, managing and securing storage operations across multiple virtual clients sharing common underlying storage media is challenging, particularly for snapshot operations, as clients lack direct access to hardware storage and require intermediaries for efficient and secure data management.
Innovation Solution
A proxy machine is introduced to facilitate storage operations by maintaining a mapping for each client, routing storage requests to the appropriate proxy machine, which then directs the storage device to perform operations, ensuring secure and efficient service of storage needs across virtual clients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple virtual clients share common underlying storage media in a virtualized system, then hardware utilization is maximized and scalability is improved, but secure and efficient administration of storage operations becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy device as an intermediary between virtual clients and storage devices. The proxy device receives storage operation requests from virtual clients, translates them into appropriate commands, and communicates with the storage device. This mediator architecture allows multiple virtual clients to share storage resources securely while maintaining simplified administration, as the proxy device centralizes the complexity of managing shared storage access.
2Use of energy by moving object
If virtual clients are instantiated on a single host device, then the number of physical servers is reduced and hardware utilization is maximized, but direct access to hardware storage is lost requiring intermediaries
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy device serves as an intermediary that enables virtual clients to access storage operations indirectly. The proxy translates high-level storage requests from virtual clients into device-specific commands that the storage device can execute. This approach maintains the benefits of virtualization (consolidated hardware usage) while preserving ease of operation through a standardized interface that abstracts the underlying hardware complexity.
3Reliability
If snapshot operations are performed on shared storage media, then data protection is enhanced, but securing and administering these operations across multiple clients becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy device acts as a secure intermediary for snapshot operations on shared storage media. It receives snapshot requests from virtual clients, authenticates them against stored credentials, and executes the operations with appropriate permissions. This centralized control through the proxy enables enhanced data protection via snapshots while simplifying administration by managing all snapshot operations through a single point of control rather than requiring direct client access to storage devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage environment can include one or more virtual clients instantiated on a host proxy computing device. The virtual clients may have only indirect access to a storage device, and my access the storage device via the proxy computing device. For example, the proxy computing device receives storage operation requests from one of the virtual clients, such as a request to create, mount or revert a snapshot of virtual client data. The proxy computing device generally acts as an intermediary between the virtual clients and the storage device to carry out the snapshots or other storage operations. The proxy computing device may further receive a notification upon completion of the storage operations, and transmits relevant data to the requesting virtual client regarding the storage operation.