Remote Direct Memory Access Failover for Network Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern network storage devices face challenges in maintaining data redundancy and transactionality due to failures in communication paths, leading to loss of transactionality and uncertainty about the status of access instructions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method for remote direct memory access failover by storing access instructions in a secondary memory when a communication path fails, allowing for status determination and notification once a secondary path is established, ensuring continued data integrity and transactionality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple communication paths are used for redundancy, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments communication paths into primary and secondary paths, with each path having dedicated queues in separate memory regions. This segmentation allows independent management of each communication path while maintaining overall system reliability through failover capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the second memory region and second queue) that acts as a buffer during communication path failures. This intermediary structure enables seamless failover without requiring complex real-time coordination between multiple active paths.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If access instructions are stored during communication path failure, then data integrity is improved, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integrityVSAvoidloss of time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by storing access instructions in the second memory region's queue before the communication path is fully restored. This preparatory storage ensures that when the path recovers, instructions are already queued and ready for immediate processing, minimizing recovery time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent maintains continuity of useful action by continuously accepting and storing access instructions in the second queue during communication path failure. This ensures that the system remains ready to process instructions immediately upon path restoration without interruption or data loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS10649950B2Disk access operation recovery techniques

Publication Date: 2020.05.12 NVIDIA CORP

AI summary

A system and method for providing remote direct memory access failover. The method includes receiving, at a storage server including a network storage device, an access instruction over a first communication path between a client device and the storage server, wherein the network storage device includes a first memory and a second memory, wherein the first memory stores a first access queue; storing the access instruction in the first access queue; storing a second access queue in the second memory when the first communication path has failed, wherein the second access queue is at least a portion of the first access queue including the access instruction; determining a status of the access instruction when a second communication path is established with the client device; and sending, to the client device, a notification indicating the determined status of the access instruction via the second communication path.