Storage Access Virtual Machine Failover via Shared File System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtualized data centers face challenges in ensuring continuous availability of data and state information across server devices, particularly when a storage access virtual machine fails, leading to potential crashes of virtual machines and disruptions in storage access sessions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a shared file system that stores data and state information files, allowing any server device to access and manage storage access sessions of a failed server device, with a failover mechanism that quickly transfers management and state information to another server device, ensuring seamless session resumption and high availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a storage access virtual machine is used to manage storage access sessions, then storage access management is simplified and virtualized, but the system becomes vulnerable to single points of failure that can crash virtual machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a shared file system as an intermediary between the storage access virtual machine and the data stores. This shared file system maintains state information files that allow any server device to resume storage access sessions if the original server fails, effectively mediating the failure impact and preventing virtual machine crashes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary actions by pre-storing state information files in the shared file system that contain all necessary session state data. This allows rapid resumption of storage access sessions without requiring complex recovery procedures, addressing the reliability issue while maintaining management simplicity.
2Speed
If data is stored locally on each server device, then access speed is fast, but data availability is lost when a server device fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the local data storage capability with shared storage accessibility by implementing a shared file system that can be accessed by multiple server devices. Data stores are maintained in this shared file system, allowing any server device to access the data, thus combining the benefits of local access speed with shared availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared file system serves multiple functions: it acts as a data store, maintains state information files, and provides a universal access point for all server devices in the group. This multi-functionality ensures that data remains accessible even when individual server devices fail.
3Ease of operation
If state information is stored locally with each storage access virtual machine, then session state is readily available, but failure of the virtual machine results in loss of state information and session disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The shared file system serves as an intermediary that stores state information files accessible by any server device. This intermediary approach maintains session state accessibility while protecting against loss due to virtual machine failure, as the state information is preserved in the shared file system rather than being tied to a single virtual machine.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a form of copying by maintaining state information files in the shared file system that can be accessed by any server device. This creates a redundant copy of the session state information, ensuring that if one virtual machine fails, another can retrieve the state information and resume the session without disruption.
Data Source
AI summary
Each server device of a plurality of server devices may perform a method that includes detecting, by a second server device, that a first storage access virtual machine (SAVM) operating on a first server device has failed, the first SAVM managing access to a first data store of a shared file system by a first client operating on the first server device using a first storage address. The method also includes directing a second SAVM operating on the second server device to manage access to the first data store and granting the second SAVM access to a first state information file stored within the shared file system, the first state information file being associated with the first storage address. The method can also include restoring to the first SAVM, when it becomes operational, management of access to the first data store and access to the first state information file.