SDN Controller Flow Entries for Distributed Storage Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional distributed storage systems suffer from high network latency due to multiple network operations required for data storage, limiting their application to latency-insensitive scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A distributed network storage system incorporating a metadata management node, SDN controller, and SDN switch, where the SDN controller generates flow entries to broadcast write requests to both main and backup data nodes simultaneously, reducing the number of network operations and latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is written sequentially through multiple network operations (client to main data node, then to backup data nodes), then data reliability is ensured, but network latency increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The SDN controller pre-establishes flow entries in the SDN switch that contain the backup mapping relationships before data write operations occur. When a write request arrives, the SDN switch can immediately broadcast the data to both main and backup data nodes simultaneously according to the pre-configured flow entries, eliminating the need for sequential network operations while ensuring data reliability.
2Reliability
If multiple sequential network operations are performed for data replication, then data consistency is maintained, but I/O performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the data replication process by having the SDN switch broadcast write requests to multiple data nodes (main and backup) simultaneously through a single network operation. The flow entries consolidate the routing information for all target nodes, allowing parallel data transmission that maintains consistency while dramatically improving I/O performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The SDN switch acts as an intermediary that receives a single write request from the client and automatically distributes it to multiple data nodes according to pre-configured flow entries. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for the client or main data node to perform multiple sequential write operations, thereby maintaining data consistency across all nodes while enhancing I/O performance.
3Device complexity
If the system uses traditional distributed storage architecture without SDN, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but network operation count increases
Solution Approach 1:
The SDN switch performs multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a standard network switch for data forwarding, a controller for managing flow entries with backup mapping relationships, and a broadcast mechanism for simultaneous data distribution to multiple nodes. This multi-functionality reduces the number of network operations required while the centralized SDN controller manages the complexity, making the overall system more efficient despite the added architectural layer.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage solution in a distributed network storage system, where a metadata management node sends a backup mapping relationship of a destination data node to a controller, where the controller generates a first flow entry according to the backup mapping relationship of the destination data node, and sends the first flow entry to a switch, where the first flow entry includes an address of the destination data node and an address of a backup data node of the destination data node, and the switch broadcasts, to the destination data node and the backup date node according to the first flow entry, a write request sent by a client.