Data Storage Array Smart Polling for Host Configuration Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data storage array management utilities face challenges in efficiently managing configuration changes across a large number of external host devices, leading to increased polling burden and potential delays in detecting configuration changes, especially when the number of devices exceeds processing capacity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a 'smart polling' technique that only polls host devices that have undergone configuration changes, using change notices to identify and request configuration information from these devices, thereby reducing the polling burden and allowing for shorter polling intervals without missing timely detection of changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional polling approach is used to poll all external host devices periodically, then comprehensive configuration monitoring is achieved, but polling burden increases significantly as number of devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary polling action for devices that have undergone configuration changes, rather than polling all devices. The system identifies changed devices through change notices and polls only those specific devices, removing the unnecessary polling overhead for unchanged devices while maintaining complete monitoring coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where host devices send change notices to the data storage array when configuration changes occur. This feedback loop enables the array to identify which devices require polling, replacing the conventional blind polling of all devices with a targeted approach based on actual changes detected through device feedback.
2Productivity
If polling interval is increased to reduce polling burden, then processing capacity is maintained, but timely detection of configuration changes is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The change notice mechanism provides immediate feedback when configuration changes occur, allowing the system to trigger targeted polling only when needed. This eliminates the trade-off between polling frequency and processing capacity, as the system can maintain short effective polling intervals for changed devices while avoiding unnecessary polling of unchanged devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification of changed devices through change notices before actual polling occurs. This preliminary action filters the polling target list in advance, ensuring that when polling does occur, it is directed only at devices that have changed, thereby maintaining rapid detection capability without the overhead of polling all devices at frequent intervals.
3Adaptability or versatility
If number of external host devices is scaled to high numbers, then system capacity increases, but polling burden becomes unmanageable with existing processing power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the polling target list to only include devices that have sent change notices, separating the management of changed devices from the monitoring of all devices. This extraction enables the system to scale to thousands of host devices while maintaining manageable polling complexity, as the array only actively manages polling for the subset of devices that have changed since the last poll.
Solution Approach 2:
Host devices perform self-identification by sending change notices when configuration changes occur. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for the data storage array to maintain and process polling information for all devices proactively, reducing management complexity as the number of devices scales while preserving the ability to monitor all devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique, which involves participation by electronic circuitry of a data storage array, obtains configuration change information from host devices which are constructed and arranged to store data into and load data from the data storage array. In particular, the technique involves receiving a set of change notices from a set of host devices. Each change notice is received by the electronic circuitry of the data storage array when a respective host device of the set of host devices undergoes a configuration change. The technique further involves providing a set of requests from the electronic circuitry of the data storage array to the set of host devices based on the set of change notices. The technique further involves acquiring configuration change information from the set of host devices in response to the set of requests.