Storage Drive Virtualization for Server Capacity Utilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional computer storage systems face inefficiencies due to underutilized storage drive capacity, where increased capacity does not lead to reduced system costs, and require a one-to-one correspondence between servers and drives, leading to unnecessary allocation of drive capacity.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of storage drive virtualization, where physical drives are logically partitioned to appear as multiple virtual drives, allowing sharing across multiple servers without a centralized controller, using stateless switching fabrics and drive managers to configure and manage virtualization parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a one-to-one correspondence between servers and drives is used, then each server has dedicated storage access, but storage capacity is underutilized and system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements storage virtualization that allows a single physical drive to serve multiple servers simultaneously through virtual drive interfaces. The storage controller manages multiple virtual drives mapped to different servers, enabling one physical drive to fulfill multiple storage functions and serve multiple clients, thus improving utilization while maintaining dedicated access for each server.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides a physical drive into multiple virtual drives or partitions, each accessible by different servers. This segmentation allows the physical storage capacity to be divided into logical units that can be independently allocated to multiple servers, preventing underutilization while maintaining dedicated access paths.
2Quantity of substance
If drive capacity is increased through technological advances, then storage capacity increases, but system cost does not reduce due to maintaining average selling price
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple virtual drives onto a single physical drive, allowing the system to utilize increased drive capacity without requiring additional physical drives. This consolidation reduces the total number of drives needed in the system, thereby reducing overall system cost even as individual drive capacities increase.
Solution Approach 2:
By enabling a single physical drive to serve multiple servers through virtualization, the system maximizes the utilization of increased drive capacity. This eliminates the need to purchase additional drives to meet growing storage demands, thereby controlling system costs despite advances in drive technology that maintain average selling prices.
3Ease of operation
If a centralized storage controller is used for volume management, then volume management is implemented, but device complexity and system cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements drive managers located at each physical drive that autonomously configure and manage virtual drives without requiring a centralized storage controller. Each drive manager handles its own volume management tasks, eliminating the need for complex centralized control architecture while maintaining ease of operation through distributed self-management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the volume management functionality from a centralized controller and places it directly at the physical drive level through drive managers. This decentralization removes the complexity of centralized control while preserving volume management capabilities, as each drive independently manages its own virtual drives.
4Loss of energy
If storage drives are shared across multiple servers, then storage utilization improves, but drive configuration and management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables drives to self-configure through drive managers that automatically manage virtual drive creation and assignment. This automation eliminates the manual configuration complexity that would otherwise arise from sharing drives across multiple servers, allowing improved utilization without proportionally increasing management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces drive managers as intermediary components between physical drives and servers. These drive managers handle the complexity of virtual drive configuration and management, shielding servers from direct complexity while enabling efficient shareed access. The intermediary manages the complexity internally while presenting simplified interfaces to servers.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes defining a plurality of virtual drives in a physical drive in communication with a plurality of servers, assigning virtualization parameters to each of the virtual drives, and communicating the virtualization parameters to a drive manager located at the physical drive and operable to configure the virtual drives on the physical drive. An apparatus is also disclosed.