Storage Isolation Fault Domains for Converged Infrastructure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Managed infrastructure systems face challenges in being properly built, deployed, and maintained to ensure optimal performance and resource utilization, particularly in converged and hyper-converged infrastructure environments, where resource management and optimization techniques are not yet fully developed.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that utilize an infrastructure services manager to discover and manage storage and isolation fault domains within the storage infrastructure, allowing for the placement of application workload data stores that comply with physical isolation requirements by obtaining storage configuration information and determining independently available and physically isolated storage resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If storage resources are consolidated into pooled infrastructure, then resource utilization improves and costs reduce, but ensuring physical isolation for high availability becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource utilizationVSAvoidisolation management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces fault domain information as an intermediary layer between storage resources and workload placement. This mediator abstracts the complexity of physical isolation requirements, enabling the system to manage isolated storage domains without manual intervention while maintaining high resource utilization through automated placement decisions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of storage resource management by introducing fault domain identifiers and isolation requirements as new dimensions for resource characterization. This enables automated placement algorithms to consider physical isolation constraints alongside traditional resource metrics, resolving the contradiction between consolidation and isolation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If automated placement algorithms are implemented, then deployment efficiency improves, but ensuring compliance with physical isolation requirements becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment efficiencyVSAvoidisolation compliance accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-characterizing storage resources with fault domain information and isolation capabilities before workload placement. This advance preparation enables automated algorithms to make compliance-assured placement decisions without complex runtime verification, simultaneously improving deployment efficiency and isolation compliance accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If storage resources are physically isolated into separate domains, then high availability improves, but resource sharing and consolidation become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehigh availabilityVSAvoidresource sharing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes fault domain information and isolation characteristics universally applicable across diverse storage resources. This multi-functionality approach allows the same automated placement framework to handle both isolated and shared storage scenarios, enabling physical isolation for high availability while maintaining flexible resource sharing through abstracted management interfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10693728B2Storage isolation domains for converged infrastructure information handling systems

Publication Date: 2020.06.23 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

A storage management method includes obtaining storage configuration information corresponding to a storage infrastructure of an information handling system, determining, from the storage configuration information, one or more storage and isolation fault domains within the storage infrastructure, wherein each of the one or more storage and isolation fault domains comprises an independently available and physically isolated storage resource, and placing an application workload data store within the storage infrastructure in accordance with the storage and isolation fault domains to comply with a physical isolation requirement applicable to the data store. Obtaining the storage configuration may include discovering the storage configuration information by accessing resource description information identifying a plurality of storage resources and a management endpoint corresponding to each of the one or more storage resources, and retrieving, from each management endpoint, storage configuration information for a storage resource associated with the management endpoint.