Storage Management Peer-to-Peer Communication via Shared Filesystem
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage management systems face challenges in secure peer-to-peer communication, as dedicated private links are costly and public internet links increase security risks, making it difficult to aggregate operational status information across multiple storage arrays for coordinated management.
Innovation Solution
A method where a storage management station encodes communications as a file and writes it to a local storage array, which becomes visible and accessible on a non-local storage array via a private data replication link, allowing the second storage management station to detect and decode the file, enabling secure peer-to-peer communication without relying on public internet links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated private links are used between management stations for peer-to-peer communication, then communication security is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage array acts as an intermediary mediator between management stations. Instead of direct peer-to-peer communication requiring dedicated private links, the storage array's shared filesystem serves as the communication medium, leveraging existing infrastructure to enable secure message passing without additional costly dedicated links.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared filesystem on the storage array serves multiple functions: data storage, message queuing, and inter-management-station communication. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated communication links, reducing system cost while maintaining security through the private storage array infrastructure.
2Device complexity
If public internet links are used for management station communication, then system cost is reduced, but security risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage array's shared filesystem serves as a secure intermediary that isolates management station communications from public internet exposure. All peer-to-peer messages are routed through the private storage array infrastructure, ensuring that even if public links are used, the actual communication occurs within a secured private domain.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses temporary file-based message queues on the shared filesystem rather than establishing persistent secure channels. This approach allows cost-effective use of public internet links for initial connection while maintaining security through the ephemeral, isolated nature of file-based communication on the private storage array.
3Device complexity
If file-based communication through shared filesystem is used, then communication cost is reduced and security is maintained, but communication speed may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes the shared filesystem as a communication medium and uses file-based queuing mechanisms in advance. Management stations write messages to the filesystem and read responses asynchronously, preparing communication pathways before actual data transfer is needed, which maintains speed despite the file-based approach.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of direct binary data transmission, the system uses file-based message copying where communication messages are serialized as files on the shared filesystem. This copying approach through the filesystem is optimized through the existing high-speed storage array infrastructure, maintaining communication speed while providing the cost and security benefits of the shared filesystem approach.
Data Source
AI summary
In a storage system with multiple storage arrays configured to replicate a storage object, storage management applications are configured to exchange communications via private data replication links by encoding the communications as XML files and writing the files to their local storage array under a shared operating system. Other storage management applications poll their local storage arrays, discover the files, and then decode and read the communications. The communications may include messages, requests, and responses. Topics of interest may be specified in messages. Specific storage arrays may be designated as targets of requests. Responses are sent by encoding the responses as XML files and writing the files to respective local storage arrays under a shared operating system.