Distributed Storage Node Mapping via Ordered Lists
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed storage systems are complex and costly due to their reliance on homogeneous hardware and centralized servers, making it difficult to scale up or down and requiring significant administrative efforts for reconfiguration.
Innovation Solution
A distributed storage system that uses a cluster of storage nodes and client nodes with an ordered list to determine file storage, allowing each node to independently compute file mappings and manage additions, removals, and swaps without a centralized server, using identical software on heterogeneous hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If centralized servers are used to monitor and configure storage nodes, then system administration is simplified, but device complexity and administrative costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Storage nodes automatically discover each other through broadcasting and maintain their own configuration without requiring centralized server intervention. The system enables self-service administration where nodes autonomously manage their identities, mappings, and data distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the centralized server component entirely from the system architecture. Administration functions previously performed by a central server are extracted and distributed to individual storage nodes through independent mapping computation and self-configuration mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If homogeneous hardware is required, then system administration is simplified, but adaptability and hardware flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows each storage node to have different hardware characteristics while maintaining uniform software behavior through independent mapping computation. Each node adapts to its local hardware configuration while participating in the distributed system using the same administrative protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the system to dynamically adapt to varying hardware configurations by allowing nodes to independently compute mappings based on their specific characteristics. The system parameters and mapping algorithms adjust automatically to accommodate heterogeneous hardware without requiring administrative reconfiguration.
3Quantity of substance
If system size is increased, then storage capacity is improved, but administrative costs and reconfiguration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its configuration by allowing storage nodes to be added or removed without requiring complex reconfiguration procedures. The independent mapping computation enables the system to adapt its data distribution automatically as nodes join or leave, supporting dynamic scaling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the mapping computation into individual node operations rather than centralized processing. Each storage node independently computes its own mapping, which simplifies the addition of new nodes and reduces the administrative overhead associated with system scaling.
4Extent of automation
If centralized servers are used for configuration, then control is centralized, but system scalability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Storage nodes perform self-configuration and self-mapping without requiring centralized server control. Each node independently computes its mapping based on the ordered list of storage nodes, enabling the system to scale without proportionally increasing centralized administration complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for distributing and accessing files in a distributed storage system uses an ordered list of the storage nodes in the system to determine the storage node on which a file is stored. The distributed storage system includes a cluster of storage nodes and may also include one or more client nodes that participate in the system as storage resources. Each node (client and storage) stores an ordered list of the storage nodes in the system, allowing any of the nodes to access the file. The list is updated whenever a new storage node is added to the system, an existing storage node is removed from the system, or a new storage node is swapped with an existing storage node. Each one of the nodes may independently compute a new mapping of files to the storage nodes when the ordered list is changed.