Automated Storage Provisioning for Policy Conformance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data storage systems face challenges in dynamically managing storage resources to conform to changing data management policies, leading to sub-optimal usage of storage capacity and performance degradation due to the separation of data and storage management disciplines, as well as the heterogeneity of storage interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for continuously and automatically provisioning data storage systems to conform to data management policies by defining data sets with storage objects, using a conformance checker to monitor and re-provision resources, and a conformance module to ensure alignment with policies, including notification and authorization mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If storage administrators manually allocate and manage storage resources based on application needs, then storage resources can be allocated to satisfy storage-centric metrics, but the process becomes complex, time-consuming, and error-prone when changes are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system automatically monitors its own state and performs self-provisioning by detecting nonconformance conditions and executing corrective actions without administrator intervention. The system autonomously migrates data between storage devices, balances loads, and maintains policy compliance, eliminating the need for manual storage allocation management while ensuring data integrity through automated enforcement of provisioning policies.
2Adaptability or versatility
If storage administrators manually re-provision storage resources when changes occur, then storage allocation can be adjusted, but the process results in storage server unavailability and performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors storage conditions and detects nonconformance states in real-time, enabling early intervention before critical failures occur. By proactively identifying when storage resources need re-provisioning and automatically executing migration or balancing operations, the system maintains storage server availability and prevents performance degradation that would result from reactive manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system implements dynamic re-provisioning that automatically adjusts storage allocations in response to changing conditions without requiring storage servers to be taken offline. The automated system can migrate data between devices and rebalance loads while services remain operational, providing continuous availability and eliminating the downtime associated with manual re-provisioning operations.
3Quantity of substance
If storage administrators use traditional provisioning tools, then storage resources can be allocated, but sub-optimal usage of storage capacity results due to lack of automated optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors storage resource utilization and performance metrics, comparing actual state against provisioning policies to detect nonconformance conditions. This feedback loop enables the automated system to identify optimization opportunities such as storage capacity imbalances or inefficient data placement, and automatically execute corrective actions to improve storage utilization efficiency while maximizing the use of available storage capacity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If storage administrators manage heterogeneous storage interfaces manually, then different storage devices can be configured, but it becomes very difficult to configure storage in a consistent and uniform manner
Solution Approach 1:
The automated provisioning system provides a universal management interface that abstracts away the complexities of heterogeneous storage interfaces. By implementing policy-based management that works consistently across different storage device types and interfaces, the system enables uniform configuration and operation without requiring administrators to manually handle each storage interface's unique characteristics, thereby maintaining adaptability while ensuring operational consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for mapping data-management requirements to the provisioning of a data storage system to conform to a set of user-defined data-management policies. A conformance engine with storage system awareness translates the set of data-management policies to a corresponding set of storage-provisioning policies and provisions the resources of the storage system thereby to conform the storage system to the data-management policies. A conformance checker continuously and automatically compares the provisioning of the storage system resources to the provisioning required to meet the data-management policies. When nonconformance is detected, the conformance engine automatically re-provisions the available resources of the storage system to conform the storage system to the data management policies.