Storage System Snapshot Transformation Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for transforming data in storage systems, such as those used in file and database systems, are complex, resource-intensive, and often require production systems to be taken offline for extended periods, making them costly and time-consuming, especially as product release cycles shorten and data transformation becomes more frequent.
Innovation Solution
A storage system that manages transformations of data stored as snapshots by maintaining parent-child relationships and generating transformed snapshots, allowing for efficient data transformation while maintaining system availability by sharing data blocks and using virtual databases to perform transform operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional transformation techniques are used, then data transformation can be performed, but the system must be taken offline for significant periods and resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transformation process by creating transformed snapshots that can be independently generated and stored. Each snapshot can be transformed separately without affecting the entire system, allowing parallel processing and reducing overall transformation time while maintaining system availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces transformed snapshots as intermediary objects between the source data and the application. These snapshots act as mediators that can be transformed and validated offline, then applied to the production system without requiring the system to be taken offline, thus resolving the contradiction between transformation speed and system availability.
2Manufacturing precision
If transformation scripts are developed and tested by experts, then accurate data transformation can be achieved, but the process becomes complex and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates transformed snapshots as copies of the original snapshots with applied transformations. These copies can be generated, tested, and validated independently before being applied to the production system, reducing the complexity of expert intervention while maintaining transformation accuracy through automated snapshot generation and comparison.
3Reliability
If production systems are taken offline for transformation, then data can be transformed safely, but enterprise operations are disrupted and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs transformation actions preliminarily by generating transformed snapshots before they are applied to the production system. This preliminary transformation and validation can occur offline without disrupting production operations, ensuring data transformation safety while maintaining enterprise operational continuity. The transformed snapshots are ready-to-apply when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system performs transformations of data stored as source snapshots to obtain transformed snapshots. The storage system stores relations between source snapshots, for example, parent child relationships. The storage system analyzes relationships between source snapshots to determine relationships between transformed snapshots. The storage system creates a transformed snapshot based on a source snapshot. The storage system traverses the graph representing source snapshots to identify ancestor or descendants of the source snapshots that were previously transformed. The storage system determines the transformed snapshots corresponding to the ancestor and descendant source snapshots and relates them to the newly created transformed snapshot.