Automated Storage Volume Allocation and Distribution With Cloud Templates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current enterprise storage systems require a storage administrator with expertise in storage architecture, application architecture, and operating system requirements to manually set up and manage storage volumes, leading to lengthy and time-consuming processes that do not guarantee optimal performance and reliability.
Innovation Solution
An automated process using cloud-based management and pre-defined templates simplifies the creation, distribution, and configuration of storage volumes, allowing non-experts to achieve optimal configurations by selecting target templates that correspond to desired system goals, eliminating the need for manual experimentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual storage volume management is performed by administrators, then storage configurations can be customized, but the process becomes lengthy and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Storage templates are pre-configured with optimal settings for different operating systems and applications. These templates contain pre-defined volume allocations, mount points, permissions, and other configuration parameters that have been previously optimized by experts. When deploying storage, the system automatically applies these pre-configured templates, eliminating the need for administrators to manually configure each parameter and significantly reducing setup time.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system automatically detects the operating system type and application being deployed, then autonomously selects and applies the appropriate storage template without requiring administrator intervention. The system self-configures volume allocations, creates necessary directories, sets permissions, and mounts storage devices based on the detected environment, enabling automated storage provisioning that is both fast and optimized for the specific use case.
2Reliability
If expert administrators manually configure storage systems, then optimal performance can be achieved, but the complexity of management increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring administrators to create unique optimized configurations for each storage deployment, the system uses templates that contain proven optimal configurations for different scenarios. These templates are copied and applied automatically based on the detected operating system and application type, ensuring that best-practice configurations are consistently applied without requiring administrators to have expert knowledge or to manually optimize each deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
Storage templates are designed to be universally applicable across multiple similar deployment scenarios. A single template can serve multiple applications or operating systems with similar storage requirements, reducing the number of templates needed and simplifying management. The system automatically matches the current deployment to the most appropriate template, providing expert-level optimization through a simplified template selection process rather than complex manual configuration.
3Manufacturing precision
If storage administrators experiment with different configurations, then optimal settings can be found, but the management process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than requiring administrators to experiment with different configurations to find optimal settings, the templates contain pre-determined optimal configurations that have been previously tested and validated for specific operating system and application combinations. This preliminary optimization work has already been done by experts, and the templates encapsulate these proven settings, allowing immediate deployment of optimal configurations without experimentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes mechanisms to monitor storage performance and automatically adjust configurations based on actual usage patterns and performance metrics. This feedback loop allows the system to learn from real-world operation and continuously optimize storage allocations, replacing manual experimentation with automated, data-driven configuration refinement that maintains high precision while improving speed over time.
Data Source
AI summary
Configuring, distributing, and managing virtual volumes in a storage system are automated and simplified so that administrators may be relieved of such tasks and non-storage administrators can make use of the storage technology. Considering operating system and application requirements, a cloud-based storage management infrastructure can perform the automated process and may employ templates that define necessary information and processes regarding how service processing units are clustered in a storage platform, volume distribution of virtual volumes, volume properties, and presentation to servers.