Transactional Failover Mechanism for Network Storage Data Integrity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional network storage systems face challenges in ensuring data integrity and reliability during failover operations, particularly in disaster scenarios, due to the complexity and potential errors in switching data access from a primary to a secondary storage server, which can lead to data inconsistencies and interruptions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a transactional failover mechanism that organizes data into primary and secondary sets, replicates data, and uses a Disaster Recovery (DR) system to ensure all failover actions are completed as a single, atomic operation, with locking for access control and options for rollback or continuation, thereby maintaining data integrity and preventing concurrent invocations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple failover actions are performed manually during a disaster, then data access can be switched from primary to secondary storage server, but data consistency and reliability cannot be ensured due to hasty execution and potential errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidmanual operation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs failover automatically through a predefined transactional process without requiring manual intervention. The DR system monitors system state and executes the failover transaction when failure conditions are detected, eliminating human error and ensuring consistent execution of all failover actions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The failover process is pre-configured as a transactional operation with all necessary actions defined in advance. This includes setting up the secondary storage server as a standby with replicated data, defining the failover transaction steps, and establishing automatic triggers, so that when failure occurs, the pre-prepared transaction can execute reliably without manual planning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If failover actions are executed hastily during a disaster, then data access can be restored quickly, but execution errors and data corruption may occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefailover timeVSAvoidexecution accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated transactional system. Instead of administrators manually performing each failover step, the system uses automated transaction processing with predefined steps, state validation, and error handling mechanisms that execute reliably and quickly without human intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The transactional failover mechanism acts as an intermediary between the failure condition and the actual failover execution. It validates system state, coordinates all failover actions atomically, and ensures proper sequencing, thereby preventing execution errors while maintaining rapid failover capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If multiple users attempt to initiate failover simultaneously, then recovery operations can be started in parallel, but confusion and delays occur due to concurrent invocations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverecovery speedVSAvoidoperation consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the failover operation into a structured transaction with distinct phases: validation, execution, and completion. Each phase has defined entry and exit conditions, and the transaction mechanism ensures that only one instance can be active at a time through proper state management, preventing concurrent execution conflicts while maintaining efficient single-threaded processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Adaptability or versatility

If failover actions are performed without transactional control, then individual actions can be executed flexibly, but data integrity cannot be guaranteed if actions fail or are interrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation flexibilityVSAvoiddata integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary validation of system state and prerequisites before initiating the failover transaction. It checks whether the secondary storage server is ready, data replication is complete, and failure conditions are met. This preliminary action ensures that the transaction can execute successfully and maintains data integrity by preventing execution under inappropriate conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8775394B2Transactional failover of data sets

Publication Date: 2014.07.08 NETAPP INC

AI summary

A network storage server implements a method to perform transactional failover of data sets. Multiple storage objects are organized into primary and secondary data sets, and a disaster recovery policy is configured for failing-over a primary data set to a secondary data set. A failover operation is defined for the disaster recovery policy. The failover operation includes multiple failover actions. During a failover situation, the failover operation is invoked to fail-over the primary data set. The failover operation is transactionally processed to ensure that all failover actions of the failover operation are performed in a single transaction.