Universal Multipath Driver for Storage Failover Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage system technologies lack unified management for diverse storage devices, leading to complexity, increased costs, reduced reliability, and performance degradation due to lack of failover, failback, and load balancing capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A universal multipath driver that detects and manages failover and failback across different storage devices, adjusts paths based on connection status, and implements load balancing to ensure system reliability and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different drivers are installed for each storage device type, then device compatibility is improved, but system complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal storage driver that can manage multiple types of storage devices (disk drives, tape drives, RAID arrays, optical drives) through a single interface. This driver provides unified functionality for device management, path selection, and failover operations across diverse storage technologies, eliminating the need for multiple device-specific drivers and reducing system complexity while maintaining broad device compatibility
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different drivers are installed for each storage device type, then device compatibility is improved, but software acquisition and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The universal driver consolidates functionality that would otherwise require multiple separate drivers into a single software component. This reduces software acquisition costs by eliminating redundant driver packages and decreases maintenance costs through centralized updates and a single point of support for all storage device types
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple device-specific drivers into a single unified driver architecture. This consolidation combines device management, path selection, and failover capabilities into one integrated solution, reducing the total software footprint and simplifying the maintenance burden
3Reliability
If failover capability is added among storage devices, then system reliability is improved, but driver complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The universal driver implements automatic failover detection and execution without requiring external intervention or complex configuration. The driver continuously monitors storage device health and path availability, automatically detecting failures and switching to alternative paths or devices, thereby improving reliability while keeping the driver architecture manageable through self-managing logic
4Productivity
If load balancing among storage devices is implemented, then performance is improved, but management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The universal driver automatically performs load balancing across multiple storage paths and devices without requiring manual configuration or intervention. It dynamically monitors path performance metrics and redistributes I/O operations to optimize throughput and response time, improving storage performance while maintaining simple management through automated decision-making algorithms
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the invention is a technique to manage failover and failback. A failover of a first path is detected. The first path corresponds to a first device in a plurality of physical devices having M device types. A connection status of the first device is determined if the failover is detected. The connection status is one of a connected status and a disconnected status. The disconnected status corresponds to the failover. The first path is adjusted according to the connection status.