User-Defined Storage Failover Management via Configurable Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Previous storage system failure detection and management tools are limited in detecting user-defined failure conditions and cannot perform tailored failover processing, especially for application-specific needs, and often result in costly and resource-intensive failovers due to their inability to handle temporary or non-storage system-based failure conditions.
Innovation Solution
A system that integrates user-defined and vendor-defined storage system management functions, allowing for customizable failure detection and failover management by monitoring storage system and application states, enabling application-specific handling and reducing unnecessary failovers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vendor-provided storage system management tools are used for failure detection, then storage system-specific failures can be detected, but user-defined failure conditions based on external events cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal failure detection framework that can detect both vendor-defined storage system failures and user-defined failures based on external events. The system uses a configurable monitoring agent that can be customized to monitor various failure conditions, making the same system applicable to different failure scenarios without requiring separate specialized tools for each type of failure detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a configurable monitoring agent as an intermediary component that bridges the gap between the storage system and the management tool. This agent can be customized to monitor both internal storage system states and external events, translating diverse failure conditions into a unified detection mechanism that the existing management tool can process.
2Reliability
If vendor-provided tools automatically trigger failover upon detecting failure conditions, then storage service continuity is maintained, but resource-intensive failovers occur for temporary or non-critical failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic failover decision-making by allowing users to configure failure conditions with varying severities and priorities. The system can dynamically adjust its response based on the nature of the failure - triggering immediate failover for critical failures that threaten service continuity, while allowing graceful degradation or no failover for temporary or non-critical failures, thus optimizing resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables users to define failure conditions through configurable parameters such as severity levels, priority weights, and response thresholds. By changing these parameters, the system can differentiate between temporary glitches and critical failures, adjusting the failover behavior accordingly to avoid unnecessary resource-intensive transitions while maintaining service continuity when truly needed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If vendor-provided management tools are used, then storage system failures can be managed, but application-specific failover processing cannot be tailored
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the failover management functionality into separate configurable components: failure condition definitions, priority weighting mechanisms, and failover action policies. This segmentation allows users to customize application-specific failover behavior by configuring individual parameters without affecting the entire system, making complex application-specific requirements manageable through modular configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows users to pre-configure application-specific failure conditions and failover policies before failures occur. By defining custom monitoring parameters and failover actions in advance, the system can automatically apply the appropriate response when failures happen, eliminating the need for complex real-time configuration and reducing operational complexity during critical events.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system failure detection and failover application includes a command execution engine that loads and interprets both user-defined storage system management functions, and vendor-defined storage system management functions. The user-defined storage system management functions allow the system to detect and handle failure conditions indicating both the current state of an active storage system, and the current state of one or more applications that consume a storage service or services provided by the active storage system. The user-defined storage management functions also allow the system to perform failover processing in a way that allows applications to perform application-specific processing during storage system failover.