Virtual Datastore Identifier Abstraction for Non-Disruptive Storage Migration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtualization environments, managing physical storage for virtual machines is complex due to tight coupling between virtual and physical storage, leading to downtime and administrative challenges when underlying storage entities change, such as during reconfiguration or failure.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates a unique virtual datastore identifier to abstract physical storage entities, allowing changes to underlying storage to be made independently without affecting virtual machines, and enabling transparent management by separating physical and virtual storage layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physical storage volumes are directly assigned to virtual machines, then storage management is simple, but any changes to underlying storage cause downtime and require virtual machine reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual storage volume as an intermediary layer between the physical storage and virtual machines. This virtual volume acts as a mediator that absorbs changes at the physical level without propagating them to the virtual machine level, thereby maintaining virtual machine availability while enabling flexible storage management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the storage management into distinct layers: physical storage management and virtual storage management. By separating these functions, changes to physical storage can be handled independently without affecting virtual machines, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and system availability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If physical storage changes are made directly, then storage flexibility is improved, but virtual infrastructure stability deteriorates due to required reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual volume serves as a stable intermediary that shields the virtual infrastructure from physical storage changes. Administrators can modify physical storage configurations freely while the virtual volume maintains a consistent interface to virtual machines, preserving infrastructure stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a virtualization dimension between physical and virtual storage layers. This additional layer provides a buffer that allows physical storage to evolve independently while maintaining virtual infrastructure stability, effectively resolving the adaptability-stability trade-off.
3Reliability
If manual updates are performed when storage volumes change, then policy compliance can be maintained, but administrative time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated policies that enable self-service storage management. When physical storage changes occur, the virtualization layer automatically handles reconfiguration and policy compliance checks without requiring manual administrator intervention, reducing administrative time while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that automatically monitor storage changes and trigger appropriate policy enforcement actions. This automated feedback loop ensures policy compliance is maintained without requiring continuous manual oversight, reducing administrative burden.
Data Source
AI summary
A datastore for a virtual machine that can be executed on a host computer networked to a physical storage system is allocated by a server. The server generates a unique identifier to associate with the datastore, wherein the unique identifier mimics a form of identifier that is generated by the physical storage system to identify volumes of physical storage in the physical storage system that are accessible to the host computer. At least one volume of physical storage in the physical storage system having physical storage available to satisfy the request to allocate the datastore is identified and the server maintains a mapping of the unique identifier to the at least one volume of physical storage and provides the mapping to the host computer upon running the virtual machine, thereby enabling the host computer to store data for the datastore in the at least one volume of physical storage.