Virtual Disk Storage Integration for Heterogeneous NAS Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing NAS equipment from different manufacturers cannot directly communicate and integrate their storage capacity, making it inefficient to expand server storage capacity by connecting multiple storage devices.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using iSCSI to simulate network equipment as a target, establishing a virtual disk, and integrating volumes of network equipment with the electronic apparatus' own volumes to create a logical volume and file system, allowing efficient access and management of storage across different types of storage equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If NAS equipment from different manufacturers are connected to expand storage capacity, then the storage capacity of the server can be expanded, but the different controllers and management interfaces prevent direct communication and integration of storage capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a storage management system as an intermediary component that mediates between the server and multiple NAS devices from different manufacturers. This system provides a unified management interface and translation layer that enables heterogeneous storage devices to communicate and be integrated into a single virtualized storage pool, resolving the compatibility issue while maintaining storage capacity expansion
Solution Approach 2:
The storage management system is designed with universal functionality to support multiple NAS equipment from different manufacturers through different controllers and interfaces. It implements a standardized protocol layer that can adapt to various storage device types, enabling the system to manage diverse storage resources through a single unified interface
2Ease of operation
If multiple storage equipment are connected individually, then each storage equipment can be accessed separately, but the inability to integrate them prevents efficient storage capacity expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individually accessible storage equipment into a unified virtualized storage pool through the storage management system. While maintaining the ability to access individual devices when needed, it combines their capacities into an integrated resource that can be managed and allocated efficiently as a single pool, thereby improving overall productivity
3Reliability
If traditional NAS configuration methods are used, then storage equipment can be connected to the network, but different management interfaces prevent unified data access and management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the management interface complexity from the individual NAS devices and consolidates it into a centralized storage management system. This separates the reliable network connection functionality from the complex management interfaces, allowing devices to maintain their native reliable connections while presenting a unified simplified management interface to users
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic apparatus and a method for expanding a storage capacity of the electronic apparatus are provided. In the method, at least one storage equipment on a network is searched and logged in by using a network interface. A virtual disk is established and a volume of at least one disk in each storage equipment is attached to the virtual disk as a physical volume of the electronic apparatus. The physical volume is transformed into a logical volume and a file system of the logical volume is established for providing the electronic device to access the logical volume.