Virtual Memory Storage Appliance for Virtual Machine Data Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Virtualization deployments face high costs due to expensive enterprise storage targets and limited flexibility in managing and accessing data stored in virtualized environments, where existing solutions fail to provide granular control over data storage, encryption, durability, and performance properties across multiple virtual machines.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a virtual memory storage appliance that communicates with the operating system and virtual machine monitor to allocate and prioritize memory resources, transforming data composition and format for efficient storage and access, and aggregating distributed disks into a single managed storage target, utilizing local hard disks and emerging storage technologies like SSDs for optimized performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If enterprise storage targets (SAN/NAS) are used to provide shared storage for virtual machines, then storage reliability and accessibility are improved, but storage cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage reliabilityVSAvoidstorage cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments storage management into multiple layers: virtual memory storage appliances (VMSA) running on individual physical hosts, which independently manage local storage resources. Each VMSA divides storage into memory resources (for active data) and archive resources (for inactive data), allowing granular control without requiring centralized enterprise storage infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The virtual memory storage appliance acts as an intermediary layer between the virtual machine monitor and physical storage devices. It virtualizes storage resources and provides abstraction, enabling hosts to access local storage as if it were shared enterprise storage, thereby eliminating the need for expensive SAN/NAS infrastructure while maintaining reliability through software-based management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If distributed local disks are used for storage, then storage cost is reduced, but storage management flexibility and control are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage costVSAvoidstorage management flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual memory storage appliance provides multiple storage functions within a single software platform: it manages both memory resources for active data and archive resources for inactive data, supports multiple virtual machines simultaneously, and provides both storage and data migration capabilities. This universal approach replaces multiple specialized storage systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically allocates and migrates data between memory resources and archive resources based on access patterns, workload demands, and storage policies. Data can be automatically moved between different storage tiers (local disk, remote storage) without manual intervention, providing adaptive management that responds to changing conditions in real-time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If virtual machines use shared enterprise storage, then live migration between hosts is enabled, but storage cost and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelive migration capabilityVSAvoidstorage cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the storage management function from centralized enterprise storage infrastructure and places it at the host level through virtual memory storage appliances. Each host independently manages its own storage resources, allowing VMs to be migrated between hosts by coordinating data transfer through the VMSA layer without requiring shared storage backend.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces the mechanical/shared storage infrastructure (physical SAN/NAS hardware) with a software-based solution. Data migration and sharing are achieved through software protocols and network communication between VMSA instances, eliminating the need for expensive shared storage hardware while maintaining migration capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10019159B2Systems, methods and devices for management of virtual memory systems

Publication Date: 2018.07.10 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Systems, methods and devices for management of instances of virtual memory components for storing computer readable information for use by at least one first computing device, the system comprising at least one physical computing device, each physical computing device being communicatively coupled over a network and comprising: a physical memory component, a computing processor component, an operating system, a virtual machine monitor, and virtual memory storage appliances; at least one of the virtual memory storage appliances being configured to (a) accept memory instructions from the at least one first computing device, (b) instantiate instances of at least one virtual memory component, (c) allocate memory resources from at least one physical memory component for use by any one of the least one virtual memory components, optionally according to a pre-defined policy; and (d) implement memory instructions on the at least one physical memory component.