Virtual Persistent Volume Storage Adaptation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Containerized applications face limitations in storage configuration flexibility and data services due to existing storage provisioning methods, which are often inflexible and disruptive, and are not tailored to the evolving storage needs of containerized applications.

Innovation Solution

A storage virtualization system that reads a container orchestrator's manifest to identify an application data store profile, modifying a virtual persistent volume accordingly, allowing for a more updated application-centric storage policy that abstracts underlying storage, providing flexibility and non-disruptive changes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional storage provisioning methods are used for containerized applications, then storage configuration is simple and straightforward, but storage configuration flexibility and adaptability to application needs are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage configuration flexibilityVSAvoidstorage provisioning complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a storage virtualization system as an intermediary layer between containerized applications and physical storage resources. This virtualization layer abstracts underlying storage details and provides flexible storage provisioning through virtual persistent volumes that can be dynamically configured and modified without disrupting applications, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables dynamic modification of virtual persistent volume parameters such as storage capacity, performance characteristics, and access policies based on identified application data store profiles. These parameter changes allow storage configurations to adapt to evolving application needs while maintaining abstraction, thus improving flexibility without proportionally increasing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If storage provisioning is done using fixed pre-defined storage classes, then provisioning process is simple, but storage cannot be tailored to specific application needs and evolves poorly with changing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage tailoring to application needsVSAvoidstorage provisioning ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-configures multiple application data store profiles with optimized storage parameters for different types of containerized applications. When a new application is deployed, the system automatically identifies and applies the appropriate pre-configured profile, enabling tailored storage provisioning without manual configuration effort. This preliminary preparation resolves the contradiction between customization and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The storage virtualization system continuously monitors application storage usage patterns and performance requirements, then uses this feedback to automatically adjust and optimize storage configurations. The system reads container orchestrator manifests to identify application characteristics and dynamically tailors storage provisioning accordingly, maintaining ease of operation while achieving application-specific optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If storage configurations are modified to meet evolving application needs, then storage can adapt to changing requirements, but modifications are disruptive and affect user access

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage evolution capabilityVSAvoiduser access continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual persistent volume acts as an intermediary buffer between applications and physical storage. When storage configurations need to be modified to meet evolving application requirements, changes are applied to the virtual volume layer without affecting the running applications. This abstraction ensures that storage evolution occurs non-disruptively while maintaining user access continuity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables dynamic reconfiguration of virtual persistent volumes during runtime based on identified application data store profiles. Storage parameters such as capacity, performance tiers, and access policies can be modified on-the-fly without requiring application restart or interruption, thus achieving both adaptability and reliability simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11693575B2Containerized application manifests and virtual persistent volumes

Publication Date: 2023.07.04 HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEV LP

AI summary

Example implementations relate to virtual persistent volumes. In an example, a manifest of a containerized application to which a virtual persistent volume is allocated is read from a container orchestrator. An application data store profile that matches information of the manifest is identified from among a plurality of application data store profiles that each include storage parameters preconfigured for a respective application type. The virtual persistent volume is modified according to the identified application data store profile.