Virtual Storage Resource Allocation Across Physical Boundaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems require administrators to be aware of physical boundaries between multiple real storage apparatuses, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies in managing virtual storage.
Innovation Solution
A storage system that virtualizes resources across multiple real storage apparatuses, allowing administrators to manage virtual storage resources without awareness of physical boundaries by associating virtual resources with real resources and dynamically allocating storage resources within a single apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple real storage apparatuses are managed as separate physical units, then each apparatus can be independently controlled and maintained, but administrators must be aware of physical boundaries which increases management complexity and operating costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple real storage apparatuses into a single virtual storage apparatus, allowing administrators to manage multiple physical devices through a unified virtual interface. This combining approach eliminates the need for administrators to be aware of physical boundaries while maintaining independent control capabilities through the virtualization layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual storage apparatus acts as an intermediary between administrators and real storage apparatuses. It receives control commands from administrators, translates them into appropriate operations, and routes them to the relevant real storage devices, thereby shielding administrators from physical complexity while enabling efficient resource allocation.
2Productivity
If control commands are processed by the real storage apparatus holding the first real storage resource, then processing efficiency is improved by avoiding inter-apparatus communication, but the command must be routed to the correct apparatus which requires lookup overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual storage apparatus performs preliminary actions by maintaining a management information table that pre-establishes the mapping between virtual storage resources and real storage apparatuses. When a control command arrives, the system can quickly lookup the target apparatus in this pre-prepared table, minimizing routing time while ensuring the command reaches the correct device for efficient local processing.
Data Source
AI summary
An example is a method of controlling a storage system for providing a virtual storage apparatus that includes virtual storage resources associated with real storage resources of real storage apparatus. It includes receiving a virtual storage resource control command of a predetermined type specifying a first virtual storage resource in the virtual storage apparatus and a second virtual storage resource associated with the first virtual storage resource; referring to management information for managing association relations between the virtual storage resources and the real storage resources, to identify a first real storage resource associated with the first virtual storage resource and a first real storage apparatus including the first real storage resource; and selecting a second real storage resource associated with the second virtual storage resource from real storage resources within the first real storage apparatus, or creating the second real storage resource within the first real storage apparatus.