Virtual Storage Replica Control via Fingerprint Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In virtual machine environments, accessing the underlying contents of a storage volume is resource-intensive, reducing performance and requiring significant time and resources to create and maintain replica storage volumes, especially when done across geographically diverse locations.
Innovation Solution
A replica control system identifies and transfers only critical, changed, and non-transient data blocks, using characteristics such as allocation status and similarity analysis through fingerprint analysis to optimize data access and transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all data blocks in a storage volume are accessed and transferred to create a replica, then the replica is complete and accurate, but the process is resource-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential and changed data blocks from the source storage volume rather than copying all data blocks. The replica control system identifies and selects only critical data blocks that are necessary for maintaining an accurate replica, thereby reducing the amount of data transferred while preserving replica integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary analysis of data blocks before replication to identify which blocks are critical and have changed. By pre-processing the source storage volume to determine replication priorities and changes, the system prepares a optimized replication plan that reduces unnecessary data transfer while ensuring complete replica accuracy.
2Loss of energy
If data blocks are selectively transferred based on characteristics, then resource consumption is reduced, but determining which blocks to transfer becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fingerprint analysis to create unique identifiers for data blocks, analogous to color coding. Each data block is analyzed and assigned a fingerprint characteristic that enables quick identification and comparison. This simplifies the selection process by providing a clear, standardized method for determining which blocks are critical and have changed, reducing the complexity of the selection logic.
3Measurement precision
If fingerprint analysis is performed on changed data blocks, then similarity identification improves, but the analysis process requires additional computational resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies fingerprint analysis selectively only to changed data blocks rather than performing comprehensive analysis on all data blocks. This partial action approach focuses computational resources on the specific subset of blocks that have changed, achieving precise similarity detection where needed while minimizing unnecessary computational overhead on unchanged blocks.
Data Source
AI summary
A replica control system includes software to control replication in virtual environments. The replica control system identifies a plurality of data blocks within an underlying storage volume in response to a request to update a replica of a target storage volume, identifies changed data blocks of the plurality of data blocks within the underlying storage volume, and identifies a subset of the changed data blocks with which to update the replica of the target storage volume based on a characteristic of the changed data blocks.