Virtualized Block Storage Servers in Cloud Substrate Extensions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in providing efficient and flexible virtualized block storage services in a provider substrate extension (PSE) where resources are limited, and traditional bare-metal block storage designs are not well-suited, leading to constraints in hosting both compute and storage instances on a single server, and the need for local boot techniques to reduce latency and reliance on the provider network.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves virtualizing the block storage service to enable it to run within a compute instance, allowing a single server to host both compute and storage, and implementing local boot techniques to load a boot volume from local storage and boot the block storage server, thereby decoupling failure domains and enhancing resource utilization and security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional bare-metal block storage design is used, then storage service is provided, but resource utilization is limited and flexibility is reduced when hosting both compute and storage instances on a single server in PSE
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges compute and storage instances on a single server by virtualizing the block storage service. The block storage server runs as a virtual machine instance on the same physical server that hosts compute instances, allowing unified resource management and flexible deployment in PSE environments where resources are constrained.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical server is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously - hosting both compute instances and block storage instances. The block storage server virtual machine provides storage services to other virtual machines on the same server, enabling the server to function as both a compute node and a storage node.
2Speed
If boot volume is loaded from provider network, then centralized storage management is maintained, but latency increases and reliance on provider network grows
Solution Approach 1:
The block storage server virtual machine is pre-configured with the necessary boot volume and storage service software before being deployed. This preliminary preparation allows the server to boot and provide storage services locally without needing to load boot volumes from the provider network during operation, reducing latency and network dependency.
Data Source
AI summary
A first request to launch a first virtual machine to host a block storage server application is received. At least a portion of a storage capacity of one or more storage devices of a host computer system is provisioned to the first virtual machine as a provisioned storage device. The block storage server application is executed with the first virtual machine. As part of executing the block storage server application, a logical volume is created on the provisioned storage device in response to a second request from a block storage service of a provider network to create the logical volume, a third request to perform an input/output operation is received and performed with the logical volume.