Virtualized Storage Processor Namespace Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data storage systems face challenges in managing virtual data movers due to the intermingling of their content within a physical storage processor's root file system, which impairs mobility and management, requiring complex steps for migration and potentially disrupting other virtual data movers.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of virtualized storage processors (VSPs) as self-describing and independent entities with their own namespaces and network addresses, allowing direct access by hosts and enabling seamless movement between physical storage processors with minimal disruption, by storing configuration settings and data objects within their own file systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If virtual data movers are managed within a unified root file system of the physical storage processor, then centralized management and resource sharing are achieved, but mobility and ease of management deteriorate due to complex migration steps and potential disruptions to other virtual data movers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the unified root file system into isolated namespaces, with each virtual data mover having its own dedicated namespace. This segmentation allows virtual data movers to be managed independently while maintaining centralized control through the physical storage processor, resolving the contradiction between centralized management and ease of migration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the namespace and configuration settings of each virtual data mover from the unified root file system and encapsulates them within the virtualized storage processor itself. This extraction enables the virtual data mover to be moved as a self-contained unit between physical storage processors without affecting other virtual data movers, significantly simplifying migration procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If virtual data movers share a common namespace within the physical storage processor, then resource sharing and centralized control are improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to path dependencies on the physical storage processor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the virtualized storage processor as an intermediary layer between hosts and the physical storage processor. This intermediary encapsulates the namespace and provides path translation, allowing hosts to access virtual data movers through simplified paths without exposing the underlying physical storage processor structure, thus maintaining resource sharing while improving access simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a virtualization dimension to the storage architecture by creating virtual namespaces that operate independently from the physical storage processor's file system structure. This dimensional addition allows hosts to access data through virtual paths that are independent of the physical storage processor's root file system, simplifying operations while preserving resource sharing capabilities.
3Ease of manufacture
If configuration settings are stored in the physical storage processor's root file system, then centralized configuration management is achieved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential disruptions to other virtual data movers during migration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments configuration settings into virtualized storage processor-specific configurations rather than storing them in the physical storage processor's root file system. This segmentation isolates configuration data to specific virtual data movers, allowing migration of individual virtual data movers without affecting the operational stability of others, while maintaining centralized configuration management through the virtualization layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts configuration settings from the physical storage processor's root file system and relocates them to the virtualized storage processor. This extraction creates self-contained configuration units that can be migrated independently, eliminating the risk of disrupting other virtual data movers during migration while preserving centralized configuration management capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for managing host data in a data storage apparatus having a storage processor (SP) provides virtualized storage processors (VSPs) as substantially self-describing and independent entities. Each VSP has its own namespace, independent of the namespace of any other VSP. Each VSP also has its own network address. Hosts may thus access VSPs directly, without having to include path information relative to the SP on which the VSP is operated. VSPs can thus be moved from one physical SP to another with little or no disruption to hosts, which may continue to access the VSPs on the new SPs using the same paths as were used when the VSPs were running on the original SPs.