Automated Virtual Machine Storage Expansion via LUN Volume Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale IT organizations face time-consuming and manual challenges in provisioning and managing storage for virtual machines across globally disparate physical resources, requiring efficient automation to support growing storage demands.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that automatically determine and expand storage capacity for virtual machines by increasing logical unit number (LUN) volumes and data store sizes, allowing for dynamic provisioning of storage resources within a virtual environment, enabling seamless expansion of virtual machine disks and file system partitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual administration is used to provision storage for virtual machines, then storage capacity can be increased, but the process becomes time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service storage provisioning by automatically detecting when virtual machines require additional storage capacity and initiating the expansion process without manual intervention. The virtualization environment monitors storage usage metrics and autonomously provisions additional storage resources, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring administrative manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring storage provisioning capabilities and monitoring mechanisms before storage capacity is needed. Storage thresholds and expansion parameters are established in advance, and the system continuously monitors usage patterns to detect when expansion is required, enabling rapid response without manual intervention when the actual expansion need arises.
2Quantity of substance
If storage capacity is increased for virtual machines, then storage demands are met, but manual administration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary automated storage management layer between the physical storage infrastructure and virtual machines. This intermediary component handles the complexity of storage provisioning, capacity planning, and expansion operations, translating high-level storage requirements into specific provisioning actions while shielding administrators from underlying complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage provisioning system performs multiple functions through a unified automated process: it monitors storage usage across virtual machines, determines when expansion is needed, allocates additional storage capacity, configures storage resources, and verifies successful provisioning. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate manual administrative actions into a single automated system.
3Productivity
If automated storage provisioning is implemented, then efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges storage monitoring, capacity analysis, provisioning decision-making, and storage allocation functions into a single integrated automated workflow. By combining these previously separate functions into one unified system, the complexity is consolidated and managed centrally rather than distributed across multiple separate components, making the automated system more manageable despite its enhanced capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and/or systems for provisioning storage capacity of a virtual machine are disclosed. Storage provisioning requests are received from virtual machines executing within a physical host environment. The provisioning requests are validated and processed to generate or otherwise expand storage capacities of the requesting virtual machines.