18520670. TECHNIQUES TO PROVIDE A FLEXIBLE WITNESS IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM simplified abstract (Cisco Technology, Inc.)
Contents
- 1 TECHNIQUES TO PROVIDE A FLEXIBLE WITNESS IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM
- 1.1 Organization Name
- 1.2 Inventor(s)
- 1.3 TECHNIQUES TO PROVIDE A FLEXIBLE WITNESS IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM - A simplified explanation of the abstract
- 1.4 Simplified Explanation
- 1.5 Potential Applications
- 1.6 Problems Solved
- 1.7 Benefits
- 1.8 Potential Commercial Applications
- 1.9 Possible Prior Art
- 1.10 Original Abstract Submitted
TECHNIQUES TO PROVIDE A FLEXIBLE WITNESS IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Shweta Manohar Behere of Milpitas CA (US)
Dhanesh Joshi of Cupertino CA (US)
Jonathan S. Gorlin of Denver CO (US)
Sean Joseph Hagan of Wilton CT (US)
TECHNIQUES TO PROVIDE A FLEXIBLE WITNESS IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18520670 titled 'TECHNIQUES TO PROVIDE A FLEXIBLE WITNESS IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM
Simplified Explanation
The patent application describes a flexible witness service system architecture that includes cluster sites with storage/compute nodes, local external devices running local witness services, and a central cloud management platform running a cloud witness service.
- Cluster sites with at least two storage/compute nodes
- Local external devices associated with cluster sites running local witness services
- Central cloud management platform running a cloud witness service
- Identical arbitration services provided by local and cloud witness services in case of node failure or communication issues
Potential Applications
The technology could be applied in data centers, cloud computing environments, and distributed systems where reliable arbitration services are needed.
Problems Solved
The system addresses the challenge of ensuring continuous operation and fault tolerance in distributed computing environments by providing redundant witness services.
Benefits
- Improved fault tolerance and reliability - Seamless failover in case of node failure - Simplified management of witness services
Potential Commercial Applications
- Cloud service providers - Data center operators - Companies with distributed computing environments
Possible Prior Art
One possible prior art could be witness service systems in distributed databases or storage systems that provide similar fault tolerance mechanisms.
Unanswered Questions
How does the system handle network partitions between cluster sites?
The patent application does not specify how the system deals with network partitions that may occur between cluster sites. This could be a critical aspect to consider for ensuring the system's reliability in real-world scenarios.
What is the scalability of the system in terms of adding more cluster sites or storage/compute nodes?
The patent application does not provide information on how easily the system can scale up by adding more cluster sites or storage/compute nodes. Understanding the scalability limitations of the system is crucial for planning future expansions or upgrades.
Original Abstract Submitted
A flexible witness service system architecture is provided that comprises one or more cluster sites each having at least two storage/compute nodes; at least one local external device associated with at least one of the one or more cluster sites, the at least one local external device configured to run a local witness service. A central cloud management platform is in communication with the one or more cluster sites, the central cloud management platform being configured to run a cloud witness service. The local witness service and the cloud witness service perform identical arbitration services if a storage/compute node in one of the one or more cluster sites fails or communication between storage/compute nodes in a cluster fails.
