Dell products l.p. (20240126777). DATA STORAGE OBJECT CLONING IN A MULTI-APPLIANCE FEDERATION simplified abstract

DATA STORAGE OBJECT CLONING IN A MULTI-APPLIANCE FEDERATION

Organization Name

dell products l.p.

Inventor(s)

Dmitry Nikolayevich Tylik of Westborough MA (US)

Nagasimha Haravu of Chapel Hill NC (US)

DATA STORAGE OBJECT CLONING IN A MULTI-APPLIANCE FEDERATION - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240126777 titled 'DATA STORAGE OBJECT CLONING IN A MULTI-APPLIANCE FEDERATION

Simplified Explanation

The method described in the abstract involves creating a clone of a source storage object on a second data storage appliance by first creating a snapshot of the source storage object on a first data storage appliance, and then performing a full copy of the snapshot to the second appliance to produce a copy snapshot. The clone is then created from the copy snapshot on the second appliance and incorporated into a federation-wide family association of the source storage object.

• Creating a snapshot of the source storage object on the first data storage appliance.
• Performing a full copy of the snapshot to the second data storage appliance.
• Creating a clone from the copy snapshot on the second appliance.
• Incorporating the clone into a federation-wide family association of the source storage object.

Potential Applications

This technology could be used in:

• Creating clones on different appliances from a base volume.
• Migrating clones to different appliances from a base volume.
• Refreshing clones from a base volume, and vice versa, across appliances.

Problems Solved

This technology solves the problems of:

• Efficiently creating clones on different appliances.
• Simplifying the migration of clones between appliances.
• Streamlining the process of refreshing clones from base volumes.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include:

• Improved data management and storage efficiency.
• Simplified data migration and cloning processes.
• Enhanced data protection and disaster recovery capabilities.

Potential Commercial Applications

A potential commercial application of this technology could be in:

• Data storage and management solutions for enterprises.
• Cloud storage services.
• Disaster recovery and backup solutions.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art for this technology could be the use of snapshot and cloning features in existing data storage systems, although the specific method described in the abstract may offer unique advantages in terms of efficiency and scalability.

Unanswered Questions

How does this technology compare to existing methods of creating clones and snapshots in data storage systems?

The article does not provide a direct comparison with existing methods, so it is unclear how this technology differs or improves upon current practices.

What are the potential limitations or challenges of implementing this method in real-world data storage environments?

The article does not address any potential limitations or challenges that may arise when implementing this method, leaving room for further exploration of practical considerations.

Original Abstract Submitted

a method of creating a clone, on a second data storage appliance of a federation, of a source storage object stored on a first data storage appliance of the federation, includes creating a snapshot (point-in-time copy) of the source storage object at the first appliance, and then performing a full copy of the snapshot from the first appliance to the second appliance to produce a copy snapshot on the second appliance. at the second appliance, the clone is created from the copy snapshot and incorporated into a federation-wide family association of the source storage object. specific use cases include (1) creating a clone on a different appliance from a base volume, (2) migrating a clone to a different appliance from a base volume, (3) refreshing a clone from a base volume, and a base volume from a clone, across appliances.