Scoring data flow characteristics to assign data flows to storage systems in a data storage infrastructure for a communication network

• US 7,895,295 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Mirza, Nasir Mahmood, Thakur, Brajendra Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ashok B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Desrosiers; Evans
• Application Number:
  US11/335,313
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/220, 709223-225, 709/238, 726/4, 370229-230, 370/235, 707/200, 714/20, 714/57
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a plurality of data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are configured to store the network data. The storage management system is configured to identify characteristics for the data flows, score the characteristics for the data flows, and process the scores to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems.

Claims

1. A data storage infrastructure for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data, the data storage infrastructure comprising:

a plurality of data storage systems configured to store the network data, wherein each one of the data storage systems comprises a storage system tier of a plurality of storage system tiers; and

a storage management system configured to identify characteristics for the data flows, score the characteristics for the data flows resulting in scores for the data flows, sum the scores to generate total scores for the data flows, and identify key variables for the data flows to determine a compatibility between each one of the data flows and a plurality of classes of service, wherein the classes of service comprise extremely critical, mission critical, business critical, and back-office, and wherein the key variables comprise access frequency, availability, policy enforcement, geographic diversity, business impact if data is lost, monitoring requirements, response time, and whether the network data is required for establishment and operation of communication paths for customers; and

the storage management system further configured to select a class of service of the plurality of classes of service for each one of the data flows based on the total score and the key variables identified for each one of the data flows, and select one of the storage system tiers for each one of the data flows based on the selected class of service, wherein the data storage systems are configured to store the data flows in the selected ones of the storage system tiers.

2. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the different ones of the data storage systems have different data storage reliabilities.

3. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the storage management system is configured to normalize the scores.

4. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the storage management system is configured to weight the scores for the individual data flows.

5. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the characteristics indicate users of the data flows.

6. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the characteristics indicate monetary values of the data flows.

7. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the characteristics indicate priorities of the data flows.

8. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the characteristics indicate life-cycles of the data flows.

9. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the characteristics indicate legal compliance requirements of the data flows.

10. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the characteristics indicate performance requirements of the data flows.

11. A method of operating a data storage infrastructure for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data, the method comprising:

in a plurality of data storage systems, storing the network data, wherein each one of the data storage systems comprises a storage system tier of a plurality of storage system tiers; and

in a storage management system, identifying characteristics for the data flows, scoring the characteristics for the data flows resulting in scores for the data flows, summing the scores to generate total scores for the data flows, and identifying key variables for the data flows to determine a compatibility between each one of the data flows and a plurality of classes of service, wherein the classes of service comprise extremely critical, mission critical, business critical, and back-office, and wherein the key variables comprise access frequency, availability, policy enforcement, geographic diversity, business impact if data is lost, monitoring requirements, response time, and whether the network data is required for establishment and operation of communication paths for customers; and

in the storage management system, selecting a class of service of the plurality of classes of service for each one of the data flows based on the total score and the key variables identified for each one of the data flows, and selecting one of the storage system tiers for each one of the data flows based on the selected class of service, wherein the data storage systems storing the network data comprises the data storage systems storing the data flows in the selected ones of the storage system tiers.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the different ones of the data storage systems have different data storage reliabilities.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising, in the storage management system, normalizing the scores.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising, in the storage management system, weighting the scores for the individual data flows.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics indicate users of the data flows.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics indicate monetary values of the data flows.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics indicate priorities of the data flows.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics indicate life-cycles of the data flows.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics indicate legal compliance requirements of the data flows.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics indicate performance requirements of the data flows.