Method and system for data plane abstraction to enable a network storage platform ecosystem

• US 9,436,716 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PLUMgrid, Inc.
• Inventors: Starovoitov, Alexei, Singh, Sushil, Monclus, Pere, Nemat, Awais
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US13/888,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 707/803, 707/812, 707/790, 713/153, 370/252, 370/392, 709/220, 711/118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method for network storage by receiving, by a storage compiler, a first storage definition from a storage application developer, where the first storage definition describes a customized storage implementation for storing data in an abstraction of at least one physical storage device, compiling the first storage definition to generate a first customized storage implementation module, and loading the first customized storage implementation module into an IO engine. The first customized storage implementation module causes data to be stored in the at least one physical storage device differently than prior to loading the first customized storage implementation module in the IO engine.

Claims

1. A method for network storage, the method comprising:

receiving, by a storage compiler, a first storage definition from a storage application developer;

wherein the first storage definition describes a customized storage implementation for storing data in an abstraction of at least one physical storage device;

compiling the first storage definition to generate a first customized storage implementation module;

loading the first customized storage implementation module into an IO engine;

wherein the first customized storage implementation module causes data to be stored in the at least one physical storage device differently than prior to loading the first customized storage implementation module in the IO engine; and

in response to receiving a second storage definition;

dynamically generating a second customized storage implementation module; and

dynamically loading the second customized storage implementation module into the IO engine;

wherein an IO operating system prevents a first network storage application associated with the first storage definition from utilizing the second customized storage implementation module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first network storage application and a second network storage application concurrently utilize the IO engine to access the respective customized storage implementation modules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first storage definition is received in a domain specific language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized storage processing modules are configured to perform configurable functions including hash, encrypt, decrypt, lookup, and data deduplication;

wherein the configurable function of hash comprises a hash function;

wherein the configurable function of encrypt comprises a function for encoding data using an encryption algorithm;

wherein the configurable function of decrypt comprises a function for encoding data using an encryption algorithm; and

wherein the configurable function of lookup comprises identifying a location for particular data, and the configurable function of deduplication comprises functionality for removing redundant data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the IO engine orchestrates an execution order of a first set of customized data processing modules and a second set of customized data processing modules by connecting the individual customized data processing modules according to a configuration policy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized storage implementation module is composed of multiple instances through the IO engine.

7. A system for network storage, the system comprising

a computer readable storage device comprising computer readable code executable by a processor to:

receive, by a storage compiler, a first storage definition from a storage application developer;

wherein the first storage definition describes a customized storage implementation for storing data in an abstraction of at least one physical storage device;

compile the first storage definition to generate a first customized storage implementation module;

load the first customized storage implementation module into an IO engine;

wherein the first customized storage implementation module causes data to be stored in the at least one physical storage device differently than prior to loading the first customized storage implementation module in the IO engine; and

in response to receiving a second storage definition;

dynamically generate a second customized storage implementation module, and

dynamically load the second customized storage implementation module into the IO engine,

wherein an IO operating system prevents a first network storage application associated with the first storage definition from utilizing the second customized storage implementation module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein a first network storage application and a second network storage application concurrently utilize the IO engine to access the respective customized storage implementation modules.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first storage definition is received in a domain specific language.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the customized storage implementation modules are configured to perform configurable functions including hash, encrypt, decrypt, lookup, and data deduplication;

wherein the configurable function of hash comprises a hash function;

wherein the configurable function of encrypt comprises a function for encoding data using an encryption algorithm;

wherein the configurable function of decrypt comprises a function for encoding data using an encryption algorithm;

wherein the configurable function of lookup comprises identifying a location for particular data, and the configurable function of deduplication comprises functionality for removing redundant data.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the IO engine orchestrates an execution order of a first set of customized data processing modules and a second set of customized data processing modules by connecting the individual customized data processing modules according to a configuration policy.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the customized storage implementation module is composed of multiple instances through the IO engine.

13. A computer program product for network storage application development, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device; and

computer readable code stored on the computer readable storage device and executable by a computer processor to;

receive, by a storage compiler, a first storage definition from a storage application developer wherein the first storage definition describes a customized storage implementation for storing data in an abstraction of at least one physical storage device;

compile the first storage definition to generate a first customized storage implementation module;

load the first customized storage implementation module into an IO engine;

wherein the first customized storage implementation module causes data to be stored in the at least one physical storage device differently than prior to loading the first customized storage implementation module in the IO engine; and

in response to receiving a second storage definition;

dynamically generate a second customized storage implementation module; and

dynamically load the second customized storage implementation module into the IO engine;

wherein an IO operating system prevents a first network storage application associated with the first storage definition from utilizing the second customized storage implementation module.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein a first network storage application and a second network storage application concurrently utilize the IO engine to access the respective customized storage implementation modules.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first storage definition is received in a domain specific language.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the customized storage implementation modules are configured to perform configurable functions including hash, encrypt, decrypt, lookup, and data deduplication;

wherein the configurable function of hash comprises a hash function;

wherein the configurable function of encrypt comprises a function for encoding data using an encryption algorithm;

wherein the configurable function of decrypt comprises a function for encoding data using an encryption algorithm;

wherein the configurable function of lookup comprises identifying a location for particular data; and

wherein the configurable function of deduplication comprises functionality for removing redundant data.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the IO engine orchestrates an execution order of a first set of customized data processing modules and a second set of customized data processing modules by connecting the individual customized data processing modules according to a configuration policy.