ELEC Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Defense by Guixiang (Peter) Lyu -ECE
Topic: Reliability and Performance Modeling and Enhancement for Storage Area Networks
Abstract:
Storage area networks (SAN) provide an effective solution to the significant growth issue in remote data storage and access. To deliver the desired quality of service, the reliability challenges of SANs must be addressed. A major threat to SAN reliability and performance is cascading failures, where a single incident triggers a chain reaction, causing extensive damage and even crash of the entire system. This dissertation research focuses on overload-triggered cascading failures, where the overloading of one device (e.g., a switch) causes it to fail, reallocating its workload to other devices, which in turn become overloaded, leading to further failures in a domino effect. This work first investigates the effects of data loading on the reliability of an individual switch device in SANs using the proportional-hazards model and accelerated failure-time model. It then investigates the effects of loading on the reliability of an entire SAN through dynamic fault trees and binary decision diagrams-based analysis. Furthermore, to enhance SAN reliability, proactive load redistribution-based mitigation strategies are designed, which aim to prevent cascading failures during the specified mission time, or at least alleviate the consequence of such failures. Two triggering mechanisms, based on the overall SAN reliability and switch loading, are considered. Load-based and reliability-based node selection rules are explored. Additionally, traffic reallocation strategies are investigated to enhance SAN performance in terms of load balancing and overall response time. The performance metrics of switch utilization, switch response time, and overall response time are analyzed using Jackson queueing networks. The application and effectiveness of the proposed mitigation strategies are demonstrated and compared through detailed case studies of SANs with a mesh topology.
Advisor: Dr. Liudong Xing, Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth
Committee Members:
Dr. Hong Liu, Commonwealth Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMass Dartmouth;
Dr. Honggang Wang, Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMass Dartmouth;
Dr. Haining Meng, Associate Professor, School of Computer Science, Xi’an University of Technology, China
NOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public.
*For further information, please contact Dr. Liudong Xing at 508.999.8883 or via email
Lester W. Cory Conference Room, Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 213A / Zoom Link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93705186451 Meeting ID: 937 0518 6451 Passcode: 133507
: 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747
Liudong xing
5089998883
lxing@umassd.edu