The inventive concept pertains to storage devices, and more particularly to storage devices that can provide information about the operation of the storage devices.
Enterprise storage systems are complex and challenging to deploy: end-customers typically rely on software partners and implementation partners. These partners are the authority for hardware selection, and they most often select the cheapest hardware. To these key partners, storage devices are a commodity. Price-capacity is the only consideration.
Manufacturers have their own concerns about their products. Manufacturers want end-customers to use the optimum hardware, which oftentimes is more expensive than the cheapest hardware available. Manufacturers are also concerned that their products are used as expected. If a product is sold on the grey market, this sale can undercut the manufacturer's profit margins. A need remains for a way to both incentivize partners to consider factors other than price or capacity in selecting hardware for deployment at end-customer facilities, and to track and prevent grey market leakage for manufacturers.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to enable a thorough understanding of the inventive concept. It should be understood, however, that persons having ordinary skill in the art may practice the inventive concept without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first module could be termed a second module, and, similarly, a second module could be termed a first module, without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.
The terminology used in the description of the inventive concept herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventive concept. As used in the description of the inventive concept and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The components and features of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
To encourage partners to select devices using criteria other than price, and to be able to track devices sold on the grey market, manufacturers can use embodiments of the inventive concept to review which partners deployed the devices to their customers, and to determine if a device has entered the grey market. Partners can be offered incentives in various ways: for example, to use particular devices in deployments to customers. Metrics received from the devices can be analyzed by the manufacturer to determine what devices have been deployed to the customer and how the customer has utilized the devices. This information can be used to determine where the partner has satisfied the objectives of an incentive program, analogous to a frequent-flier program. The metrics can also be analyzed to determine whether the customer's devices might require any preventative maintenance: for example, an update to the firmware, or replace a device. And the manufacturer can use information about the devices, customers, and partners to ensure that the device did not enter the grey market.
When partner 105 deploys an installation at customer 125, as shown by arrow 130, partner 105 can store the partner ID in devices during deployment. This can be done in a number of ways: for example, partner 105 can use a provisioning script to store the partner ID in the device. Then, the device can periodically report metrics to aggregator 135, as shown by arrow 140. As described below, aggregator 135 can be a software agent running within the network of customer 105: for example, on a server within the network of customer 105. Aggregator 135 can collect metrics from multiple devices deployed at customer 125 and report the aggregated metrics back to manufacturer 110, as shown by arrow 145. Alternatively, aggregator 135 can be external to customer 105 or can be omitted entirely, and the device can report directly back to manufacturer 110. Regardless of how manufacturer 110 receives the metrics, manufacturer 110 can use the information to compensate partner 105 as per an incentive, as shown by arrow 150.
In addition to storage device 210, device 205 can include metrics capture module 230, transmitter 235, and receiver 240. Metrics capture module 230 can capture various metrics about storage device 210. Metrics capture module 230 can be implemented as software that can be running on, for example, a processor within device 205 or storage device 210, but a person skilled in the art will recognize that metrics capture module 230 can also be implemented as special-purpose hardware within device 205, or even be a separate component connected to device 205 that can capture metrics about storage device 210. Transmitter 235 and receiver 240 can each be various standard interconnects communicating with other portions of a standard computer system. Transmitter 235 can transmit the captured metrics, either to aggregator 135 or manufacturer 110, as appropriate. And receiver 240 can receive information from other components. For example, receiver 240 can be used to receive a signal from a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) controller. The RAID controller can signal device 205 when to report metrics to aggregator 135. In this manner, the RAID controller can signal devices such as device 205 to report their captured metrics in a manner that minimizes the downtime of devices to customer 125. More specifically, by signaling one device at a time to report is captured metrics to aggregator 135, the overall RAID appears to be operating all the time, since the other disks can continue to respond to requests from customer 125. Device 205 can use transmitter 235 to transmit the captured metrics to aggregator 135 on any desired schedule: for example, once every second.
Although
In one embodiment of the inventive concept, device 205 can be installed in a traditional computer system or server at customer 125. In a second embodiment of the inventive concept, device 205 can be installed in a smart phone. In a third embodiment of the inventive concept, device 205 can be installed in a tablet computer. In a fourth embodiment of the inventive concept, device 205 can be installed in a network device. In a fifth embodiment of the inventive concept, device 205 can be installed in a smart TV. Other embodiments of the inventive concept can include various combinations of these installations for different devices 205.
Server 405 can also include devices, such as device 425, which can be a device like device 205 of
As a device such as device 205 of
Aggregator 135 can include Customer ID 225. In embodiments of the inventive concept where aggregator 135 is used, all the devices (such as devices 205, 425, and 440) deployed to a customer can report to aggregator 135 within the internal network of customer 125 of
In addition to receiving captured metrics 435 from device 425 internal to server 405, aggregator 135 can also receive captured metrics 445 from device 440. In contrast to device 425, device 440 is not internal to server 405, but rather is connected to server 405 (and aggregator 135) via network 415. Thus,
As described above, one reason to use RAID controller 430 is that RAID controller 430 can signal devices, such as device 205 of
While
Server 705 can use data miner 720 to mine data from metrics 305 of
In contrast, objective 815 indicates that if a partner manages to deploy more than 10,000 SSDs, each of which have features employed (metric 350), then the partner will receive a $25,000 bonus (incentive 820) and receive use-case information about the SSDs (incentive 825). Manufacturer 110 of
Returning to
Another use for data miner 720 is to determine whether devices 205, 425, and/or 440 of
If devices 205, 425, and 440 of
At block 930 (
In
At decision point 1135 (
At block 1160 (
Regardless of whether devices 205, 425, and/or 440 of
In block 1170, manufacturer 110 of
Alternatively (or in addition to block 1205), at block 1210 manufacturer 110 of
The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable machine or machines in which certain aspects of the inventive concept can be implemented. Typically, the machine or machines include a system bus to which is attached processors, memory, e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or other state preserving medium, storage devices, a video interface, and input/output interface ports. The machine or machines can be controlled, at least in part, by input from conventional input devices, such as keyboards, mice, etc., as well as by directives received from another machine, interaction with a virtual reality (VR) environment, biometric feedback, or other input signal. As used herein, the term “machine” is intended to broadly encompass a single machine, a virtual machine, or a system of communicatively coupled machines, virtual machines, or devices operating together. Exemplary machines include computing devices such as personal computers, workstations, servers, portable computers, handheld devices, telephones, tablets, etc., as well as transportation devices, such as private or public transportation, e.g., automobiles, trains, cabs, etc.
The machine or machines can include embedded controllers, such as programmable or non-programmable logic devices or arrays, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), embedded computers, smart cards, and the like. The machine or machines can utilize one or more connections to one or more remote machines, such as through a network interface, modem, or other communicative coupling. Machines can be interconnected by way of a physical and/or logical network, such as an intranet, the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks, etc. One skilled in the art will appreciate that network communication can utilize various wired and/or wireless short range or long range carriers and protocols, including radio frequency (RF), satellite, microwave, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, Bluetooth®, optical, infrared, cable, laser, etc.
Embodiments of the present inventive concept can be described by reference to or in conjunction with associated data including functions, procedures, data structures, application programs, etc. which when accessed by a machine results in the machine performing tasks or defining abstract data types or low-level hardware contexts. Associated data can be stored in, for example, the volatile and/or non-volatile memory, e.g., RAM, ROM, etc., or in other storage devices and their associated storage media, including hard-drives, floppy-disks, optical storage, tapes, flash memory, memory sticks, digital video disks, biological storage, etc. Associated data can be delivered over transmission environments, including the physical and/or logical network, in the form of packets, serial data, parallel data, propagated signals, etc., and can be used in a compressed or encrypted format. Associated data can be used in a distributed environment, and stored locally and/or remotely for machine access.
Embodiments of the inventive concept can include a tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions executable by one or more processors, the instructions comprising instructions to perform the elements of the inventive concepts as described herein.
Having described and illustrated the principles of the inventive concept with reference to illustrated embodiments, it will be recognized that the illustrated embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles, and can be combined in any desired manner. And, although the foregoing discussion has focused on particular embodiments, other configurations are contemplated. In particular, even though expressions such as “according to an embodiment of the inventive concept” or the like are used herein, these phrases are meant to generally reference embodiment possibilities, and are not intended to limit the inventive concept to particular embodiment configurations. As used herein, these terms can reference the same or different embodiments that are combinable into other embodiments.
The foregoing illustrative embodiments are not to be construed as limiting the inventive concept thereof. Although a few embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible to those embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this inventive concept as defined in the claims.
Embodiments of the inventive concept can extend to the following statements, without limitation:
Statement 1. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a device, comprising:
a storage device, the storage device including storage for a partner ID, the partner ID identifying a partner of a manufacturer of the storage device;
a metrics capture module resident in the storage device, the metrics capture module capable of capturing metrics of operation of the storage device; and
a transmitter to transmit the captured metrics and the partner ID to the manufacturer,
wherein the manufacturer can use the captured metrics and the partner ID to provide an incentive to the partner.
Statement 2. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a device according to statement 1, wherein:
the storage device is coupled to a RAID controller; and
the device further comprises a receiver to receive a signal from the RAID controller triggering a transmission of the captured metrics to the manufacturer.
Statement 3. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a device according to statement 1, wherein the transmitter is operative to transmit the captured metrics to an aggregator, the aggregator capable of aggregating the captured metrics with second metrics from a second storage device and transmitting the aggregated metrics to the manufacturer.
Statement 4. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a device according to statement 1, wherein the captured metrics a drawn from a set including capacity/time served, up-time, wear endurance, warranty, extended warranty, performance, workload profiles, applications served, features employed, and in-storage computing performance.
Statement 5. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a device according to statement 1, wherein the partner ID includes a Deployment Partner ID and a Software Partner ID, and
the manufacturer can use the metrics and the Deployment Partner ID to provide an incentive to a deployment partner and the metrics and the Software Partner ID to provide an incentive to a software partner.
Statement 6. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a device according to statement 1, wherein:
the storage device includes storage for a Customer ID, the Customer ID identifying a customer using the storage device; and
the transmitter is operative to transmit the captured metrics, the partner ID, and the Customer ID to the manufacturer,
wherein the manufacturer can use the Customer ID to verify that the storage device is not sold in a grey market.
Statement 7. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes an article, comprising a tangible storage medium, said tangible storage medium having stored thereon non-transitory instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:
receiving first metrics and a partner ID from a first storage device at an aggregator, the partner ID identifying a partner of a manufacturer of the first storage device and a second storage device;
receiving second metrics and the partner ID from the second storage device at the aggregator;
aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report, the report also including the partner ID; and
sending the report to the manufacturer,
wherein the manufacturer can use the aggregated metrics and the partner ID in the report to provide an incentive to the partner.
Statement 8. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes an article according to statement 7, wherein:
receiving first metrics from a first storage device at an aggregator includes receiving multiple first metrics from the first storage device at the aggregator;
receiving second metrics from a second storage device a an aggregator includes receiving multiple second metrics from the second storage device at the aggregator;
aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report includes aggregating the multiple first metrics and the multiple second metrics into the report.
Statement 9. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes an article according to statement 7, wherein:
receiving first metrics from a first storage device at an aggregator includes receiving the first metrics from the first storage device at the aggregator at a first time;
receiving second metrics from a second storage device at the aggregator includes receiving the second metrics from the second storage device at the aggregator at a second time,
wherein the first time and the second time are staggered.
Statement 10. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes an article according to statement 7, wherein aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report includes aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into the report, the report also including the partner ID and a Customer ID; and
sending the report to the manufacturer,
wherein the manufacturer can use the Customer ID to verify that the first storage device and the second storage device are not sold in a grey market.
Statement 11. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system, comprising: a device, including:
a server, including
wherein the manufacturer can use the captured metrics and the partner ID to provide an incentive to the partner.
Statement 12. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 11, wherein the device is installed within the server.
Statement 13. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 12, wherein:
the server includes a RAID controller, the device coupled to the RAID controller; and
the device further comprises a receiver to receive a signal from the RAID controller triggering a transmission of the captured metrics to the aggregator agent.
Statement 14. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 11, wherein the device communicates with the server across a network.
Statement 15. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 11, wherein the partner ID includes a Deployment Partner ID and a Software Partner ID, and
the manufacturer can use the metrics and the Deployment Partner ID in the report to provide an incentive to a deployment partner and the metrics and the Software Partner ID in the report to provide an incentive to a software partner.
Statement 16. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 11, wherein:
the storage device includes storage for a Customer ID, the Customer ID identifying a customer using the storage device; and
the transmitter is operative to transmit the captured metrics, the partner ID, and the Customer ID to the manufacturer,
wherein the manufacturer can use the Customer ID to verify that the storage device is not sold in a grey market.
Statement 17. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system, comprising:
a server;
a receiver on the server, the receiver operative to receive metrics from a device at a customer;
an incentive stored on the server;
an objective of the incentive stored on the server;
a data miner to mine the metrics to determine if a partner has achieved the objective of the incentive; and
a compensator to compensate the partner according to the incentive if the partner has achieved the objective of the incentive.
Statement 18. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 17, wherein:
an incentive stored on the server includes a first plurality of incentives stored on the server; and
an objective of the incentive stored on the server includes a second plurality of objectives of the first plurality of incentive stored on the server.
Statement 19. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 17, wherein the receiver is operative to receive the metrics from the device at the customer via an aggregator.
Statement 20. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 19, wherein the receiver is further operative to receive the metrics and other metrics about at least a second device at the customer via the aggregator.
Statement 21. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 17, wherein the receiver is operative to receive other metrics about at least a second device at a second customer.
Statement 22. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 17, wherein the compensator is operative to provide the partner with use-case information regarding the devices.
Statement 23. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 17, wherein the data miner is operative to mine the metrics to determine if the device was sold on a grey market.
Statement 24. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a system according to statement 17, further comprising a preventative maintenance module to provide preventative maintenance to the device if the metrics indicate that the device requires preventative maintenance.
Statement 25. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method, comprising:
capturing metrics using a storage device, the storage device deployed for a customer by a partner of a manufacturer of the storage device;
reporting the metrics and the partner ID to the manufacturer of the storage device,
wherein the manufacturer can use the metrics and the partner ID to provide an incentive to the partner.
Statement 26. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 25, wherein:
accessing a partner ID includes accessing a Deployment Partner ID and a Software Partner ID stored in the storage device, the Deployment Partner ID identifying a deployment partner and the Software Partner ID identifying a software partner; and
reporting the metrics and the partner ID to a manufacturer includes reporting the metrics, the Deployment Partner ID, and the Software Partner ID to the manufacturer;
wherein the manufacturer can use the metrics and the Deployment Partner ID to provide an incentive to the deployment partner and the metrics and the Software Partner ID to provide an incentive to the software partner.
Statement 27. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 25, wherein capturing metrics includes receiving a signal from a RAID controller (430) at the storage device to capture the metrics.
Statement 28. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 25, further comprising storing the partner ID in the storage device by the partner during deployment of the storage device.
Statement 29. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 25, wherein capturing metrics using a storage device includes capturing the metrics using the storage device, the metrics drawn from a set including capacity/time served, up-time, wear endurance, warranty, extended warranty, performance, workload profiles, applications served, features employed, and in-storage computing performance.
Statement 30. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 25, wherein reporting the metrics and the partner ID to a manufacturer includes:
reporting the metrics to an aggregator,
wherein the aggregator can aggregate the metrics with second metrics from a second storage device before reporting the aggregated metrics to the manufacturer.
Statement 31. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 25, wherein:
accessing a partner ID stored in the storage device includes accessing a Customer ID stored in the storage device, the Customer ID identifying the customer; and
reporting the metrics and the partner ID to the manufacturer of the storage device includes reporting the metrics, the partner ID, and the Customer ID to the manufacturer of the storage device,
wherein the manufacturer can use the Customer ID to verify that the storage device is not sold in a grey market.
Statement 32. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 25, further comprising:
receiving the metrics at a manufacturer;
mining the metrics to determine if the partner has achieved an objective of an incentive; and
if the partner has achieved the objective of the incentive, compensating the partner according to the incentive.
Statement 33. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 32, wherein:
receiving the metrics includes receiving the metrics and a Customer ID, the Customer ID identifying the customer for whom the storage device was deployed; and
mining the metrics includes mining the metrics to determine if the storage device has entered a grey market.
Statement 34. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 33, wherein mining the metrics to determine if the storage device has entered a grey market includes penalizing the partner for permitting the storage device to enter the grey market.
Statement 35. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 33, wherein mining the metrics to determine if the storage device has entered a grey market includes disabling the storage device.
Statement 36. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method, comprising:
receiving first metrics and a partner ID from a first storage device at an aggregator, the partner ID identifying a partner of a manufacturer of the first storage device and a second storage device;
receiving second metrics and the partner ID from the second storage device at the aggregator;
aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report, the report also including the partner ID; and
sending the report to the manufacturer,
wherein the manufacturer can use the aggregated metrics and the partner ID in the report to provide an incentive to the partner.
Statement 37. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 36, wherein:
receiving first metrics from a first storage device at an aggregator includes receiving multiple first metrics from the first storage device at the aggregator;
receiving second metrics from a second storage device at the aggregator includes receiving multiple second metrics from the second storage device at the aggregator;
aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report includes aggregating the multiple first metrics and the multiple second metrics into the report.
Statement 38. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 36, wherein:
receiving first metrics from a first storage device at an aggregator includes receiving the first metrics from the first storage device at the aggregator at a first time;
receiving second metrics from a second storage device at the aggregator includes receiving the second metrics from the second storage device at the aggregator at a second time,
wherein the first time and the second time are staggered.
Statement 39. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 38, wherein:
receiving the first metrics from the first storage device at the aggregator at a first time includes receiving the first metrics from the first storage device at the aggregator at the first time, the first storage device connected to a RAID controller; and
receiving the second metrics from the second storage device at the aggregator at a second time includes receiving the second metrics from the second storage device at the aggregator at the second time, the second storage device connected to the RAID controller,
wherein the RAID controller is operative to instruct the first storage device to report the first metrics to the aggregator at the first time and to instruct the second storage device to report the second metrics to the aggregator at the second time.
Statement 40. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 36, wherein aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report includes aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into the report, the report also including the partner ID and a Customer ID, the Customer ID identifying a customer for whom the storage device was deployed; and
sending the report to the manufacturer,
wherein the manufacturer can use the Customer ID to verify that the first storage device and the second storage device are not sold in a grey market.
Statement 41. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method, comprising:
receiving reports from a plurality of customers, each report including captured metrics for at least one storage device and a partner ID, the partner ID identifying a partner of a manufacturer of the storage device;
mining the reports to determine if the partner has achieved an objective of an incentive; and
if the partner has achieved the objective of the incentive, compensating the partner according to the incentive.
Statement 42. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 41, wherein:
mining the reports includes mining the reports to determine if the partner has achieved an objective of each of a plurality of incentives; and
compensating the partner according to the incentive includes, if the partner has achieved the objective of any of the plurality of incentives, compensating the partner according to incentives for which the partner has achieved the objective.
Statement 43. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 41, wherein:
receiving reports includes receiving the reports from the plurality of customers, each report including captured metrics for the at least one storage device, a Deployment Partner ID, and a Software Partner ID, the Deployment Partner ID identifying a deployment partner of the manufacturer of the storage device and the Software Partner ID identifying a software partner of the manufacturer of the storage device;
mining the reports includes:
compensating the partner according to the incentive includes:
Statement 44. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 41, wherein compensating the partner according to the incentive includes providing the partner with use-case information regarding the storage devices.
Statement 45. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 41, wherein:
receiving reports includes receiving the reports from a plurality of customers, each report including captured metrics for at least one storage device, a partner ID, and a Customer ID, the Customer ID identifying a customer for whom the at least one storage device was deployed; and
mining the reports includes mining the reports to determine if any storage device has entered a grey market.
Statement 46. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 45, wherein mining the reports to determine if any storage device has entered a grey market includes penalizing the partner for permitting the storage device to enter the grey market.
Statement 47. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 45, wherein mining the reports to determine if any storage device has entered a grey market includes disabling the storage device.
Statement 48. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 41, further comprising:
mining the reports includes mining the reports to determine an operative status of the at least one storage device; and
if the operating status of the at least one storage device indicates the at least one storage device requires maintenance, providing preventative maintenance to the at least one storage device.
Statement 49. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 43, wherein providing preventative maintenance to the at least one storage device includes updating a firmware of the at least one storage device.
Statement 50. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 44, wherein providing preventative maintenance to the at least one storage device includes recommending replacement of the at least one storage device.
Statement 51. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method, comprising:
receiving reports from a plurality of customers, each report including captured metrics for at least one storage device and a partner ID, the partner ID identifying a partner of a manufacturer of the storage device;
mining the reports to determine if any storage device has entered a grey market; and
penalizing the partner for permitting the storage device to enter the grey market.
Statement 52. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 51, further comprising disabling the storage device.
Statement 53. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method, comprising:
capturing metrics using a storage device, the storage device deployed for a customer by a partner of a manufacturer of the storage device;
accessing a partner ID stored in the storage device, the partner ID identifying the partner;
reporting the metrics and the partner ID to the manufacturer of the storage device;
receiving the metrics and the partner ID at the manufacture of the storage device receiving other metrics and the partner ID at the manufacturer;
mining the metrics and the other metrics by the manufacturer to determine if the partner has achieved an objective of an incentive; and
if the partner has achieved the objective of the incentive, compensating the partner according to the incentive.
Statement 54. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 53, wherein:
accessing a partner ID includes accessing a Deployment Partner ID and a Software Partner ID stored in the storage device, the Deployment Partner ID identifying a deployment partner and the Software Partner ID identifying a software partner;
reporting the metrics and the partner ID to a manufacturer includes reporting the metrics, the Deployment Partner ID, and the Software Partner ID to the manufacturer;
mining the reports includes:
compensating the partner according to the incentive includes:
Statement 55. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 53, wherein receiving other metrics and the partner ID at the manufacturer includes receiving the other metrics and the partner ID at the manufacturer from at least a second customer.
Statement 56. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 53, wherein capturing metrics using a storage device includes capturing the metrics using the storage device, the metrics drawn from a set including capacity/time served, up-time, wear endurance, warranty, extended warranty, performance, workload profiles, applications served, features employed, and in-storage computing performance.
Statement 57. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 53, wherein:
accessing a partner ID stored in the storage device includes accessing a Customer ID stored in the storage device, the Customer ID identifying the customer;
reporting the metrics and the partner ID to the manufacturer of the storage device includes reporting the metrics, the partner ID, and the Customer ID to the manufacturer of the storage device; and
the method further comprises using the Customer ID by the manufacturer to determine whether the storage device was sold in a grey market.
Statement 58. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 57, wherein using the Customer ID by the manufacturer includes penalizing the partner for permitting the storage device to enter the grey market.
Statement 59. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 57, wherein using the Customer ID by the manufacturer includes disabling the storage device.
Statement 60. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 53, wherein reporting the metrics and the partner ID to the manufacturer of the storage device includes:
reporting the metrics and the partner ID from the storage device to an aggregator;
receiving the metrics and the partner ID from the storage device at the aggregator;
receiving second metrics and the partner ID from a second storage device at the aggregator;
aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report, the report also including the partner ID; and
sending the report to the manufacturer.
Statement 61. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 60, wherein:
receiving the metrics from a first storage device at an aggregator includes receiving multiple metrics from the first storage device at the aggregator;
receiving second metrics from a second storage device at the aggregator includes receiving multiple second metrics from the second storage device at the aggregator;
aggregating the first metrics and the second metrics into a report includes aggregating the multiple metrics and the multiple second metrics into the report.
Statement 62. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 60, wherein:
aggregating the metrics and the second metrics into a report includes aggregating the metrics and the second metrics into the report, the report also including the partner ID and a Customer ID, the Customer ID identifying a customer for whom the storage device was deployed; and
the method further comprises using the Customer ID by the manufacturer to determine whether the storage device was sold in a grey market.
Statement 63. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 62, wherein using the Customer ID by the manufacturer includes penalizing the partner for permitting the storage device to enter the grey market.
Statement 64. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 62, wherein using the Customer ID by the manufacturer includes disabling the storage device.
Statement 65. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 53, wherein:
mining the metrics includes mining the metrics and the other metrics to determine if the partner has achieved an objective of each of a plurality of incentives; and
compensating the partner according to the incentive includes, if the partner has achieved the objective of any of the plurality of incentives, compensating the partner according to incentives for which the partner has achieved the objective.
Statement 66. An embodiment of the inventive concept includes a method according to statement 53, wherein compensating the partner according to the incentive includes providing the partner with use-case information regarding the storage devices.
Consequently, in view of the wide variety of permutations to the embodiments described herein, this detailed description and accompanying material is intended to be illustrative only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the inventive concept. What is claimed as the inventive concept, therefore, is all such modifications as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/151,082, filed Apr. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62151082 | Apr 2015 | US |