An operating system upgrade system for distributed edge nodes

Abstract

The present invention provides an operating system upgrade system for distributed edge nodes, belonging to the field of edge computing technology, and includes edge nodes, edge node operating systems, edge node agent programs, edge computing gateways, and edge computing service platforms. The operating system of edge nodes in edge networks is kept at the latest version, so that the management of distributed edge nodes is more flexible and convenient, and the repair of vulnerabilities and patches is completed in time, and the utilization rate of edge nodes can also be improved; edge networks often have unstable problems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of edge computing technology, and in particular to an operating system upgrade system for distributed edge nodes. Background Art

[0002] With the rise of the Internet and 5G technology, the Internet of Things is developing rapidly. The traditional cloud computing model is difficult to achieve real-time and efficient support for application services based on the Internet of Everything. There are two thorny problems here. One is bandwidth and the other is latency. However, these two bottlenecks cannot be effectively solved in the short term. In order to solve the above problems, edge computing came into being. Edge computing proposes to use an open platform that integrates network, computing, storage, and application core capabilities on the side close to the object or data source to provide high-performance, high-bandwidth, and low-latency computing services nearby. With the development of edge computing, the management of edge nodes has brought many challenges. The edge computing environment contains a large number of resources, and the edge nodes are distributed relatively scattered, which brings great difficulties to the management of edge nodes, especially the upgrade of edge node systems. The update of a function or bug takes too long from release to the completion of the update of all edge node systems, and the cost is also high. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method to remotely upgrade the edge node system to improve the efficiency of the distributed edge node system upgrade. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the problem of difficulty in upgrading edge node systems in the existing edge computing field, the present invention provides an operating system upgrade system for distributed edge nodes, which keeps the operating system of edge nodes in the edge network at the latest version, thereby making the management of distributed edge nodes more flexible and convenient, and timely completing the repair of vulnerabilities and patches, while also improving the utilization rate of edge nodes; edge networks often have instability problems, and the present invention provides a flexible differential upgrade method to occupy as little bandwidth as possible to achieve the purpose of upgrading the edge node operating system.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is:

[0005] A distributed edge node operating system upgrade system includes an edge node, an edge node operating system, an edge node agent, an edge computing gateway, and an edge computing service platform, wherein:

[0006] The edge node is relative to the cloud computing data center, and refers to a node with fewer intermediate links between the final access user. Some key business applications are sunk to the edge of the access network to reduce the bandwidth and delay loss caused by network transmission and multi-level forwarding. It can be a computer room or a physical device.

[0007] The edge node operating system is based on Archlinux distribution, and the kernel and boot-related modules such as modules, firmware, initramfs, etc. are packaged into a single Squash file. In the Bootloader, different squashfs files are selected as kernel containers to achieve multi-version coexistence; at the same time, other system files are packaged into a single Erofs, and different erofs files are selected as system root directories in initramfs to achieve multi-version coexistence; through the above multi-version coexistence function, a basis is provided for the upgrade function. The squashfs is released in the form of a linux kernel source code patch, which can compress the entire file system or a single directory together and store it in a device, a partition or an ordinary file. If it is compressed into a device, it can be directly mounted for use; the erofs is a new read-only file system based on liunx, which adopts an improved compression algorithm, which ensures space saving while improving performance and speed.

[0008] The edge node agent is deployed in the edge node operating system, packaged in the edge node operating system, and installed together with the edge node operating system. It communicates with the edge computing gateway through the MQTT protocol. On the one hand, it uploads the version information of the edge node operating system to the edge computing gateway. On the other hand, it receives the upgrade instruction sent by the edge computing service platform through the edge computing gateway to complete the upgrade of the edge node operating system.

[0009] The edge computing gateway acts as a relay connecting the edge node and the edge computing service platform, and the edge node agent interacts with the edge computing service platform through the edge computing gateway. The edge computing gateway receives system information sent by the edge node downward, and receives upgrade instructions from the edge computing service platform upward and sends them to the edge node.

[0010] The edge computing service platform is a portal for managing edge nodes, which can display the version information of edge nodes and issue instructions to remotely upgrade the operating system of edge nodes. At the same time, the edge computing service platform includes a storage unit for storing the squash files and erofs files required for the upgrade. These files can be distributed to each edge computing gateway. The edge node agent obtains the above files required for the upgrade through the edge computing gateway to complete the upgrade of the edge node operating system.

[0011] The workflow is as follows:

[0012] 1) The edge node agent obtains the token and certificate information of the edge computing gateway in advance and sends a registration message to the edge computing gateway;

[0013] 2) The edge computing gateway parses the message to obtain the token information and compares it with the token information of the token server. If the edge computing gateway token authentication is successful, the edge node is successfully registered to the edge computing gateway as a device, and the edge computing gateway uses the unique ID of the device as the unique identifier of the edge node; if the edge computing gateway fails to authenticate, the registration fails and an error message is prompted;

[0014] 3) After successful registration, the edge node agent sends the edge node system information to the edge computing gateway. The edge computing gateway obtains the edge node system information and forwards it to the edge computing service platform. The edge computing service platform obtains the edge node system information and uses the unique identifier of the device to identify different edge nodes.

[0015] 4) The edge node agent sends the edge node operating system information to the edge computing gateway regularly. The edge computing service platform sets a scheduled task to pull the system version information of the edge node from the edge computing gateway to ensure timely updates;

[0016] 5) The edge computing service platform serves as the entry point for upgrading the edge node operating system. The user selects the upgrade strategy on the edge computing service platform to specify the edge nodes that need to be upgraded. The edge computing service platform issues instructions to update the edge node operating system according to the specified upgrade strategy;

[0017] 6) The instructions issued by the edge computing service platform will first be pushed to the edge computing gateway. The instructions issued include kernel information (kernelVersion, kernelMd5sum, kernelUrl, patchName, patchUrl) or rootfs information (rootfsVersion, rootfsMd5sum, rootfsUrl, patchName, patchUrl). Then the edge computing gateway pushes the instructions to the edge node agent on the specified edge node. After the edge node agent obtains the system update information, it compares the md5 value with the current system file md5. If they are the same, it will not be upgraded and a prompt message will be returned. If they are not the same, the specified upgrade file will be downloaded through the url in the instruction;

[0018] 7) After downloading the upgrade file, use the differential upgrade method to replace the kernel or rootfs, use the differential binary tool to generate the final upgrade file through the patch package to complete the upgrade; if the upgrade fails, the edge node agent will restart the edge node and roll back to the previous system. The edge computing service platform will give a prompt that the upgrade failed, and you can choose to re-upgrade.

[0019] Furthermore,

[0020] Edge node operating system information includes kernel version and rootfs version.

[0021] The upgrade strategies here include specifying a single edge node, scheduled upgrades, and rolling upgrades based on the percentage of devices in a specified area. All upgrades are differential upgrades, which only upgrade the modified parts.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are

[0023] The present invention makes the management of edge nodes more flexible and convenient by remotely upgrading the operating system of distributed edge nodes, greatly improves the efficiency of upgrading the operating system of distributed edge nodes, and indirectly improves the utilization rate of edge resources by keeping the operating system of edge nodes in the edge network at the latest version, and greatly reduces the cost and upgrade time of manual operation and maintenance of edge nodes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the workflow of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the working architecture of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention proposes an operating system upgrade system for distributed edge nodes, which is implemented based on edge nodes, edge node operating systems, edge node agent programs, edge computing gateways and edge computing service platforms.

[0028] in,

[0029] An edge node refers to a node with fewer intermediate links between it and the final access user. It sinks some key business applications to the edge of the access network to reduce the bandwidth and latency loss caused by network transmission and multi-level forwarding. It can be a computer room or a physical device.

[0030] The edge node operating system is deployed on the edge node. It uses Archlinux as the basic distribution and packages the kernel and boot-related modules such as modules, firmware, and initramfs into a single Squash file. In the Bootloader, multiple versions coexist by selecting different squashfs files as kernel containers.

[0031] The edge node agent is deployed in the edge node operating system and is installed together with the edge node operating system. It communicates with the edge computing gateway through the MQTT protocol. On the one hand, it uploads the version information of the edge node operating system to the edge computing gateway. On the other hand, it receives the upgrade instructions sent by the edge computing service platform through the edge computing gateway to complete the upgrade of the edge node operating system.

[0032] The edge computing gateway acts as a relay connecting the edge node and the edge computing service platform. The edge node agent interacts with the edge computing service platform through the edge computing gateway. The edge computing gateway receives system information sent by the edge node downward and receives upgrade instructions from the edge computing service platform upward and sends them to the edge node.

[0033] The edge computing service platform is a portal for managing edge nodes. It can display the version information of edge nodes and issue instructions to remotely upgrade the operating system of edge nodes. At the same time, the edge computing service platform includes a storage unit for storing the squash files and erofs files required for the upgrade. These files can be distributed to each edge computing gateway. The edge node agent obtains the above files required for the upgrade through the edge computing gateway to complete the upgrade of the edge node operating system.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the system workflow of the present invention is as follows:

[0035] 1) The edge node agent obtains the token and certificate information of the edge computing gateway in advance and sends a registration message to the edge computing gateway.

[0036] 2) The edge computing gateway parses the message to obtain the token information and compares it with the token information of the token server. If the edge computing gateway token authentication is successful, the edge node is successfully registered to the edge computing gateway as a device, and the edge computing gateway uses the unique ID of the device as the unique identifier of the edge node. If the edge computing gateway fails to authenticate, the registration fails and an error message is prompted.

[0037] 3) After successful registration, the edge node agent sends the edge node system information to the edge computing gateway. The edge computing gateway obtains the edge node system information and forwards it to the edge computing service platform. The edge computing service platform thereby obtains the edge node system information and uses the unique identifier of the device to identify different edge nodes.

[0038] 4) The edge node agent sends the edge node operating system information to the edge computing gateway regularly. The edge node operating system information includes the kernel version and rootfs version. The edge computing service platform sets a scheduled task to pull the system version information of the edge node from the edge computing gateway so that it can be updated in time.

[0039] 5) The edge computing service platform serves as the entry point for upgrading the edge node operating system. Users select the upgrade strategy on the edge computing service platform to specify the edge nodes that need to be upgraded. The edge computing service platform issues instructions to update the edge node operating system according to the specified upgrade strategy. The upgrade strategy here includes specifying a single edge node, scheduled upgrades, and specifying a percentage of the number of devices in a certain area for rolling upgrades. All upgrades are differential upgrades, and only the modified parts are upgraded.

[0040] 6) The instructions issued by the edge computing service platform will first be pushed to the edge computing gateway. The instructions issued include kernel information (kernelVersion, kernelMd5sum, kernelUrl, patchName, patchUrl) or rootfs information (rootfsVersion, rootfsMd5sum, rootfsUrl, patchName, patchUrl). Then the edge computing gateway pushes the instructions to the edge node agent on the specified edge node. After the edge node agent obtains the system update information, it compares the md5 value with the current system file md5. If they are the same, it will not be upgraded and a prompt message will be returned. If they are not the same, the specified upgrade file will be downloaded through the url in the instruction.

[0041] 7) After downloading the upgrade file, use the differential upgrade method to replace the kernel or rootfs, use the differential binary tool to generate the final upgrade file through the patch package to complete the upgrade. If the upgrade fails, the edge node agent will restart the edge node and roll back to the previous system. The edge computing service platform will give a prompt that the upgrade failed, and you can choose to re-upgrade.

[0042] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A distributed edge node operating system upgrade system, characterized in that: It includes edge nodes, edge node operating systems, edge node agents, edge computing gateways, and edge computing service platforms, including: The edge node operating system is based on archlinux distribution, and the kernel and startup-related modules of modules, firmware, and initramfs are packaged into a single squashfs file. In the bootloader, different squashfs files are selected as kernel containers to achieve coexistence of multiple versions; The edge node operating system packages other system files into a single erofs file, and realizes the coexistence of multiple versions by selecting different erofs files as the system root directory in initramfs; The edge node agent is deployed in the edge node operating system, packaged in the edge node operating system, installed together with the edge node operating system, and communicates with the edge computing gateway through the MQTT protocol; The edge computing gateway acts as a relay connecting the edge node and the edge computing service platform, and the edge node agent program interacts with the edge computing service platform through the edge computing gateway; The edge computing service platform is a portal for managing edge nodes, displaying version information of edge nodes and issuing instructions to remotely upgrade the operating system of edge nodes; At the same time, the edge computing service platform includes a storage unit for storing squashfs files and erofs files required for the upgrade. These files are distributed to each edge computing gateway. The edge node agent obtains the above files required for the upgrade through the edge computing gateway to complete the upgrade of the edge node operating system.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that Edge nodes are computer rooms or other physical devices.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The squashfs file is released in the form of a Linux kernel source code patch, which compresses the entire file system or a single directory together and stores it in a device, a partition or a file. If it is compressed into a device, it can be directly mounted for use. The erofs is a new read-only file system based on liunx.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The edge node agent uploads the version information of the edge node operating system to the edge computing gateway on the one hand, and receives the upgrade instruction sent by the edge computing service platform through the edge computing gateway on the other hand to complete the upgrade of the edge node operating system.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The edge computing gateway receives system information sent from the edge node downward, and receives upgrade instructions from the edge computing service platform upward and sends them to the edge node.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that 1) The edge node agent obtains the token and certificate information of the edge computing gateway in advance and sends a registration message to the edge computing gateway; 2) The edge computing gateway parses the message to obtain the token information and compares it with the token information of the token server. If the edge computing gateway token authentication is successful, the edge node is successfully registered to the edge computing gateway as a device, and the edge computing gateway uses the unique ID of the device as the unique identifier of the edge node; If the edge computing gateway fails to pass authentication, registration fails and an error message is displayed; 3) After successful registration, the edge node agent sends the edge node system information to the edge computing gateway. The edge computing gateway obtains the edge node system information and forwards it to the edge computing service platform. The edge computing service platform obtains the edge node system information and uses the unique identifier of the device to identify different edge nodes. 4) The edge node agent sends the edge node operating system information to the edge computing gateway regularly. The edge computing service platform sets a scheduled task to pull the system version information of the edge node from the edge computing gateway to ensure timely updates; 5) The edge computing service platform serves as the entry point for upgrading the edge node operating system. Users select the upgrade strategy on the edge computing service platform to specify the edge nodes that need to be upgraded. The edge computing service platform issues instructions to update the edge node operating system according to the specified upgrade strategy; 6) The instructions issued by the edge computing service platform will first be pushed to the edge computing gateway. The instructions issued include kernel information or rootfs information. Then the edge computing gateway pushes the instructions to the edge node agent on the specified edge node. After the edge node agent obtains the system update information, it compares the md5 value with the current system file md5. If they are the same, it will not be upgraded and a prompt message will be returned. If they are not the same, the specified upgrade file will be downloaded through the url in the instruction; kernel information includes kernelVersion, kernelMd5sum, kernelUrl, patchName, patchUrl; rootfs information includes rootfsVersion, rootfsMd5sum, rootfsUrl, patchName, patchUrl; 7) After downloading the upgrade file, use the differential upgrade method to replace the kernel or rootfs, use the differential binary tool to generate the final upgrade file through the patch package to complete the upgrade; If the upgrade fails, the edge node agent will restart the edge node and roll back to the previous system. The edge computing service platform will give a prompt that the upgrade failed and choose to re-upgrade.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that Edge node operating system information includes kernel version and rootfs version.

8. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The upgrade strategies here include specifying a single edge node, scheduled upgrades, and rolling upgrades based on the percentage of devices in a specified area. All upgrades are differential upgrades, which only upgrade the modified parts.

Images