Cloud-Fog Orchestration via Container Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and potential points of failure in fog-cloud architectures can negatively impact service reliability and user experience, particularly during events like overloads, failures, or security events, due to the hierarchical nature and diverse resources of fog systems.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of systems, methods, and computer-readable media for orchestrating cloud-to-fog interactions by partitioning applications into software containers and deploying them across hierarchical cloud-fog layers based on factors like capacity, security, resource availability, performance, and proximity, allowing for dynamic and responsive management of services and workloads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fog computing is introduced to reduce latency and improve security, then service quality and reliability are improved, but system complexity and potential points of failure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic cloud system into a hierarchical fog-cloud architecture with multiple levels (edge fog, intermediate fog, core fog, and cloud). This segmentation distributes services across geographically dispersed nodes, reducing latency while managing complexity through modular organization. Each fog level handles specific functions locally, improving reliability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an orchestration system as an intermediary that manages the complex interactions between cloud and fog layers. This intermediary handles service deployment, resource allocation, and failure management across the hierarchical structure, thereby improving service reliability while abstracting away the complexity from end users and applications.
2Speed
If more fog nodes are deployed to improve service quality and reduce latency, then user experience is improved, but the number of potential failure points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic service migration capabilities that allow services to move between fog nodes and cloud based on real-time conditions. When a fog node experiences failure or overload, the orchestration system dynamically migrates services to alternative nodes or the cloud, maintaining service availability and reliability while preserving the low-latency benefits of fog computing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs redundancy and backup mechanisms where critical services can be pre-positioned on multiple fog nodes or in the cloud. The orchestration system monitors node health and proactively migrates services before failures occur, cushioning against potential failures and maintaining service reliability despite the distributed nature of the architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If services are distributed across hierarchical fog layers, then scalability and flexibility are improved, but orchestration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the orchestration system with universal, standardized interfaces and protocols that work across all fog levels and cloud infrastructure. This multi-functionality allows the same orchestration mechanisms to manage diverse services and hardware platforms, improving flexibility while reducing orchestration complexity through standardization rather than custom solutions for each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses orchestration complexity by adding an abstraction dimension through virtualization. The orchestration system manages physical fog nodes and cloud resources through virtual service instances and logical service chains, allowing flexible service distribution across hierarchical layers while simplifying orchestration through this additional abstraction layer.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for orchestrating cloud to fog interactions. In some examples, a method can involve partitioning an application into software containers, each of the software containers being configured to host a respective component of the application. The method can further involve identifying nodes on respective hierarchical layers of a hierarchical cloud-fog architecture for hosting the software containers on the respective hierarchical layers of the cloud-fog architecture. The hierarchical cloud-fog architecture can include one or more cloud layers and one or more fog layers. The method can also involve deploying the software containers at the nodes on the respective hierarchical layers of the cloud-fog architecture.