Cloud Platform Cluster Container Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

The integration of stacked systems with container technology poses a pressing technical challenge, as existing solutions struggle to effectively manage container clusters within a cloud platform cluster in a stacked system.

Innovation Solution

A container management method and apparatus based on a cloud platform, which utilizes a cloud platform cluster in a stacked system to manage container clusters. This involves determining the role of local and other cloud platforms within the cluster, obtaining and disseminating container cluster topology information, and dynamically electing a master container based on health indicators and cluster topology.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If cloud platform cluster is used to manage container cluster in stacked system, then container management capability is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainer management capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a cloud platform as an intermediary layer between the stacked system and container cluster. The cloud platform provides standardized management interfaces and abstraction layers, allowing container management without directly increasing the complexity of the underlying stacked system. The cloud platform acts as a mediator that handles container lifecycle management, resource allocation, and orchestration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The cloud platform is designed to perform multiple functions including container management, resource scheduling, monitoring, and coordination with the stacked system. This multi-functional approach consolidates various management tasks into a single platform, improving container management capability while avoiding the need for separate specialized systems for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If master container is selected based on health indicators, then system reliability is improved, but monitoring and detection difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidmonitoring and detection difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where health indicators of containers are continuously monitored and fed back to the cloud platform. Based on this feedback, the system automatically identifies and selects the healthiest container as the master. The feedback loop includes health status collection, analysis, and automatic master selection, which improves reliability while managing detection complexity through automated processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The container cluster performs self-monitoring and self-selection of the master container based on predefined health indicators. Each container reports its own health status, and the system automatically determines the master without requiring external intervention. This self-service approach improves reliability through continuous health assessment while reducing the operational burden of monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Stability of the object's composition

If unicast election messages are used instead of broadcast, then network stability is improved, but communication complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork stabilityVSAvoidcommunication complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the election message transmission from a broadcast mechanism to a targeted unicast approach. Instead of sending election messages to all containers in the cluster, the system identifies specific candidate containers and sends messages only to them. This extraction of unnecessary communication targets reduces network traffic and improves stability while the added complexity of identifying targets is managed through cloud platform coordination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4530851A1Container management method and apparatus based on cloud platform
Publication Date: 2025.04.02 NEW H3C TECH CO LTD
  • EP4530851A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4530851A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4530851A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The examples of the present disclosure provide a container management method and apparatus based on a cloud platform. The examples achieve real-time monitoring of various containers in the container cluster through the leader of the cloud platform cluster, realizing container management based on the cloud platform by using the cloud platform cluster in the stacked system to manage the container cluster. Furthermore, in the examples, in response to determining that the master in the container cluster is abnormal, in response to determining that any container detects abnormality in the cloud platform serving as a leader or in a link between this container and leader, this container will corporate with other containers in the container cluster to autonomously elect a master. In response to determining that the leader and the link between this container and leader is normal, the leader centrally controls the containers in the container cluster to elect the master. This achieves a dual-layer strategy for electing the master, which greatly improves the reliability of the stacked system.