Composite Image File System Engine for Container Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional container management systems face inefficiencies due to traditional container image layouts that rely on directory tree structures, leading to slow container extraction and management operations, which can cause bottlenecks in initialization and other operations, especially in distributed computing environments.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a composite image file system engine (CIMFS) that provides a set of common flat files, allowing for efficient creation, management, and mounting of composite containers, supporting resource isolation and OS virtualization through a container engine interface, remote sharing manager, and layout manager, enabling faster operations and improved resource isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional directory tree structures are used for container images, then container management systems can maintain simple and well-organized file layouts, but container extraction and management operations become slow and introduce bottlenecks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the container image file system into a flattened structure where files are organized by their parent directory identifiers rather than traditional nested paths. This segmentation allows the layout manager to efficiently locate and extract files by directly mapping parent directory IDs to child files, eliminating the need to traverse deep directory trees and significantly improving extraction speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional directory tree structure (nested folders and subfolders) to a one-dimensional flattened structure where all files are listed with their parent directory identifiers. This dimensional change allows linear scanning and direct access to files without the overhead of navigating multiple directory levels, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and extraction efficiency.
2Device complexity
If traditional directory tree structures are used for container images, then file organization remains manageable, but initialization and management operations experience latency and bottlenecks
Solution Approach 1:
The layout manager performs preliminary organization of container image files into a flattened structure during image creation or import. By pre-computing and storing parent directory identifier mappings for all files in advance, the system eliminates the need for real-time directory traversal during initialization and extraction operations, significantly reducing latency without increasing operational complexity.
3Productivity
If composite image file system engine with flat files is implemented, then container extraction and management operations become faster, but system architecture becomes more complex with additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The layout manager is designed as a universal component that handles multiple functions: organizing flattened file structures, computing parent directory identifiers, managing file mappings, and supporting extraction operations. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional component, the system achieves high container management efficiency without proportionally increasing architectural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The layout manager acts as an intermediary layer between the composite image file system engine and the container extraction process. It translates the flattened file structure into efficient extraction operations by managing parent directory identifier mappings, thereby enabling fast container operations without requiring the entire system architecture to be fundamentally redesigned.
4Speed
If flattened composite image structure is used, then extraction speed improves, but traditional file path navigation and access methods become less effective
Solution Approach 1:
The layout manager creates and maintains a copied mapping structure that associates flattened file positions with their logical parent directory identifiers. This copied mapping allows the system to provide efficient direct access to files based on parent directory IDs while preserving the logical file path structure needed for traditional navigation methods, thereby maintaining ease of operation despite the flattened physical structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer storage media for providing a set of common flat files in a composite image that can be mounted as a container (i.e. composite container) to support isolation and interoperation of computing resources. Container management is provided for a container management system based on a composite image file system engine that executes composite operations to support resource isolation and operating system (OS) virtualization functionality. In particular, a layout manager operates with a composite engine interface to support generating composite images with optimized configurations (i.e., pre-alignment and pre-computed hashes of for executable files). In operation, a plurality of files for generating a composite image are accessed. The composite image for the plurality of files is generated while pre-processing executable files, where pre-processing the one or more files comprises pre-aligning the executable files in the composite image or pre-computing a hash for the executable files in the composite image.