Container Dependency Management via Object Model
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing container dependencies in web server farms is challenging due to the need for specific start orders and handling of containers that may not start under load, leading to potential outages and difficulties in restarting containers correctly.
Innovation Solution
A container management utility tool deploys an object model to persist dependencies and relationships, allowing for sequential ordering of container actions through a web interface, blocking access until containers are fully initialized, and automatically determining additional containers to start or restart for maintaining environment integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If containers are managed independently without dependency tracking, then container operation flexibility is improved, but system reliability deteriorates due to outages from incorrect start orders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dependency management system that acts as an intermediary between container operations and the actual container instances. This system tracks dependencies between containers and automatically determines the correct start order, preventing outages while maintaining operational flexibility. The intermediary layer resolves the contradiction by managing complexity without exposing it to users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining and storing dependency relationships between containers before operations are executed. The system pre-calculates start orders and dependency graphs, so when a container operation is requested, the correct sequence is already determined, ensuring reliability without sacrificing flexibility.
2Reliability
If all dependent containers are restarted together, then environment integrity is improved, but operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically determine and execute the correct restart sequence based on pre-stored dependency information. When a container restart is initiated, the system autonomously identifies all dependent containers and their proper start order without requiring user intervention, thus maintaining environment integrity while keeping operations simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms to track the state of containers during restart operations. It monitors which containers have started successfully and uses this feedback to determine when dependent containers can be safely started, ensuring environment integrity through automated state-dependent control.
3Productivity
If containers accept requests during initialization, then service availability is improved, but system stability deteriorates due to containers not ready to handle load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing a block list that prevents containers from accepting requests during their initialization period. This block list is created before the container starts, ensuring that no requests are received until the container is fully ready, thus maintaining system stability while allowing containers to initialize properly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements preliminary anti-action by proactively blocking request routing to containers that are not yet ready. Before a container can receive traffic, the system pre-establishes protection mechanisms that prevent premature request acceptance, counteracting the potential harm of unstable containers handling load.
4Device complexity
If manual container management is used, then system complexity is reduced, but time consumption increases for managing dependencies and actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically manage container dependencies, start orders, and restart sequences without human intervention. The automated dependency resolution and action queue management eliminate manual configuration and tracking, significantly reducing time consumption while the modular design keeps system complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system accelerates container management operations by implementing efficient algorithms for dependency graph traversal and start order determination. These optimized processes quickly resolve complex dependency relationships and execute container operations in the correct sequence, reducing the time required for management tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
A container management utility tool may deploy an object model that may persist one or more container dependencies, relationships, or a collection of containers that may represent a system function. Through a web front-end interface, for example, the containers may be started, stopped, or restarted in a specific order, and the tool automatically determines the additional containers that need to be started in order to maintain the integrity of the environment. Through the web interface, for example, the object model may be managed, and start-up orders, container dependencies, or collection maps of containers that represent a system function may be updated. For containers that may not start under load, the object model may block access to the containers until the containers are fully initialized.