Container Image Synchronization via Ready-Time Threshold

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing container image management systems lack an adaptive approach to determine when to perform synchronization operations for storing container images in persistent storage, leading to inefficiencies and resource throttling, especially in cloud environments.

Innovation Solution

A system that calculates the 'ready-time' of container images and compares it to a threshold criterion to decide on synchronization, considering factors like local vs. remote building, customization, and cluster membership to optimize storage and resource usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If synchronization operation is performed to store container image in persistent storage, then data reliability is improved, but system productivity deteriorates due to I/O operations and storage throttling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata persistenceVSAvoidsystem throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the synchronization policy based on container image characteristics. It calculates the ready-time for each container image and compares it against a threshold to determine whether to perform synchronization, making the storage behavior adaptive rather than static. This resolves the contradiction by making persistence reliability dynamic - only critical images are persisted, reducing I/O overhead while maintaining reliability for important data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of synchronization decision from a fixed binary choice to a continuous evaluation based on ready-time calculation. By introducing the ready-time parameter and threshold comparison, the system can selectively synchronize only those container images that meet the criterion, thereby maintaining data reliability for critical images while reducing overall I/O operations and storage throttling impacts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If synchronization operation is performed for every container image, then data loss prevention is improved, but computing resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata loss preventionVSAvoidcomputing resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from a static all-or-nothing synchronization approach to a dynamic selective synchronization approach. By calculating ready-time for each container image and comparing it with a threshold, the system dynamically determines which images require persistence, preventing data loss for critical images while avoiding unnecessary computing resource consumption for non-critical ones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces the ready-time parameter to differentiate between container images based on their criticality. By changing the synchronization decision parameter from a uniform approach to a differentiated approach based on ready-time calculation, the system prevents data loss for important images while reducing computing resource consumption by skipping synchronization for less critical images.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If no synchronization operation is performed, then system productivity is maintained, but data reliability deteriorates due to potential data loss

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem throughputVSAvoiddata persistence

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the reliability parameter from a binary state (synchronized or not) to a graded state based on ready-time calculation. By introducing the ready-time threshold parameter, the system can identify which container images are critical enough to warrant persistence, thereby maintaining data reliability for important images while avoiding the productivity penalty of synchronizing all images.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If synchronization operation is performed, then storage safety is improved, but storage access performance deteriorates due to throttling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage safetyVSAvoidstorage access speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts storage access patterns by calculating ready-time for each container image and selectively synchronizing only those that meet the threshold criterion. This dynamic approach ensures storage safety for critical images while minimizing storage access operations, thereby preventing storage throttling and maintaining storage access speed for non-critical images.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20240036901A1Container image management

Publication Date: 2024.02.01 RED HAT INC

AI summary

Implementations of the disclosure provide a method including calculating, by a processing device, a time required to have a container image ready for use; determining whether the time satisfies a threshold criterion; and responsive to determining that the time satisfies the threshold criterion, performing a synchronization operation that stores the container image in a persistent storage.