Container I/O Modules for Secure Data Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increased use of stateful containers poses a security risk when proprietary or sensitive data is stored in cloud storage providers, as it exposes the data to third-party processing, potentially leading to unauthorized insights.
Innovation Solution
A platform that enables developers to insert additional logic or I/O functionality over container volumes, allowing the implementation of I/O modules for processing, such as encryption and compression, within a virtual machine, thereby managing data processing without relying on third-party services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stateful containers store data in cloud storage providers, then data persistence and accessibility are improved, but security and data exposure risks worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces I/O modules as intermediary components between the containerized application and the container volume. These modules act as a security layer that processes I/O requests through encryption, compression, and other transformations before data reaches cloud storage, thereby maintaining data persistence while mitigating exposure risks to third-party providers
2Adaptability or versatility
If third-party cloud storage services are used for container volumes, then storage scalability and accessibility are improved, but control over data processing and security worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data processing function into separate I/O modules that can be independently configured and managed. This segmentation allows the system to maintain scalability of cloud storage while regaining control over data processing operations through modular components that can be selectively applied to different container volumes
3Reliability
If additional I/O processing modules are added to container volumes, then data security and processing capability are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs I/O modules with universal interfaces and standardized operations that can be applied across multiple container volumes. This multi-functionality approach allows the same module architecture to handle encryption, compression, and other processing tasks uniformly, reducing the perceived complexity despite adding security capabilities
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments pertain to support input/output modules for container volumes. An input/output (I/O) request can be received from a containerized application. A container volume targeted by the I/O request can be identified. A determination is then made that the container volume is associated with one or more I/O modules based on a stored mapping of container volumes to I/O modules. Data associated with the I/O request is sent to the one or more I/O modules for processing. Processed data can be received from the one or more I/O modules, and the I/O request is fulfilled using the processed data. In certain embodiments, a write I/O request is fulfilled by writing the processed data to a virtual disk file for the container volume, and a read I/O request is fulfilled by returning the original data after reversing the processing to the containerized application.