Container Image Path Resolution Deferred to Runtime Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deploying container images in low-resource computing environments, such as smartphones or IoT devices, can cause significant delays and resource overloading due to the need to dynamically generate and resolve symbolic links during deployment, impacting user experience and performance.
Innovation Solution
Implement deferred path resolution by organizing container images with symbolic links that are resolved during runtime, rather than during deployment, and structuring images into layered architectures to allow separate deployment and updating of layers, reducing resource overhead and deployment time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If container images are deployed in low-resource computing environments, then deployment time and resource consumption increase significantly, but complete container image transmission ensures all necessary files are available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential container image files needed for deployment, separating them from the complete container image. This allows deployment to proceed with minimal data transmission while maintaining functionality, resolving the contradiction between deployment speed and image completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring symbolic links in the container image structure before deployment. These symbolic links are resolved at runtime rather than deployment time, allowing the deployment process to complete faster while ensuring all necessary files are properly linked when needed.
2Reliability
If symbolic links are resolved during deployment, then file accessibility is ensured, but storage device I/O capacity is overloaded and deployment is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary configuration of symbolic links during container image creation, but defers their actual resolution to runtime. This preliminary setup ensures the symbolic link structure is correct without requiring heavy I/O operations during deployment, thus maintaining file accessibility while improving deployment speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the symbolic link resolution dynamic by performing it at runtime based on actual file access needs rather than statically resolving all links during deployment. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain file accessibility while avoiding I/O overload during the deployment phase.
3Reliability
If complete container images are transmitted, then all files are available for deployment, but data transmission time and network resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the critical files and symbolic link structures needed for container deployment, omitting redundant or optional files from the transmitted data. This extraction approach ensures all necessary files are available for deployment while significantly reducing data transmission time and network resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses symbolic links as virtual copies that reference files on the host system rather than physically copying all files into the container image. This allows the container to have access to all necessary files without transmitting them all over the network, reducing transmission time while maintaining file availability.
4Quantity of substance
If container images are dynamically generated during deployment, then image size is reduced, but storage device I/O capacity is overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential container image files and symbolic link structures, creating a minimal container image that is transmitted and deployed quickly. This extracted subset is sufficient for container operation, reducing image size without requiring heavy dynamic generation processes that would overload storage device I/O capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses symbolic links as intermediaries that reference files on the host system rather than requiring those files to be physically present in the container image. This intermediary mechanism allows the container to access necessary files without requiring them to be copied or dynamically generated during deployment, thus reducing image size while avoiding I/O overload.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques of deferred container deployment are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a computing device, a container image corresponding to the container. The container image includes a first set of files identified by symbolic links individually directed to a file in the host filesystem on the computing device and a second set of files identified by hard links. The method also includes in response to receiving the container image, at the computing device, storing the received container image in a folder of the host filesystem on the computing device without resolving the symbolic links of the first set of the files until runtime of the requested container.