Container State Backup Using Flag Files and Hash Lookups
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing container-based processing methods incur significant system overhead during state backup and restoration due to the need to traverse and manage numerous control group files, leading to inefficiencies and poor extensibility as the number of files increases.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes a flag file with flag bits to identify modified control group files, allowing for targeted backup and restoration by determining modified content through a correspondence between flag bits and file names, and using hash look-up tables to efficiently locate and access modified files, thereby reducing the need to traverse all control group files.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If all control group files are traversed to acquire and save the state of the control group, then the complete state information is obtained, but the system overhead increases linearly with the number of files
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the modified control group files from the entire set of control group files using a flag file mechanism. Instead of traversing all control group files, the system identifies and extracts only those files that have been modified since the last checkpoint, thereby obtaining complete state information for changed files while avoiding the overhead of processing unchanged files.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by maintaining a flag file that records which control group files have been modified before the checkpoint operation. This pre-computed flag information allows the system to quickly identify modified files without needing to traverse or analyze all control group files during the actual checkpoint process, thus reducing system overhead while ensuring complete state capture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of control group files increases, then more comprehensive control is achieved, but the traversal mechanism becomes less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the subset of control group files that have been modified, using a flag file to identify these files. This extraction approach allows the system to maintain comprehensive control over all control group files while only processing the necessary subset during checkpoint operations, thereby preserving control comprehensiveness while improving traversal efficiency regardless of the total number of files.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing checkpoint operations only on modified control group files rather than all files. The flag file mechanism enables the system to identify and process only the necessary portion of control group files, avoiding excessive traversal of unchanged files. This partial processing approach maintains comprehensive control capabilities while significantly improving efficiency as the number of control group files increases.
Data Source
AI summary
A container-based processing method includes: when a container state needs to be backed up, determining that content of a first control group file in at least one control group file of the container is modified; acquiring, a file name of the first control group file corresponding to the first flag bit; searching for, according to a correspondence between the file name of the at least one control group file and a storage location of the at least one control group file, a storage location of the first control group file corresponding to the file name of the first control group file, and extracting modified content of the first control group file from the first control group file stored in the storage location of the first control group file; and backing up the file name of the first control group file and the modified content of the first control group file.