Custom Resource Modification Intermediary for Live Operator Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
In orchestration platforms, making permanent changes to custom resources managed by operators is challenging due to the need for extensive reversion to the original state, requiring new operator versions, which is time-consuming and prone to causing issues on other systems.
Innovation Solution
A modification intermediary is inserted between the operator and the orchestration API server to intercept and modify custom resources, applying updates while hiding them from the operator, allowing live system modifications without reversion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an operator manages custom resources to maintain consistency, then system reliability is improved, but the ability to apply ad-hoc fixes and modifications is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a modification intermediary that acts as a mediator between the operator and the custom resource. This intermediary intercepts requests from the operator, applies necessary modifications to the custom resource, and prevents the operator from reverting the changes. The intermediary thus enables ad-hoc fixes while maintaining the operator's consistency management functionality.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If a new operator version is built and distributed to make changes permanent, then modification persistence is improved, but development time and testing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of building and distributing a new operator version, the patent uses a modification intermediary that can be deployed independently. This intermediary handles the persistence of modifications without requiring full operator reversion, thus eliminating the time-consuming processes of building, packaging, testing, and distributing new operator versions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the operator functionality into two parts: the original operator that maintains consistency, and the modification intermediary that handles ad-hoc changes. This segmentation allows modifications to be applied independently without affecting the entire operator, thus reducing development and testing overhead.
3Adaptability or versatility
If all fields in managed resources are made configurable via CRD, then flexibility is improved, but system complexity and error potential increase
Solution Approach 1:
The modification intermediary provides a targeted approach to configurability, allowing only specific fields that require modification to be made configurable. Instead of exposing all fields in the CRD, the intermediary intercepts and modifies only the necessary fields, thus maintaining flexibility while reducing CRD complexity and the potential for user errors.
Data Source
AI summary
An approach for modification of a custom resource in an orchestration platform. One step provides a modification custom resource definition for updating one or more fields in a custom resource. Another step inserts a modification intermediary between a managing operator of the custom resource and an orchestration application programming interface (API) server including restarting a deployment of the managing operator to update pods of the deployment to connect to the modification intermediary when receiving a request for the custom resource. Another step intercepts, by the modification intermediary, requests for the custom resource between the operator and the orchestration API server and modifies the custom resource by applying an update to the request according to the modification custom resource whilst hiding the update from the operator.