Meta-Container Virtualization for Distributed Application Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to effectively manage diverse, interrelated distributed elements in network-centric applications, such as web sites, databases, and workflows, as they lack an abstraction or interface to configure and coordinate the execution of distributed applications across different hosting services.
Innovation Solution
A meta-container system that communicates with drivers associated with containers hosting modules of distributed applications, transmitting commands and events, and utilizing a model repository to identify appropriate containers and drivers for processing commands, thereby abstracting and virtualizing the operation of these elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If existing container systems are used to host distributed application modules, then individual modules can be abstracted and managed, but the overall management of diverse distributed elements remains complex and costly due to lack of coordination between multiple hosting services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple independent container hosting services into a unified virtualized environment where diverse distributed elements (web sites, databases, workflows, web services) are coordinated through a single management interface. This merging eliminates the need to manage each hosting service separately, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtualization layer as an intermediary between the diverse distributed elements and the management system. This intermediary provides standardized interfaces and coordination mechanisms, allowing simple management operations while handling the complexity of multiple hosting services behind the scenes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple specialized hosting services are used for different distributed elements, then each element can be optimized for its specific function, but the cost and complexity of running and managing these services increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal virtualized hosting platform that can accommodate multiple types of distributed elements (web sites, databases, workflows, web services) within a single environment. This multi-functional platform maintains the adaptability needed for different specialized workloads while reducing the total number of separate hosting services required.
Data Source
AI summary
Abstracting communication with a plurality of containers. Each container encapsulates or hosts a module (e.g., a web service, a database, etc.) associated with a distributed application. A meta-container communicates with drivers that interface with each of the containers. The meta-container represents an abstraction and a virtualization of the containers in the hierarchy. Each container may also be a meta-container for other containers. The recursion and layered hierarchy provide flexible, extensible, and efficient management of the distributed application.