Onboard Container Registry Bootstrapping for Offline Filesystem Images

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Solution Overview

Problem

Devices such as edge devices and IoT devices require container images for bootable filesystems and containerization, but often face network unavailability or insecurity, making it difficult to obtain these images from the internet.

Innovation Solution

A filesystem image service generates images with integrated container registries, allowing devices to boot with a local container registry, enabling them to pull container images from onboard registries without network access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If devices obtain container images from the internet, then container images are available, but network connectivity is required which may be unavailable or insecure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer image availabilityVSAvoidnetwork dependency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The container registry is integrated into the filesystem image during the bootstrapping phase, before the device needs to access container images. This preliminary action ensures that the registry is already present and accessible when the device boots, eliminating the need for network connectivity at the time of container image retrieval

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The onboard container registry acts as an intermediary between the device and external container image sources. Instead of directly accessing the internet, devices pull images from the local registry, which can later be populated from external sources when network access is available and secure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If an onboard container registry is integrated into the filesystem image, then container images can be accessed without network access, but the filesystem image size increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer image accessibilityVSAvoidfilesystem image size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The container registry functionality is segmented into a modular component that can be selectively included in the filesystem image. The registry structure is divided into directories that can be progressively populated, allowing the initial image to contain only the registry framework rather than all possible container images

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of including all possible container images in the filesystem image, only the essential registry infrastructure is included initially. Additional images can be selectively added later through updates or synchronization processes, implementing partial action rather than complete inclusion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS12498941B2Generating filesystem images with integrated container registries having container runtime to initiate the first container image

Publication Date: 2025.12.16 RED HAT LLC

AI summary

A computing device receives a filesystem image comprising a filesystem tree, a container runtime, and an on-board container registry including a plurality of container images, the on-board container registry operable to provide a container image to a requesting container runtime. The computing device is booted using the filesystem image. The computing device instructs the container runtime to initiate a first container from a first container image. The computing device requests, by the container runtime from the on-board container registry, the first container image. The computing device receives, by the container runtime, the first container image from the on-board container registry. The computing device initiates, by the container runtime, the first container from the first container image.