Secondary Naming System for Cluster Hostname Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud computing environments, the frequent movement of compute nodes between hardware platforms for load balancing, updates, or administrative tasks leads to changes in IP addresses, which disrupt communication between nodes, as existing systems rely on Domain Name Service (DNS) for addressing, requiring node restarts to update friendly names.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a secondary naming system within a cluster that maintains a local hosts file across all nodes, allowing IP addresses and secondary friendly names to be updated without restarting nodes, enabling seamless communication using a hosts file that maps secondary names to IP addresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If DNS is used for addressing nodes in cloud computing environments, then nodes can be addressed using friendly names, but node movement between hardware platforms causes IP address changes that disrupt communication and require node restarts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a secondary naming system that acts as an intermediary between friendly names and IP addresses. This system maintains a hosts file mapping secondary names to current IP addresses, allowing nodes to be addressed by stable secondary names even when their IP addresses change due to movement between hardware platforms. The hosts file is updated and propagated to all cluster members to maintain consistent mappings.
2Ease of operation
If DNS is used for addressing nodes, then friendly name resolution is enabled, but IP address changes require node restarts to update name resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining a hosts file with pre-established mappings between secondary names and IP addresses. When a node's IP address changes, the hosts file is updated and propagated to all cluster members before communication is affected, eliminating the need for node restarts to update name resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary naming system is designed to be dynamic, automatically updating the hosts file when IP addresses change. This dynamic update mechanism allows the system to adapt to node movements without requiring manual intervention or node restarts, maintaining continuous name resolution capability.
3Productivity
If nodes are moved between hardware platforms for load balancing and updates, then resource utilization is optimized, but communication between nodes is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary naming system serves as a mediator that decouples the relationship between node identity and physical location. By mapping secondary names to current IP addresses through a dynamically updated hosts file, it enables seamless communication even as nodes are moved between hardware platforms for load balancing and updates.
Data Source
AI summary
A set of interacting devices within a cluster environment may use a secondary naming system to assign and transfer friendly names between devices within the cluster. The cluster may be operated inside, outside, or partially within a cloud computing environment. The secondary naming system may maintain a hosts file within the addressable memory of each member of the cluster, where the hosts file may updated and changes propagated to every member of the cluster so that each member maintains an identical hosts file.