Software Image Management Without Virtualization Overhead
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and cost of managing and demonstrating large-scale software products across various divisions and locations, including installation, configuration, and debugging, lead to inefficiencies and divert staff from core competencies.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that create pointers for software applications, mapping them to physical computer processing units, allowing for efficient scheduling and management of images without the need for a virtualization layer, using a computer-implemented system to handle image access, storage, and scheduling across networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a virtualization layer is used to manage software images across physical hosts, then software products can be demonstrated and tested consistently across different locations and environments, but overhead performance decreases, monetary cost increases, and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the virtualization layer from the system architecture. Instead of using VMware or Virtual PC to manage software images, the invention directly maps software images to physical hosts using a file system-based approach with mount points and symbolic links. This elimination of the virtualization intermediary resolves the technical contradiction by maintaining environment consistency while reducing system complexity and overhead performance penalties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new intermediary mechanism - a file system management system using mount points, symbolic links, and a database to track image-host mappings. This mediator replaces the virtualization layer by providing a simpler, file-system-based method to achieve the same goal of consistent software deployment across multiple physical hosts without the overhead of virtualization software.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a virtualization layer is used to manage software images, then software can be accessed from different locations, but overhead performance decreases and additional monetary cost is incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the virtualization layer that caused performance overhead. By using direct file system mounting and symbolic links, the system achieves remote access capability without the performance penalty of virtualization software intermediaries. The software images are accessed directly from their storage location through the file system, eliminating the overhead of virtualization processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/virtualized system (virtualization layer software running on physical hosts) with a file system-based mechanism. Instead of using virtualization software to manage and access software images, the invention uses operating system-level file system features (mount points, symbolic links) to achieve the same remote access functionality with minimal performance overhead.
3Adaptability or versatility
If staff spend time installing, configuring, and debugging software for each customer niche, then software can be customized for specific customers, but productivity decreases as staff are diverted from core competencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring software images with all necessary customizations for different customer niches before deployment. The system stores multiple pre-prepared software images in a database, each tailored for specific customer requirements. When a customer needs software, the appropriate pre-configured image is simply mounted and made available, eliminating the need for staff to perform time-consuming installation and configuration tasks at the customer site.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating and storing multiple pre-configured software images that can be rapidly deployed to different customers. Instead of customizing software from scratch for each customer, the system maintains copies of pre-adapted software images that can be quickly mounted and delivered. This copying approach allows staff to focus on core competencies while maintaining high adaptability to different customer needs.
Data Source
AI summary
Computer-implemented systems and methods for handling requests to execute software applications. A system and method can be configured to include a set of pointers that are created for both referencing data associated with the requested software application's associated image and data associated with changes made during execution of the requested software application. A mapping is generated to indicate with which physical computer processing unit the created set of pointers is associated.