System Image Size Reduction via Automated File Deletion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current system images for Linux systems are oversized due to unnecessary files and dependencies, leading to increased memory requirements and higher device costs, which cannot be efficiently optimized in a scalable manner.
Innovation Solution
A method that assigns an access time attribute to each file in the system image, marking unused files for deletion, utilizing the 'last access time' feature of modern file systems to identify and remove unnecessary files, thereby reducing the system image size without requiring additional hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If manual postprocessing by specialists is used to optimize system images, then system image size is reduced, but the process is not scalable and requires significant time and resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically identifies and removes unused files through automated execution of the file system during the build process, eliminating the need for manual specialist intervention while maintaining optimization effectiveness across multiple system images
Solution Approach 2:
The optimization process is performed during the initial build phase rather than as a subsequent manual step, with files being marked and removed automatically as the system image is being created, making the process scalable and integrated into the build workflow
2Quantity of substance
If custom-tailored installation packages are used to reduce system image size, then unnecessary files are removed, but the solution cannot be applied in a scalable manner
Solution Approach 1:
The automated marking and removal mechanism works universally across different system images and configurations without requiring custom-tailored packages for each case, enabling scalable application of the optimization process to multiple systems
3Reliability
If larger memory modules are used to accommodate oversized system images, then all files are preserved, but device costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
Unused files are extracted and removed from the system image through automated identification and deletion, reducing the total size of the file system and allowing the use of smaller, more cost-effective memory modules while preserving only the necessary functionality
Data Source
AI summary
A method for processing a system image, which represents an image of a file system. Each file in the file system is assigned an attribute, this attribute representing a last access time to this file, Initially the attributes of all files are set to a predefined value. The system image is executed, and then all attributes being checked. Finally the files are deleted whose attribute has the preset value.