Systems and methods for completing sets of computing tasks

• US 10,360,053 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Christensen, Aaron, Searls, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Swift, Charles M
• Application Number:
  US15/432,582
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/48 Program initiating; Program switching, e.g. by interrupt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4806 Task transfer initiation or dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4831 with variable priority
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5005 to service a request
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5022 Mechanisms to release resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 : considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 : considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 : Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 : Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 : Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 : Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system

Abstract

The disclosed computer-implemented method for completing sets of computing tasks may include (i) defining a set of computing tasks to be performed in a specified order, (ii) configuring a set of containers such that each container within the set of containers is configured to perform a task within the set of computing tasks, where each container isolates user space of a deployment system from other software on the deployment system while sharing kernel space with the other software, (iii) receiving a request to initiate the set of computing tasks, and (iv) completing, in response to the request, the set of computing tasks by launching the set of containers in the specified order. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for completing sets of computing tasks, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

defining a set of computing tasks to be performed in a specified order;

configuring a set of containers such that each container within the set of containers is configured to perform a task within the set of computing tasks, wherein each container isolates user space of a deployment system from other software on the deployment system while sharing kernel space with the other software;

receiving a request to initiate the set of computing tasks; and

completing, in response to the request, the set of computing tasks by launching the set of containers in the specified order comprising;

launching a first container in the set of containers, the launching causing the first container to perform a first task; and

launching, by the first container, a second container included in the set of containers, the launching causing the second container to perform a second task after the first container has completed performing the first task.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,

wherein a container in the set of containers comprises a container identifier,

wherein launching the set of containers in the specified order comprises launching, by the container, at least one other container in the set of containers by assigning a context identifier to the other container that comprises the container identifier, and

wherein the other container launches an additional container within the set of containers by assigning a context identifier to the additional container that comprises the context identifier of the other container.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first container comprises a first container identifier; and

launching, by the first container, the second container further comprises assigning, by the first container, a first context identifier to the second container that comprises the first container identifier.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the second container does not comprise an assigned context identifier; and

the first container assigns the first context identifier that comprises the first container identifier to the second container based on determining that the second container does not comprise the assigned context identifier.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein launching the set of containers in the specified order comprises launching an external resource that is not contained within any container in the set of containers.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein launching the external resource comprises launching, by a container in the set of containers, the external resource.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein completing the set of computing tasks comprises:

launching, by at least one container in the set of containers, an interface that prompts a user to provide input; and

receiving, from the user via the interface, the input.

8. A system for completing sets of computing tasks, the system comprising:

a definition module, stored in memory, that defines a set of computing tasks to be performed in a specified order;

a configuration module, stored in memory, that configures a set of containers such that each container within the set of containers is configured to perform a task within the set of computing tasks, wherein each container isolates user space of a deployment system from other software on the deployment system while sharing kernel space with the other software;

a receiving module, stored in memory, that receives a request to initiate the set of computing tasks;

a completion module, stored in memory, that completes, in response to the request, the set of computing tasks by launching the set of containers in the specified order comprising;

launching a first container in the set of containers, the launching causing the first container to perform a first task; and

launching, by the first container, a second container included in the set of containers, the launching causing the second container to perform a second task after the first container has completed performing the first task; and

at least one physical processor configured to execute the definition module, the configuration module, the receiving module, and the completion module.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein a container in the set of containers comprises a container identifier,

wherein the completion module launches the set of containers in the specified order by launching, by the container, at least one other container in the set of containers by assigning a context identifier to the other container that comprises the container identifier, and

wherein the other container launches an additional container within the set of containers by assigning a context identifier to the additional container that comprises the context identifier of the other container.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the first container comprises a first container identifier; and

launching, by the first container, the second container further comprises assigning, by the first container, a first context identifier to the second container that comprises the first container identifier.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the second container does not comprise an assigned context identifier; and

the first container assigns the first context identifier that comprises the first container identifier to the second container based on determining that the second container does not comprise the assigned context identifier.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the completion module launches the set of containers in the specified order by launching an external resource that is not contained within any container in the set of containers.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the completion module launches the external resource by launching, by a container in the set of containers, the external resource.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the completion module completes the set of computing tasks by:

launching, by at least one container in the set of containers, an interface that prompts a user to provide input; and

receiving, from the user via the interface, the input.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

define a set of computing tasks to be performed in a specified order;

configure a set of containers such that each container within the set of containers is configured to perform a task within the set of computing tasks, wherein each container isolates user space of a deployment system from other software on the deployment system while sharing kernel space with the other software;

receive a request to initiate the set of computing tasks; and

complete, in response to the request, the set of computing tasks by launching the set of containers in the specified order comprising;

launching a first container in the set of containers, the launching causing the first container to perform a first task; and

launching, by the first container, a second container included in the set of containers, the launching causing the second container to perform a second task after the first container has completed performing the first task.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the first container comprises a first container identifier; and

launching, by the first container, the second container further comprises assigning, by the first container, a first context identifier to the second container that comprises the first container identifier.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second container launches an additional container within the set of containers by assigning a second context identifier to the additional container that comprises the first context identifier of the second container.