Container synchronization

• US 10,379,893 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RackWare, Inc.
• Original Assignee: RackWare, Inc.
• Inventors: Matters, Todd, Kulkarni, Aniket, Moulding, Dan, Sunkara, Sash, Zhidko, Mikhail
• Primary Examiner(s): Wai, Eric C
• Application Number:
  US15/233,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20180046487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 707610, 370503
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, systems, and computer program products are disclosed for container synchronization. Host data associated with a first container on a host device is determined. Target data associated with a second container on a target device is determined. Differences between the host data associated with the first container on the host device and the target data associated with the second container on the target device are determined. Host data associated with the first container on the host device is synchronized with target data associated with the second container on the target device in response to determining differences between the host data and the target data such that the host data associated with the first container is identical to the target data associated with the second container.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a first synchronization policy for a first container on a host device, the first container comprising a self-contained operating system virtualization container that is configured to isolate one or more applications and their data from one or more different applications executing in a different container on a same operating system as the first container;

determining a second synchronization policy for host data associated with the first container on the host device, the first synchronization policy having priority over the second synchronization policy;

in response to determining that the second synchronization policy for the first container does not conflict with the first synchronization policy;

determining host data associated with a first container on a host device;

determining target data associated with a second container on a target device, the second container comprising a self-contained operating system virtualization container that corresponds to the first container;

determining differences between the host data associated with the first container on the host device and the target data associated with the second container on the target device; and

synchronizing the host data associated with the first container on the host device with the target data associated with the second container on the target device according to the second synchronization policy in response to determining differences between the host data and the target data such that the host data associated with the first container is identical to the target data associated with the second container; and

in response to determining that the second synchronization policy conflicts with the first synchronization policy, preventing synchronization of the host data associated with the first container on the host device with the target data associated with the second container on the target device according to the second synchronization policy.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more synchronization policies for the host data, wherein:

a synchronization policy defines one or more synchronization settings for a container; and

the one or more synchronization settings comprises one or more of a synchronization frequency for the host data, a synchronization schedule for the host data, one or more synchronization methods for the host data, and one or more target devices to which the host data is synchronized.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a synchronization policy to the first container such that the one or more synchronization settings of the synchronization policy are applied to all host data associated with the first container.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a synchronization policy to specific host data associated with the first container such that the specific host data associated with the first container is synchronized according to the assigned synchronization policy while different host data associated with the first container is synchronized according to a different synchronization policy.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a synchronization policy specifies host data associated with the first container that is excluded from being synchronized with the target device.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a plurality of synchronization policies to one or more of the first container and the host data associated with the first container.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a priority for each of the plurality of synchronization policies; and

synchronizing the host data associated with the first container responsive to the priority for each of the plurality of synchronization policies.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the host data is synchronized with the target data in a one-way synchronization relationship such that data changes present in the target data, but not in the host data, are overridden by the host data such that the target data mirrors the host data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising rebooting the target device in response to the host data being synchronized with the target data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the target device executes a microkernel during synchronization of the host data with the target data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the host data with the target data in real-time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the host data associated with the first container comprises one or more of a file, a partition, a disk, a data block, a data sector, a byte, and a bit.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor to;

determine a first synchronization policy for a first container on a host device, the first container comprising a self-contained operating system virtualization container that is configured to isolate one or more applications and their data from one or more different applications executing in a different container on a same operating system as the first container;

determine a second synchronization policy for host data associated with the first container on the host device, the first synchronization policy having priority over the second synchronization policy;

in response to determining that the second synchronization policy for the first container does not conflict with the first synchronization policy;

determine host data associated with a first container on a host device;

determine target data associated with a second container on a target device, the second container comprising a self-contained operating system virtualization container that corresponds to the first container;

determine differences between the host data associated with the first container on the host device and the target data associated with the second container on the target device; and

synchronize the host data associated with the first container on the host device with the target data associated with the second container on the target device according to the second synchronization policy in response to determining differences between the host data and the target data such that the host data associated with the first container is identical to the target data associated with the second container; and

in response to determining that the second synchronization policy conflicts with the first synchronization policy, prevent synchronization of the host data associated with the first container on the host device with the target data associated with the second container on the target device according to the second synchronization policy.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the code is further executable by the processor to determine one or more synchronization policies for the host data, wherein:

a synchronization policy defines one or more synchronization settings for a container; and

the one or more synchronization settings comprises one or more of a synchronization frequency for the host data, a synchronization schedule for the host data, one or more synchronization methods for the host data, and one or more target devices to which the host data is synchronized.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the code is further executable by the processor to one or more of:

assign a synchronization policy to the first container such that the one or more synchronization settings of the synchronization policy are applied to all host data associated with the first container; and

assign a synchronization policy to specific host data associated with the first container such that the specific host data associated with the first container is synchronized according to the assigned synchronization policy while different host data associated with the first container is synchronized according to a different synchronization policy.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a synchronization policy specifies host data associated with the first container that is excluded from being synchronized with the target device.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the code is further executable by the processor to assign a plurality of synchronization policies to one or more of the first container and the host data associated with the first container.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the host data is synchronized with the target data in a one-way synchronization relationship such that data changes present in the target data, but not in the host data, are overridden by the host data such that the target data mirrors the host data.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the code is further executable by the processor to synchronize the host data with the target data in real-time.

20. A program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores code executable by a processor, the executable code comprising code to perform:

determining a first synchronization policy for a first container on a host device, the first container comprising a self-contained operating system virtualization container that is configured to isolate one or more applications and their data from one or more different applications executing in a different container on a same operating system as the first container;

determining a second synchronization policy for host data associated with the first container on the host device, the first synchronization policy having priority over the second synchronization policy;

in response to determining that the second synchronization policy for the first container does not conflict with the first synchronization policy;

determining host data associated with a first container on a host device;

determining target data associated with a second container on a target device, the second container comprising a self-contained operating system virtualization container that corresponds to the first container;

determining differences between the host data associated with the first container on the host device and the target data associated with the second container on the target device; and

synchronizing the host data associated with the first container on the host device with the target data associated with the second container on the target device according to the second synchronization policy in response to determining differences between the host data and the target data such that the host data associated with the first container is identical to the target data associated with the second container; and

in response to determining that the second synchronization policy conflicts with the first synchronization policy, preventing synchronization of the host data associated with the first container on the host device with the target data associated with the second container on the target device according to the second synchronization policy.