Containerizing a block storage service

• US 10,678,447 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Hallisey, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrison, Jay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Xiaoqin
• Application Number:
  US15/649,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20180018116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

Containerization of a block storage service. A scheduler component of a block storage service is initiated in a first container via a containerization technology. A log volume maintained by a host operating system is mounted to the first container to allow the scheduler component access to the log volume. An application programming interface (API) component of the block storage service is initiated in a second container via the containerization technology. The log volume is mounted to the second container to allow the API component access to the log volume of the host operating system. A volume component of the block storage service is initiated in a third container via the containerization technology. A device volume is mounted to the third container to allow the volume component access to the device volume of the host operating system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a block storage service that comprises a scheduler component, a volume component, and an application programming interface (API) component in independent containers, by;

initiating, by at least one computing device, the scheduler component of the block storage service to execute in a first container on the at least one computing device via a containerization technology executing on the at least one computing device, wherein the scheduler component is configured to receive a request for a new volume from the API component;

mounting to the first container a log volume that is mounted to a host operating system executing on the at least one computing device to allow the scheduler component access to the log volume;

initiating, by the at least one computing device, the API component of the block storage service to execute in a second container on the at least one computing device via the containerization technology, wherein the API component is configured to communicate a volume management request to the volume component;

mounting to the second container the log volume to allow the API component access to the log volume of the host operating system;

initiating, by the at least one computing device, the volume component of the block storage service in a third container via the containerization technology; and

mounting to the third container a device volume maintained by the host operating system to allow the volume component access to the device volume of the host operating system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

initiating, by the at least one computing device, a backup component of the block storage service in a fourth container via the containerization technology; and

mounting to the fourth container the log volume to allow the backup component access to the log volume of the host operating system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the scheduler component is configured to:

receive the request for the new volume;

determine a particular backend storage device of a plurality of backend storage devices; and

forward the request and an identifier of the particular backend storage device to the volume component.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the API component is configured to:

expose an API to external processes for invocation; and

forward a request received via the API to either the scheduler component or the volume component.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the volume component is configured to:

receive the volume management request from the API component and/or the scheduler component;

determine a backend device to which the volume management request pertains; and

communicate the volume management request to a device driver associated with the backend device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a first computing device initiates the scheduler component in the first container to execute on the first computing device, a second computing device initiates the API component in the second container to execute on the second computing device, and a third computing device initiates the volume component in the third container to execute on the third computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the containerization technology comprises a container engine, the container engine executing within an operating system environment of the at least one computing device, and wherein the log volume is managed by the operating system environment.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first container and the second container are initiated to execute concurrently, and share access to the log volume.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the containerization technology comprises Docker containerization technology.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising mounting to the third container a run volume to allow the volume component access to the run volume maintained by the host operating system.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor device coupled to the memory to;

initiate a block storage service that comprises a scheduler component, a volume component, and an application programming interface (API) component in independent containers, by;

initiating the scheduler component of the block storage service to execute in a first container on the computing device via a containerization technology executing on the computing device, wherein the scheduler component is configured to receive a request for a new volume from the API component;

mounting to the first container a log volume that is mounted to a host operating system executing on the computing device to allow the scheduler component access to the log volume;

initiating the API component of the block storage service to execute in a second container on the computing device via the containerization technology wherein the API component is configured to communicate a volume management request to the volume component;

mounting to the second container the log volume to allow the API component access to the log volume of the host operating system;

initiating the volume component of the block storage service in a third container via the containerization technology; and

mounting to the third container a device volume maintained by the host operating system to allow the volume component access to the device volume of the host operating system.

12. The computing device of claim 11 wherein the scheduler component is configured to:

receive the request for the new volume;

determine a particular backend storage device of a plurality of backend storage devices; and

forward the request and an identifier of the particular backend storage device to the volume component.

13. The computing device of claim 11 wherein the API component is configured to:

expose an API to external processes for invocation; and

forward a request received via the API to either the scheduler component or the volume component.

14. The computing device of claim 11 wherein the volume component is configured to:

receive the volume management request from the API component and/or the scheduler component;

determine a backend device to which the volume management request pertains; and

communicate the volume management request to a device driver associated with the backend device.

15. The computing device of claim 11 wherein the containerization technology comprises a container engine, the container engine executing within an operating system environment of the computing device, and wherein the log volume is managed by the operating system environment.

16. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and including instructions configured to cause a processor device to:

initiate a block storage service that comprises a scheduler component, a volume component, and an application programming interface (API) component in independent containers, by;

initiating the scheduler component of the block storage service to execute in a first container on at least one computing device via a containerization technology executing on the at least one computing device, wherein the scheduler component is configured to receive a request for a new volume from the API component;

mounting to the first container a log volume that is mounted to a host operating system executing on the at least one computing device to allow the scheduler component access to the log volume;

initiating the API component of the block storage service to execute in a second container on the at least one computing device via the containerization technology wherein the API component is configured to communicate a volume management request to the volume component;

mounting to the second container the log volume to allow the API component access to the log volume of the host operating system;

initiating the volume component of the block storage service in a third container via the containerization technology; and

mounting to the third container a device volume maintained by the host operating system to allow the volume component access to the device volume of the host operating system.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the scheduler component is configured to:

receive the request for the new volume;

determine a particular backend storage device of a plurality of backend storage devices; and

forward the request and an identifier of the particular backend storage device to the volume component.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the API component is configured to:

expose an API to external processes for invocation; and

forward a request received via the API to either the scheduler component or the volume component.

19. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the volume component is configured to:

receive the volume management request from the API component and/or the scheduler component;

determine a backend device to which the volume management request pertains; and

communicate the volume management request to a device driver associated with the backend device.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the containerization technology comprises a container engine, the container engine executing within an operating system environment of at least one computing device, and wherein the log volume is managed by the operating system environment.