DYNAMIC CONTAINER DEPLOYMENT WITH PARALLEL CONDITIONAL LAYERS

• US 20170277524A1
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhat, Badekila Ganesh Prashanth, George, Manu T., Kumar, Krishna C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,324,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A method and associated systems for dynamic container deployment with parallel layers. A processor creates an image file by processing each instruction of an image-container file in sequential order, where each instruction adds a layer to the image file that identifies either an unconditional or a parallel software layer of a container. Each unconditional layer is assigned a unique level but parallel layers may share a same level. The processor then deploys an instance of a container by deploying layers of the image file to the container in the order in which they were created by the image-creation file. If an image-file layer is marked as parallel, it is deployed only if an associated condition is satisfied, such that no two deployed layers have the same level.

Claims

1. A dynamic container system comprising a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer-readable hardware storage device coupled to the processor, the storage device containing program code configured to be run by the processor via the memory to implement a method for dynamic container deployment with parallel layers, the method comprising:

the processor processing instructions of an image-creation file that, when run, create an image file configured to deploy instances of a container,

where each instance of the container comprises an ordered stack of layers selected from a set of deployable software layers,

where each level of an ordered set of stack levels identifies one distinct layer of the ordered stack of layers,

where each processed instruction of the image-creation file identifies a candidate layer that is capable of being deployed in one or more instances of the container,

where each candidate layer is either an unconditional layer or a parallel layer,

where a first processed instruction of the image-creation file identifies a first parallel layer of the set of deployable software layers that is associated with a first corresponding level of the ordered set of stack levels, and

where a first instance of the container comprises the first parallel layer only if the first instance is deployed on a virtualized platform that satisfies a condition associated with the first processed instruction.

2. The container system of claim 1, where the instructions are ordered within the image-creation file such that each instruction is associated with a level that is no less than a level associated with an immediately preceding instruction.

3. The container system of claim 1, where the processor processing the first processed instruction further comprises:

the processor determining that the first parallel layer is a conditional layer;

the processor further determining that the virtualized platform satisfies the condition;

the processor adding a new layer to the image file;

the processor populating the new layer with software comprised by the first parallel layer;

the processor associating the new layer with the first corresponding level; and

the processor associating the new layer with a set of metadata elements identified by the first processed instruction.

4. The container system of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor processing a second processed instruction of the image-creation file that identifies a second layer of software and a second corresponding level of the ordered set of stack levels;

the processor determining that the second layer is not a parallel layer;

the processor adding a new layer to the image file;

the processor populating the new layer with software comprised by the second layer; and

the processor associating the new layer with the second corresponding level.

5. The container system of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor deploying the first instance on the virtualized platform by processing the image file, where the deploying comprises;

the processor evaluating each layer of the image file in sequential order;

the processor, if the evaluating comprises deploying a software layer to the first instance, associating that software layer with a level that is one greater than the highest level associated with a layer most recently deployed to the first instance.

6. The container system of claim 5, where the evaluating each layer of the image file further comprises:

the processor determining whether an evaluated layer of the image file is a parallel layer, where the evaluated layer was added to the image file as a function of a second processed instruction of the image-creation file;

the processor, if determining that the first evaluated layer is not a parallel layer, deploying the evaluated layer as a new layer of the first instance; and

the processor, if determining that the first evaluated layer is a parallel layer, deploying the evaluated layer as a new layer of the first instance only if the virtualized platform satisfies a condition associated with the second processed instruction.

7. The container system of claim 1, where the condition specifies a second layer of the set of deployable software layers and states that the first parallel layer may be deployed to the first instance only if the second layer has already been deployed to the first instance.

8. The container system of claim 1, where the condition specifies a second layer of the set of deployable software layers and states that the first parallel layer must be deployed to the first instance if the second layer has already been deployed to the first instance.

9. The container system of claim 1, where the first processed instruction is associated with a set of metadata elements that comprise:

an identification of the first corresponding level;

an indication that the first parallel layer is a parallel layer;

a configuration setting associated with the first corresponding level; and

a characteristic of the virtual platform.

10. A method for dynamic container deployment with parallel layers, the method comprising:

a processor of a computerized dynamic container system processing instructions of an image-creation file that, when run, create an image file configured to deploy instances of a container,

where each instance of the container comprises an ordered stack of layers selected from a set of deployable software layers,

where each level of an ordered set of stack levels identifies one distinct layer of the ordered stack of layers,

where each processed instruction of the image-creation file identifies a candidate layer that is capable of being deployed in one or more instances of the container,

where each candidate layer is either an unconditional layer or a parallel layer,

where a first processed instruction of the image-creation file identifies a first parallel layer of the set of deployable software layers that is associated with a first corresponding level of the ordered set of stack levels, and

where a first instance of the container comprises the first parallel layer only if the first instance is deployed on a virtualized platform that satisfies a condition associated with the first processed instruction.

11. The method of claim 10, where the processor processing the first processed instruction further comprises:

the processor determining that the first parallel layer is a conditional layer;

the processor further determining that the virtualized platform satisfies the condition;

the processor adding a new layer to the image file;

the processor populating the new layer with software comprised by the first parallel layer;

the processor associating the new layer with the first corresponding level; and

the processor associating the new layer with a set of metadata elements identified by the first processed instruction.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the processor processing a second processed instruction of the image-creation file that identifies a second layer of software and a second corresponding level of the ordered set of stack levels;

the processor determining that the second layer is not a parallel layer;

the processor adding a new layer to the image file;

the processor populating the new layer with software comprised by the second layer; and

the processor associating the new layer with the second corresponding level.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the processor deploying the first instance on the virtualized platform by processing the image file, where the deploying comprises;

the processor evaluating each layer of the image file in sequential order;

the processor, if the evaluating comprises deploying a software layer to the first instance, associating that software layer with a level that is one greater than the highest level associated with a layer most recently deployed to the first instance.

14. The method of claim 13, where the evaluating each layer of the image file further comprises:

the processor determining whether an evaluated layer of the image file is a parallel layer, where the evaluated layer was added to the image file as a function of a second processed instruction of the image-creation file;

the processor, if determining that the first evaluated layer is not a parallel layer, deploying the evaluated layer as a new layer of the first instance; and

the processor, if determining that the first evaluated layer is a parallel layer, deploying the evaluated layer as a new layer of the first instance only if the virtualized platform satisfies a condition associated with the second processed instruction.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code in the computer system, wherein the computer-readable program code in combination with the computer system is configured to implement the processing instructions of an image-creation file.

16. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable hardware storage device having a computer-readable program code stored therein, the program code configured to be executed by a dynamic container system comprising a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer-readable hardware storage device coupled to the processor, the storage device containing program code configured to be run by the processor via the memory to implement a method for dynamic container deployment with parallel layers, the method comprising:

the processor processing instructions of an image-creation file that, when run, create an image file configured to deploy instances of a container,

where each instance of the container comprises an ordered stack of layers selected from a set of deployable software layers,

where each level of an ordered set of stack levels identifies one distinct layer of the ordered stack of layers,

where each processed instruction of the image-creation file identifies a candidate layer that is capable of being deployed in one or more instances of the container,

where each candidate layer is either an unconditional layer or a parallel layer,

where a first processed instruction of the image-creation file identifies a first parallel layer of the set of deployable software layers that is associated with a first corresponding level of the ordered set of stack levels, and

where a first instance of the container comprises the first parallel layer only if the first instance is deployed on a virtualized platform that satisfies a condition associated with the first processed instruction.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, where the processor processing the first processed instruction further comprises:

the processor determining that the first parallel layer is a conditional layer;

the processor further determining that the virtualized platform satisfies the condition;

the processor adding a new layer to the image file;

the processor populating the new layer with software comprised by the first parallel layer;

the processor associating the new layer with the first corresponding level; and

the processor associating the new layer with a set of metadata elements identified by the first processed instruction.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

the processor processing a second processed instruction of the image-creation file that identifies a second layer of software and a second corresponding level of the ordered set of stack levels;

the processor determining that the second layer is not a parallel layer;

the processor adding a new layer to the image file;

the processor populating the new layer with software comprised by the second layer; and

the processor associating the new layer with the second corresponding level.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

the processor deploying the first instance on the virtualized platform by processing the image file, where the deploying comprises;

the processor evaluating each layer of the image file in sequential order;

the processor, if the evaluating comprises deploying a software layer to the first instance, associating that software layer with a level that is one greater than the highest level associated with a layer most recently deployed to the first instance.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, where the evaluating each layer of the image file further comprises:

the processor determining whether an evaluated layer of the image file is a parallel layer, where the evaluated layer was added to the image file as a function of a second processed instruction of the image-creation file;

the processor, if determining that the first evaluated layer is not a parallel layer, deploying the evaluated layer as a new layer of the first instance; and

the processor, if determining that the first evaluated layer is a parallel layer, deploying the evaluated layer as a new layer of the first instance only if the virtualized platform satisfies a condition associated with the second processed instruction.