Droplet execution engine for dynamic server application deployment

• US 10,817,273 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2017
• Issued: 10/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pivotal Software, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pivotal Software, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lucovsky, Mark, Collison, Derek, Spivak, Vadim, Chen, Gerald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bourzik, Brahim
• Application Number:
  US15/709,346
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

A cloud computing environment provides the ability to deploy a web application that has been developed using one of a plurality of application frameworks and is configured to execute within one of a plurality of runtime environments. The cloud computing environment receives the web application in a package compatible with the runtime environment and dynamically binds available services by appropriately inserting service provisioning data into the package. The cloud computing environment then packages an instance of the runtime environment, a start script and the package into a web application deployment package, which is then transmitted to an application. The application container unpacks the web application deployment package, installs the runtime environment, loads the web application package into the runtime environment and starts the start script, thereby deploying the web application in the application container.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a cloud controller of a cloud application platform installed on a distributed system comprising a hardware infrastructure having a plurality of physical servers, a first request to launch an application on the cloud application platform;

broadcasting, by the cloud controller to each of the plurality of deployment agents executing in respective containers hosted within virtual execution spaces of each of the plurality of virtual machines that were previously launched on the plurality of different respective physical servers of the hardware infrastructure, a second request to indicate availability, of a particular container hosted within the virtual execution space of a particular virtual machine previously launched on a particular physical server of the hardware infrastructure, to host the application on the cloud application platform;

providing, to the cloud controller by a particular deployment agent executing in a particular container hosted within the virtual execution space of a particular virtual machine previously launched on a particular physical server of the hardware infrastructure of the cloud application platform, an indication of availability of the particular container to host the application;

in response to receiving the indication of availability, providing, by the cloud controller to the particular deployment agent, a link to download an application deployment package for the application;

upon obtaining the link, downloading, by the particular deployment agent, the application deployment package using the link;

installing, by the particular deployment agent, a runtime environment for the application in the particular container of the particular virtual machine;

executing, by the particular deployment agent, a startup script in the application deployment package, including launching the runtime environment and starting the application in the launched runtime environment in the particular container of the particular virtual machine; and

upon successfully starting the application, broadcasting, by the particular deployment agent, network address information of the particular container and a port number of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting the second request by the cloud controller comprises broadcasting the second request through an addressing and discovery layer that provides a common communication interface for components of the cloud application platform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request indicates attributes of one or more containers requested for the application, the attributes including at least one of an operating system type or an amount of memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein installing the runtime environment comprises:

unpacking the application package; and

loading a Web application archive (WAR) file into a directory of the runtime environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application launched on the cloud application platform is a web application accessible over one or more networks by one or more end users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein launching the runtime environment comprises spawning a new process in a container that launches the runtime environment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by a router of the cloud application platform, the network address information and the port number;

updating, by the router, a routing table based on the network address information and the port number; and

routing, by the router, received requests for the application to the particular container and the application according to the updated routing table.

8. A system comprising:

a distributed system comprising a hardware infrastructure having a plurality of physical servers; and

one or more non-transitory storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the plurality of physical servers, to cause the plurality of physical servers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a cloud controller of a cloud application platform installed on the distributed system, a first request to launch an application on the cloud application platform;

broadcasting, by the cloud controller to each of the plurality of deployment agents executing in respective containers hosted within virtual execution spaces of each of the plurality of virtual machines that were previously launched on the plurality of different respective physical servers of the hardware infrastructure, a second request to indicate availability, of a particular container hosted within the virtual execution space of a particular virtual machine previously launched on a particular physical server of the hardware infrastructure, to host the application on the cloud application platform;

providing, to the cloud controller by a particular deployment agent executing in a particular container hosted within the virtual execution space of a particular virtual machine previously launched on a particular physical server of the hardware infrastructure of the cloud application platform, an indication of availability of the particular container to host the application;

in response to receiving the indication of availability, providing, by the cloud controller to the particular deployment agent, a link to download an application deployment package for the application;

upon obtaining the link, downloading, by the particular deployment agent, the application deployment package using the link;

installing, by the particular deployment agent, a runtime environment for the application in the particular container of the particular virtual machine;

executing, by the particular deployment agent, a startup script in the application deployment package, including launching the runtime environment and starting the application in the launched runtime environment in the particular container of the particular virtual machine; and

upon successfully starting the application, broadcasting, by the particular deployment agent, network address information of the particular container and a port number of the application.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second request indicates attributes of one or more containers requested for the application, the attributes including at least one of an operating system type or an amount of memory.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein installing the runtime environment comprises:

unpacking the application package; and

loading a Web application archive (WAR) file into a directory of the runtime environment.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein launching the runtime environment comprises spawning a new process in a container that launches the runtime environment.

12. The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by a router of the cloud application platform, the network address information and the port number;

updating, by the router, a routing table based on the network address information and the port number; and

routing, by the router, received request for the application to the particular container and the application according to the updated routing table.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein broadcasting the second request by the cloud controller comprises broadcasting the second request through an addressing and discovery layer that provides a common communication interface for components of the cloud application platform.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the application launched on the cloud application platform is a web application accessible over one or more networks by one or more end users.

13. One or more non-transitory storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by a plurality of physical servers of a distributed system, to cause the plurality of physical servers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a cloud controller of a cloud application platform installed on the distributed system, a first request to launch an application on the cloud application platform;

broadcasting, by the cloud controller, to each of the plurality of deployment agents executing in respective containers hosted within virtual execution spaces of each of the plurality of virtual machines that were previously launched on the plurality of different respective physical servers of a hardware infrastructure of the distributed system, a second request to indicate availability, of a particular container hosted within the virtual execution space of a particular virtual machine previously launched on a particular physical server of the hardware infrastructure, to host the application on the cloud application platform;

providing, to the cloud controller by a particular deployment agent executing in a particular container hosted within the virtual execution space of a particular virtual machine previously launched on a particular physical server of the hardware infrastructure of the cloud application platform, an indication of availability of the particular container to host the application;

in response to receiving the indication of availability, providing, by the cloud controller to the particular deployment agent, a link to download an application deployment package for the application;

upon obtaining the link, downloading, by the particular deployment agent, the application deployment package using the link;

installing, by the particular deployment agent, a runtime environment for the application in the particular container of the particular virtual machine;

executing, by the particular deployment agent, a startup script in the application deployment package, including launching the runtime environment and starting the application in the launched runtime environment in the particular container of the particular virtual machine; and

upon successfully starting the application, broadcasting, by the particular deployment agent, network address information of the particular container and a port number of the application.

14. The one or more non-transitory storage devices of claim 13, wherein the second request indicates attributes of one or more containers requested for the application, the attributes including at least one of an operating system type or an amount of memory.

15. The one or more non-transitory storage devices of claim 13, wherein installing the runtime environment comprises:

unpacking the application package; and

loading a Web application archive (WAR) file into a directory of the runtime environment.

16. The one or more non-transitory storage devices of claim 13, wherein launching the runtime environment comprises spawning a new process in a container that launches the runtime environment.

17. The one or more non-transitory storage devices of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by a router of the cloud application platform, the network address information and the port number;

updating, by the router, a routing table based on the network address information and the port number; and

routing, by the router, received requests for the application to the particular container and the application according to the updated routing table.

20. The one or more non-transitory storage devices of claim 13, wherein broadcasting the second request by the cloud controller comprises broadcasting the second request through an addressing and discovery layer that provides a common communication interface for components of the cloud application platform.