Communication between independent containers

A data processing method comprising:

• receiving an identifier of an application program that is executing in one or more first namespaces in a first programmatic container;
• causing execution of a monitoring agent in one or more second namespaces in a second programmatic container, the one or more second namespaces being independent of the one or more first namespaces, a monitoring agent process hosting the monitoring agent in the one or more second namespaces of the second programmatic container;
• switching, from the one or more second namespaces to the one or more first namespaces, a monitoring agent process that hosts the monitoring agent and that continues to execute in the second programmatic container after the switching as if the monitoring agent process is executing in the first programmatic container, thereby enabling communication between the application program and the monitoring agent, a set of one or more monitoring metrics corresponding to a plurality of different application programs executing in a plurality of different programmatic containers, each different application program of the plurality of different application programs executing in one or more respective namespaces that are independent of the one or more second namespaces;
• to enable access to one or more files necessary for proper functioning of the monitoring agent process after switching from the one or more second namespaces to the one or more first namespaces, before switching from the one or more second namespaces to the one or more first namespaces, opening one or more files in a namespace of the one or more second namespaces and switching to a namespace of the one or more first namespaces thereby rendering one or more file descriptors valid in the namespaces of the one or more first and second namespaces, wherein a copy of the one or more files is read from the one or more files and saved in the namespace of the one or more first namespaces;
• causing the application program while executing in the one or more first namespaces of the first programmatic container to use the copy of the one or more files to properly configure and initiate performance of a function in the first programmatic container;
• and
• causing the monitoring agent while executing in the one or more second namespaces of the second programmatic container to perform the function in the second programmatic container,
• wherein the data processing method is performed by one or more computing devices.

One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performing:

• receiving an identifier of an application program that is executing in one or more first namespaces in a first programmatic container;
• causing execution of a monitoring agent in one or more second namespaces in a second programmatic container, the one or more second namespaces being independent of the one or more first namespaces, a monitoring agent process hosting the monitoring agent in the one or more second namespaces of the second programmatic container;
• switching, from the one or more second namespaces to the one or more first namespaces, a monitoring agent process that hosts the monitoring agent and that continues to execute in the second programmatic container after the switching as if the monitoring agent process is executing in the first programmatic container, thereby enabling communication between the application program and the monitoring agent, a set of one or more monitoring metrics corresponding to a plurality of different application programs executing in a plurality of different programmatic containers, each different application program of the plurality of different application programs executing in one or more respective namespaces that are independent of the one or more second namespaces;
• to enable access to one or more files necessary for proper functioning of the monitoring agent process after switching from the one or more second namespaces to the one or more first namespaces, opening one or more files in a namespace of the one or more second namespaces before switching from the one or more second namespaces to the one or more first namespaces, switching to a namespace of the one or more first namespaces thereby rendering one or more file descriptors valid in the namespaces of the one or more first and second namespaces, wherein a copy of the one or more files is read from the one or more files and saved in the namespace of the one or more first namespaces;
• causing the application program while executing in the one or more first namespaces of the first programmatic container to use the copy of the one or more files to properly configure and initiate performance of a function in the first programmatic container;
• and
• causing the monitoring agent while executing in the one or more second namespaces of the second programmatic container to perform the function in the second programmatic container.