US 11,537,652 B2Granted

Sharing filesystems between containers

AssigneeRed Hat, Inc.

InventorsJeremy Eder, Eric Sandeen, Daniel Walsh, Vivek Goyal

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A filesystem can be shared between containers. For example, a computing device having a host filesystem can launch a first container from an image file. Launching the first container can include creating an initialization directory for the first container on the host filesystem. The initialization directory can include a filesystem to be shared between containers. Launching the first container can also include creating a first filesystem directory for the first container on the host filesystem and mounting the initialization directory to the first filesystem directory. The computing device can also launch a second container from the image file. Launching the second container can include creating a second filesystem directory for the second container on the host filesystem and mounting the initialization directory to the second filesystem directory to enable the second container to access the filesystem.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that is executable by a processing device for causing the processing device to launch a first container and a second container on a same host from a same image file, wherein launching the first container and the second container on the same host from the same image file involves:

creating an initialization directory on the host, wherein the initialization directory includes a shareable filesystem;
creating a first filesystem directory on the host, the first filesystem directory corresponding to the first container and being separate from the initialization directory;
creating a second filesystem directory on the host, the second filesystem directory corresponding to the second container and being separate from the initialization directory;
mounting the initialization directory to the first filesystem directory and to the second filesystem directory to enable the first container and the second container to access the shareable filesystem, wherein the shareable filesystem is a root filesystem for the first container and the second container;
and
executing the first container simultaneously with the second container on the host, the first container and the second container being configured to use the root filesystem concurrently with one another.

3 more elements

A system comprising:

a processing device;
and
a memory device comprising instructions executable by the processing device for causing the processing device to launch at least two containers from a same image file on a same host such that the at least two containers are configured to share a filesystem, wherein launching the at least two containers from the same image file on the same host involves:
creating an initialization directory on a host filesystem of the host, wherein the initialization directory includes the filesystem, wherein the filesystem is a root filesystem for a first container and a second container of the at least two containers;
creating a first filesystem directory on the host filesystem, the first filesystem directory corresponding to the first container among the at least two containers and being separate from the initialization directory;
creating a second filesystem directory on the host filesystem, the second filesystem directory corresponding to the second container among the at least two containers and being separate from the initialization directory;
mounting the initialization directory to the first filesystem directory and to the second filesystem directory;
and
executing the first container simultaneously with the second container on the host, the first container and the second container being configured to use the root filesystem concurrently with one another.

6 more elements

A computer-implemented method comprising:

launching at least two containers on a same host from a same image file, wherein the at least two containers share a same initialization directory and a same root filesystem while the at least two containers are running on the same host, wherein launching the at least two containers on the same host involves:
creating an initialization directory on a host filesystem of the host, wherein the initialization directory includes a root filesystem to be shared among the at least two containers;
creating a first filesystem directory on the host filesystem, the first filesystem directory corresponding to a first container among the at least two containers and being separate from the initialization directory;
creating a second filesystem directory on the host filesystem, the second filesystem directory corresponding to a second container among the at least two containers and being separate from the initialization directory;
mounting the initialization directory to the first filesystem directory and to the second filesystem directory;
and
executing the at least two containers simultaneously on the host, wherein the at least two containers use the root filesystem concurrently with one another.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/141,261Filed 5 Jan 2021 · continuation
Priority: 20 Jun 2017
Published: US 2021/0124773 A129 Apr 2021
Granted: 27 Dec 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06F 16/51
Of still image data: indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
G06F 16/13
File systems; File servers: file access structures, e.g. distributed indices
G06F 16/176
Details of further file system functions: support for shared access to files; File sharing support
G06F
Computing and data processing

Family

Application15/627,539Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Jun 2017
US 2021/0124773 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 Apr 2021
US 10,909,165 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0365238 A1Published application
US 11,537,652 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.