Global cache for container images in a clustered container host system

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions to be executed in a computing device to cause the computing device to carry out a method of deploying containers in a clustered container host system with a shared storage device, wherein hosts of the clustered container host system each include a virtualization software layer that supports execution of virtual machines (VMs) in the hosts, and one or more VMs are pod VMs that have implemented therein a container engine that supports execution of containers within the respective pod VM, said method comprising:

• determining, from pod objects published by a master device of the clustered container host system and accessible by all hosts of the clustered container host system, that a new pod VM is to be created;
• creating the new pod VM;
• and
• spinning up one or more containers in the new pod VM using images of containers previously spun up in another pod VM, wherein the images of the containers previously spun up in said another pod VM are stored in the shared storage device.

A clustered container host system comprising:

• a storage device;
• and
• a plurality of hosts that share the storage device, wherein the hosts each include a virtualization software layer that supports execution of virtual machines (VMs) therein, and one or more VMs are pod VMs that have implemented therein a container engine that supports execution of containers within the respective pod VM, wherein
• at least one of the hosts is programmed to execute a method of deploying containers, said method comprising:
• determining, from pod objects published by a master device of the clustered container host system and accessible by all hosts of the clustered container host system, that a new pod VM is to be created;
• creating the new pod VM;
• and
• spinning up one or more containers in the new pod VM using images of containers previously spun up in another pod VM, wherein the images of the containers previously spun up in said another pod VM are stored in the storage device.