US 11,966,769 B2
Container instantiation with union file system layer mounts
Eric Ray Hotinger, Redmond, WA (US); Bin Du, Redmond, WA (US); Sajay Antony, Woodinville, WA (US); Steven M. Lasker, Seattle, WA (US); Siva Garudayagari, Redmond, WA (US); Dongjiang You, Redmond, WA (US); Yu Wang, Bellevue, WA (US); Samarth Shah, Bellevue, WA (US); Brian Timothy Goff, Seattle, WA (US); and Shiwei Zhang, Shanghai (CN)
Assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Appl. No. 17/601,635
Filed by Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
PCT Filed May 23, 2019, PCT No. PCT/CN2019/088181
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 5, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/232713, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0197689 A1, Jun. 23, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 9/455 (2018.01); G06F 8/61 (2018.01)
CPC G06F 9/45558 (2013.01) [G06F 8/63 (2013.01); G06F 2009/45562 (2013.01); G06F 2009/45579 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A container instantiation system, comprising:
a memory at an instantiation location;
a processor at the instantiation location in operable communication with the memory, the processor configured to perform steps which include (a) sending a container image pull request to a container registry, the pull request identifying a container image, (b) receiving an image manifest which lists a plurality of layers that collectively constitute the container image, each layer having a respective layer identification and a respective layer content, (c) sending a layer mount request to the container registry, the layer mount request identifying a layer of the container image, (d) receiving a layer mount which provides access to a registry-resident form of the content of the layer identified in the layer mount request without also providing access to all content of all of the layers that collectively constitute the container image, (e) creating a union file system which spans the layers that collectively constitute the container image, and (f) launching a container process at the instantiation location based on the union file system, without first obtaining at the instantiation location all content of all of the layers that collectively constitute the container image;
whereby the memory is configured by at least the image manifest and the union file system.