Session transfer and suspension in a remote access application framework

• US 10,083,056 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calgary Scientific Inc.
• Original Assignee: Calgary Scientific Inc.
• Inventors: Thomas, Monroe M., Claydon, David Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US15/054,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 726 7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

Systems and method for providing for suspension and transfer of remote access sessions. In accordance with the methods, a request to suspend a session may be received at a server tier. The server tier prepares a URL that may be used at a later time by a client to resume the session. The URL is communicated to a client tier from which the request was received and, thereafter, a connection between the client tier and the server tier is closed. At a subsequent time, a request may be received to resume the session at the URL. After receipt of the request to resume the session, a connection with the requesting client tier is established by the server tier, and the session is resumed.

Claims

1. A method for migrating a virtual machine from a first server to a second server, the virtual machine being accessible by a client computing device over a network, the method comprising:

suspending the virtual machine at the first server;

saving application state information associated with an application executing on the virtual machine when suspending the virtual machine;

moving the virtual machine from the first server to the second server;

updating a mapping of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) used to resume the virtual machine to an address associated with the second server; and

subsequent to the updating, receiving a request from the client computing device at the URL to resume the virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the URL includes a data structure representing a session between the client computing device and the virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising using the URL to associate the client computing device to the virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving application-related information associated with the virtual machine when moving the virtual machine to the second server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising resuming the application using the application state information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the request at the URL using a password provided by the client computing device.

7. A method to migrate a virtual machine, comprising:

suspending a virtual machine at a first server, the virtual machine executing an application that is remotely accessed by a client device over a network;

moving the virtual machine from the first server to a second server, the second server being accessible by the client device over the network;

updating a mapping associated with a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) used to resume the virtual machine to an address associated with the second server; and

subsequent to the updating, receiving a request from the client computing device at the URL to resume the virtual machine and to resume the application using saved application-related information associated with the application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the URL is a data structure representing a session between the client computing device and the application executing on the virtual machine.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the URL to associate the client computing device to the application executing on the virtual machine.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising resuming the application using application state information.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising authenticating the request at the URL using a password provided by the client computing device.

12. A tangible computer readable media containing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computing device perform migration of a virtual machine from a first server to a second server, the virtual machine being accessible by a client computing device over a network, the instructions performing a method comprising:

suspending the virtual machine at the first server;

saving application state information associated with an application executing on the virtual machine when suspending the virtual machine;

moving the virtual machine from the first server to the second server;

updating a mapping of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) used to resume the virtual machine to an address associated with the second server; and

subsequent to the updating, receiving a request from the client computing device at the URL to resume the virtual machine.

13. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the URL includes a data structure representing a session between the client computing device and the virtual machine.

14. The computer readable media of claim 13, further comprising instructions for using the URL to associate the client computing device to the virtual machine.

15. The computer readable media of claim 12, further comprising instructions for resuming the application using the application state information.

16. The computer readable media of claim 12, further comprising instructions for authenticating the request at the URL using a password provided by the client computing device.