Running add-on components in virtual environments

• US 10,108,441 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Jacobson, Neil A., Sheehan, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Qing Yuan
• Application Number:
  US15/071,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20160196155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

Systems and methods for running add-on components in virtual environments are described. An add-on component can be executed in a virtual environment by setting up a communication link between a component proxy in the host operating system and a server process running in the virtual environment. The server process executes the add-on component based on commands forwarded from the operating system via the component proxy.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computing device having an operating system; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the computing device, the memory having stored thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to instantiate at least;

a component proxy executing within the operating system;

a virtual environment executing on the computing device;

a component server process executing within the virtual environment that is configured to communicate with the component proxy, wherein the component server process includes one or more add-on components; and

a virtual application executing within the virtual environment, wherein the one or more add-on components are configured to provide additional functionality to the virtual application,

wherein the component server process, in response to receiving commands from the component proxy executing within the operating system, executes the commands within the virtual environment, and the virtual application is different from the component server process.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more add-on components provide additional functionality to an existing application executing within the operating system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer readable instructions that upon execution by the computing device further cause the computing device to instantiate a plurality of virtual environments executing on the computing device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the virtual environment is among the plurality of virtual environments.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer readable instructions that upon execution by the computing device further cause the computing device to instantiate multiple instances of the virtual application on the computing device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein at least two instances among the multiple instances of the virtual application have different configurations.

7. A method comprising:

invoking a component proxy running within an operating system of a computing device, the component proxy configured to communicate with a component server process running within a virtual environment, the component server process including one or more add-on components configured to provide additional functionality to a virtual application adapted to run within the virtual environment, wherein the virtual application is different from the component server process;

forwarding commands from the component proxy within the operating system to the component server process within the virtual environment; and

processing the commands within the virtual environment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that the virtual environment is a correct virtual environment among a plurality of virtual environments implemented on the computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a manifest of each virtual environment among the plurality of virtual environments implemented on the computing device is accessed by the component proxy for the determining.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the manifest enables the component proxy to make the determining without communicating with the virtual environment.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining includes checking whether the one or more add-on components of the virtual environment include at least one add-on requested by the operating system.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

establishing a communication link between the component proxy and the component server process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the communication link is an application program interface.

14. A system comprising:

a computing device having an operating system; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the computing device, the memory having stored thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to instantiate at least;

a plurality of virtual environments executing on the computing device, wherein each virtual environment among the plurality of virtual environments includes a component server process having one or more add-on components and a virtual application associated with the one or more add-on components, the add-on components configured to provide additional functionality to the virtual application; and

a component proxy executing within the operating system, the component proxy being configured to communicate with each component server process executing within the plurality of virtual environments,

wherein each component server process is configured to execute commands forwarded from the operating system via the component proxy within that component server processes'"'"' corresponding virtual environment, and the virtual application is different from the component server process.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least two virtual environments among the plurality of virtual environments include different versions of the same virtual application.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein different versions of an application are running in different virtual environments on the computing device, the different virtual environments being among the plurality of virtual environments.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one virtual environment among the plurality of virtual environments includes at least one virtual application accesses an add-on component hosted on a remote computing device communicatively coupled to the computing device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the remote computing device is communicatively coupled to the computing device via a network connection.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one virtual application accesses the add-on component hosted on the remote computing device to execute a command forwarded from the operating system within the virtual environment.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more add-on components includes a shell extension.