Systems and methods for using virtual machines to sequence native applications into virtual packages and for reimaging virtual machines

• US 10,536,532 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Anderson, Adam Brady, Jindal, Meera, Achutha, Shruthi, Dalalelis, Nikolaos, Palo, Hamid
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry, Lance Leonard
• Application Number:
  US14/815,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45529 Embedded in an application, e.g. JavaScript in a Web browser
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A system for providing virtual applications from a remote based system based on native applications. A front end is configured to receive applications. A sequencer is configured to receive the applications from the front end and sequence the applications into virtual applications streamable to clients by the front end. This includes at least: sequencing a particular application of the received applications into a virtual application using a virtual machine; subsequent to sequencing the particular application, marking the virtual machine in a manner that causes the virtual machine to be reimaged prior to being used to sequence an additional application; and based on the marking, causing the virtual machine to be reimaged.

Claims

1. A system deployed in a remote based environment, the system comprising:

at least one storage medium having stored thereon;

a front end configured to receive applications;

a sequencer configured to receive the applications from the front end and sequence the applications into virtual applications streamable to clients, wherein the front end is further configured to stream the virtual applications to the clients; and

at least one processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions that at least cause;

the front end to receive the applications;

the sequencer to receive the applications from the front end and sequence the applications into virtual applications, wherein the sequencer is configured to at least;

sequence a particular application into a virtual application using a virtual machine;

subsequent to sequencing the application, mark the virtual machine in a manner that causes the virtual machine to be reimaged prior to being used to sequence an additional application; and

based on the marking, cause the virtual machine to be reimaged; and

the front end to stream the virtual applications to the clients.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising remote based storage, wherein the remote based storage is configured to be used for communication between the front end and the sequencer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes virtual machines that are configured to be used for performing sequencing tasks associated with the sequencer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the system further comprises a reimager configured to reimage virtual machines that have already been used for performing sequencing tasks and wherein the sequencer is configured to cause the virtual machines that have already been used for performing sequencing tasks to be reimaged with the reimager.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the system is configured to mark the virtual machines that have already been used for performing sequencing tasks as dirty as a result of the sequencing tasks.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more package accelerators, the package accelerators being configured to provide a shortcut for performing sequencing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to examine a native application to be virtualized and, based on examining the native application, perform a search for one or more package accelerators that can be used to sequence the native application to a virtual application, the package accelerators comprising scripts defining a set of sequencing actions that can be used to accelerate sequencing the native application into a virtual application.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to perform sequencing acceleration using one or more predefined package accelerators, the one or more predefined package accelerators comprising scripts defining a set of sequencing actions that can be used to accelerate sequencing the particular application into a virtual application.

9. One or more hardware storage device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, instantiate:

a front end configured to receive applications; and

a sequencer configured to receive the applications from the front end and sequence the applications into virtual applications streamable to clients by the front end, including at least;

sequencing a particular application of the received applications into a virtual application using a virtual machine;

subsequent to sequencing the particular application, marking the virtual machine in a manner that causes the virtual machine to be reimaged prior to being used to sequence an additional application; and

based on the marking, causing the virtual machine to be reimaged.

10. The one or more hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the virtual machine is configured to be used to perform sequencing tasks associated with the sequencer.

11. The one or more hardware storage device of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further instantiate a reimager configured to reimage virtual machines that have already been used for sequencing tasks.

12. The one or more hardware storage device of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the virtual machines that have already been used for sequencing tasks to be marked as dirty as a result of the sequencing tasks.

13. The one or more hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further instantiate one or more package accelerators, the package accelerators being configured to provide a shortcut for performing sequencing.

14. The one or more hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further causes a native application to be examined and, based on examining the native application, performing a search for one or more accelerators that can be used to sequence the native application to a virtual application, the accelerators comprising scripts defining a set of sequencing actions that can be used to accelerate the sequencing of the native application into a virtual application.

15. The one or more hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further causes acceleration of the sequencing by using one or more predefined accelerators, the one or more predefined accelerators comprising scripts defining a set of sequencing actions that can be used to accelerate the sequencing of a native application into a virtual application.

16. A method implemented by a computing system that includes one or more processors, a front end that is configured to receive applications, and a sequencer coupled to the front end, wherein the sequencer is configured to receive the applications from the front end and sequence the applications into virtual applications streamable to clients, and wherein the front end is further configured to stream the virtual applications to the clients, the method comprising:

the front end receiving the applications;

the sequencer receiving the applications from the front end and sequencing the applications into virtual applications, including at least;

sequencing a particular application of the received applications into a virtual application using a virtual machine;

subsequent to sequencing the particular application, marking the virtual machine in a manner that causes the virtual machine to be reimaged prior to being used to sequence an additional application; and

based on the marking, causing the virtual machine to be reimaged; and

the front end streaming the virtual application from the sequencer to the clients.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method includes marking the virtual machine as dirty as a result of sequencing.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further includes:

examining a native application to be virtualized;

based on examining the native application, performing a search for one or more accelerators that can be used to sequence the native application to a virtual application, the accelerators comprising scripts defining a set of sequencing actions that can be used to accelerate the sequencing of the native application into a virtual application; and

performing sequencing acceleration using the accelerators to sequence the native application to the virtual application.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising, using a shortcut provided by one or more package accelerators to sequence the applications to the virtual applications.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising, performing communication between the front end and the sequencer through remote based storage.