Synchronization of user data in a virtual desktop environment

• US 10,601,913 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2016
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wyse Technology L.L.C. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelly, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheema, Umar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Anh
• Application Number:
  US15/381,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1734 Details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

User data can be synchronized over a virtual channel in a virtual desktop environment. A synchronization service can be included with a virtual desktop client and in the virtual desktop and can employ the virtual channel to transmit and receive new and updated user data. In this way, the user data can be synchronized without requiring any kind of file sharing between the access device and the virtual desktop and without requiring membership in any directory service. Therefore, user data can be synchronized in virtual desktop environments that employ a number of different operating systems and network security settings.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing user-specific configuration settings for two instances of an application via a virtual channel, the method comprising:

establishing a virtual desktop connection by which an access device accesses a virtual desktop on a server;

while the virtual desktop connection is established, executing a client-side synchronization service and a server-side synchronization service that each function as a virtual channel endpoint for a virtual channel in the virtual desktop connection;

monitoring, by the client-side synchronization service, a client-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for a first instance of a first application that executes locally on the access device;

in response to determining that user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application have been created or updated in the client-side file system location, sending, by the client-side synchronization service, a communication over the virtual channel, the communication including the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application, an identification of the first application and an identification of a type of the user-specific configuration settings;

receiving, by the server-side synchronization service and via the virtual channel, the communication;

employing, by the server-side synchronization service, the identification of the first application and the identification of the type of the user-specific configuration settings to locate a server-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for a second instance of the first application that executes on the virtual desktop; and

storing, by the server-side synchronization service, the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application in the server-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application that executes on the virtual desktop to thereby cause the second instance of the first application to be customized in accordance with the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client-side synchronization service monitors the client-side file system location periodically to determine whether user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application have been created or updated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an operating system of the access device is different from an operating system of the server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the client-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application includes a registry such that the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application include one or more registry settings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application include one or more registry settings and one or more files.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application include one or more files, and wherein storing the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application in the server-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application comprises converting content of the one or more files into one or more registry settings and storing the one or more registry settings in a registry.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the client-side synchronization service maintains configuration information that defines a particular type of user-specific configuration settings to be monitored.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application is a browser.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the client-side synchronization service, a second communication via the virtual channel, the second communication including user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application that executes on the virtual desktop; and

storing, by the client-side synchronization service, the user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application in the client-side file system location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second communication also includes an identification of the first application and an identification of a type of the user-specific configuration setting for the second instance of the first application.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

accessing, by the client-side synchronization service, the client-side file system location to determine whether the user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application conflict with user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application stored in the client-side file system location such that the user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application are only stored at the client-side file system location after one of;

determining that no conflict exists;

or determining that a conflict exists but one or more conflict rules indicate that the user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application should be stored at the client-side file system location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application were created or updated after the conflicting user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application, and the one or more conflict rules indicate that most recently created or updated user-specific configuration settings should be stored in place of less recently created or updated user-specific configuration settings.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application are one or both of a file and a registry setting.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual channel is a dynamic virtual channel.

15. One or more non-transitory computer storage media storing computer executable instructions which when executed implement a method for synchronizing user-specific configuration settings for two instances of an application via a virtual channel, the method comprising:

establishing a virtual desktop connection by which an access device accesses a virtual desktop on a server;

while the virtual desktop connection is established, executing a client-side synchronization service and a server-side synchronization service that each function as a virtual channel endpoint for a virtual channel in the virtual desktop connection;

monitoring, by the client-side synchronization service, a client-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for a first instance of a first application that executes locally on the access device;

in response to determining that user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application have been created or updated in the client-side file system location, sending, by the client-side synchronization service, a communication over the virtual channel, the communication including the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application, an identification of the first application and an identification of a type of the user-specific configuration settings;

receiving, by the server-side synchronization service and via the virtual channel, the communication;

employing, by the server-side synchronization service, the identification of the first application and the identification of the type of the user-specific configuration settings to locate a server-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for a second instance of the first application that executes on the virtual desktop; and

storing, by the server-side synchronization service, the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application in the server-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application that executes on the virtual desktop to thereby cause the second instance of the first application to be customized in accordance with the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application.

16. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 15, wherein storing the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application in the server-side file system location comprises converting the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application into a format used by the second instance of the first application.

17. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the client-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application includes a registry such that the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application include one or more registry setting.

18. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the client-side synchronization service, a second communication via the virtual channel, the second communication including user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application that executes on the virtual desktop; and

storing, by the client-side synchronization service, the user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application in the client-side file system location.

19. A method for synchronizing user-specific configuration settings for two instances of an application via a virtual channel, the method comprising:

establishing a virtual desktop connection by which an access device accesses a virtual desktop on a server;

while the virtual desktop connection is established, executing a client-side synchronization service and a server-side synchronization service that each function as a virtual channel endpoint for a virtual channel in the virtual desktop connection;

monitoring, by the server-side synchronization service, a server-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for a first instance of a first application that executes on the virtual desktop;

in response to determining that user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application have been created or updated in the server-side file system location, sending, by the server-side synchronization service, a communication over the virtual channel, the communication including the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application, an identification of the first application and an identification of a type of the user-specific configuration settings;

receiving, by the client-side synchronization service and via the virtual channel, the communication;

employing, by the server-side synchronization service, the identification of the first application and the identification of the type of the user-specific configuration settings to locate a client-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for a second instance of the first application that executes locally on the access device;

storing, by the client-side synchronization service, the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application in the client-side file system location that stores user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application that executes locally on the access device to thereby cause the second instance of the first application to be customized in accordance with the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

prior to storing the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application in the client-side file system location, accessing, by the client-side synchronization service, the client-side file system location to determine whether the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application conflict with user-specific configuration settings for the second instance of the first application stored in the client-side file system location such that the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application are only stored at the client-side file system location after one of;

determining that no conflict exists;

or determining that a conflict exists but one or more conflict rules indicate that the created or updated user-specific configuration settings for the first instance of the first application should be stored at the client-side file system location.