Logical migration of applications and data

• US 10,642,593 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Nichols, David A., McKelvie, Samuel J., Virk, Navjot, Dickson, Mathew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Michael
• Application Number:
  US16/227,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20190265960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

Abstract

Implementations are described of a computing device that migrates data and software applications from a first computing device to a second computing device, in order to preserve data and other application-related customizations.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a memory including;

a software library component configured to store a set of stored software applications, wherein the set of stored software applications includes software applications supplied by one or more software applications manufacturers; and

a processor coupled with the memory and configured to;

identify data from a first computing device, wherein the data includes one or more of files, documents, settings, customizations, or versions of a first set of software applications installed on the first computing device;

determine a computing environment of a second computing device, wherein the computing environment identifies compatibility of the set of stored software applications and the data with the second computing device;

determine a second set of software applications for installation on the second computing device, the second set of software applications including an installation version of the set of stored software applications based on the compatibility of the data and the first set of software applications with the second computing device; and

transmit the second set of software applications to the second computing device for installation on the second computing device.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the server is a cloud server that serves as a proxy to the one or more software applications manufacturers.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the cloud server includes one or more independent online server computer systems or computing devices.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the computing environment considers hardware and software setup as desired by a user to be installed on the second computing device.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the computing environment considers compatibility of an operating system of the second computing device to the data of the first computing device.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the computing environment considers a hardware and software setup of the second computing device.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

track changes in the first set of software applications and adopt the changes when configuring the installation version for installation on the second set of software applications.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the installation version of the second set of software applications that is compatible with one or more of the settings or the customizations of the first computing device.

9. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a migration request from the second computing device, wherein the processor determines the computing environment in response to the migration request.

10. A method implemented by a processor of a server, comprising:

storing a set of stored software applications in a memory, wherein the set of stored software applications includes software applications supplied by one or more software applications manufacturers;

identifying data from a first computing device, wherein the data includes one or more of files, documents, settings, customizations, or versions of a first set of software applications installed on the first computing device;

determining a computing environment of a second computing device, wherein the computing environment identifies compatibility of the set of stored software applications and the data with the second computing device;

determining a second set of software applications for installation on the second computing device, the second set of software applications including an installation version of the set of stored software applications based on the compatibility of the data and the first set of software applications with the second computing device; and

transmitting the second set of software applications to the second computing device for installation on the second computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing the data comprises:

periodically extracting data updates from the first computing device; and

storing the data updates in the memory.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

integrating updates from the first set of software applications with the data stored in the memory.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the computing environment considers hardware and software setup as desired by a user to be installed on the second computing device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the computing environment considers compatibility of an operating system of the second computing device to the data of the first computing device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the computing environment considers a hardware and software setup of the second computing device.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

tracking changes in the first set of software applications; and

adopting the changes when configuring the installation version for installation on the second set of software applications.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining the installation version of the second set of software applications that is compatible with one or more of the settings or the customizations of the first computing device.

18. A method implemented by a second computing device, comprising:

connecting to a server configured to store;

a set of stored software applications, wherein the set of stored software applications includes software applications supplied by one or more software applications manufacturers, and

data from a first computing device, wherein the data identifies-one or more of files, documents, settings, customizations, or versions of a first set of software applications installed on the first computing device;

transmitting data indicating a computing environment of the second computing device to the server, wherein the computing environment identifies compatibility of the set of stored software applications and the data with the second computing device; and

receiving a second set of software applications for installation on the second computing device in response to the transmitting the data indicating the computing environment, the second set of software applications including an installation version of the set of stored software applications based on the compatibility of the data and the first set of software applications with the second computing device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second computing device includes a computing device supplied by original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the server includes a cloud serving having one or more independent online server computer systems or computing devices.