Management of computing sessions

• US 10,686,646 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Suryanarayanan, Deepak, Farrell, Eugene Michael, Brown, David Everard, Brandwine, Eric Jason, Padukone, Ajit Nagendra, Lakshmanan, Vivek, Brace, Colin Harrison
• Primary Examiner(s): Jakovac, Ryan J
• Application Number:
  US13/928,286
• Time in Patent Office: 2,547 Days
• 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 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

A remote computing session management process is directed to the execution and management of aspects of virtual instances executed on data center computers at a program execution service (PES) platform. A computing session may be established between the PES platform and a computing device connected to the PES platform over a communications network. The data created by the user of the client computing device interacting with the virtual instance may be stored, and following an interruption of the remote computing session, the data may be used when re-establishing the remote computing session.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computers of a Program Execution Service (PES) including processors and memory, the memory including instructions that, upon execution, cause the one or more computers to at least;

establish a first computing session via a network between one of the one or more computers of the PES and a computing device, the computing device associated with a hard drive image that includes an operating system executing one or more applications;

replicate the hard drive image onto a first desktop store of the PES;

determine a change replication schedule based at least in part on an available network bandwidth between the computing device and the PES, wherein the available network bandwidth varies during the first computing session;

schedule replication of changes to the hard drive image onto the first desktop store of the PES in accordance with the change replication schedule;

receive a request to access a virtual desktop instance on the PES;

in response to the request, establish a second computing session to provide access to a virtual desktop instance configured according to the replicated hard drive image and changes to the hard drive image on the first desktop store;

synchronize the hard drive image with the replicated hard drive image on the first desktop store;

transfer execution of the virtual desktop instance to a desktop instance on the computing device;

detect an event associated with the virtual desktop instance; and

responsive to the detected event, suspend replication of changes, wherein suspending replication comprises an interruption of the change replication schedule.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, upon execution, further cause the one or more computers to transfer data in the first desktop store to a second desktop store on a periodic basis.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the virtual desktop instance is configured according to the replicated hard drive image and the changes to the hard drive image on the second desktop store.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the instructions, upon execution, further cause the one or more computers to detect an event associated with the first desktop store and to cause the virtual desktop instance to be detached from the first desktop store and to be attached to the second desktop store.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the available network bandwidth is below a threshold, and wherein the change replication schedule comprises replicating the changes to the hard drive image onto the first desktop store periodically.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the available network bandwidth is above a threshold, and wherein the change replication schedule comprises replicating the changes to the hard drive image onto the first desktop store based on a frequency of the changes.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computers to at least:

determine an updated available network bandwidth between the computing device and the PES;

determine an updated change replication schedule based at least in part on the updated available network bandwidth; and

reschedule replication of changes to the hard drive image onto the first desktop store of the PES in accordance with the updated change replication schedule.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computers to at least:

receive an indication that the computing device has reconnected to the network;

in response to the indication;

synchronize the replicated hard drive image on the first desktop store with the hard drive image;

transfer execution of the desktop instance on the computing device to the virtual desktop instance; and

resume replication of changes in accordance with the change replication schedule.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

interacting, at a first client device, with a local computing environment;

initiating, at the first client device, a first computing session with a Program Execution Service (PES);

providing, to the PES, access to a copy of at least a portion of the local computing environment through the first computing session, wherein providing access to the copy is in accordance with a change replication schedule, and wherein the change replication schedule is determined based at least in part on an available network bandwidth that varies during the first computing session;

initiating a second computing session with the PES;

accessing a virtual desktop instance executed by the PES;

interacting with a copy of the local computing environment though the virtual desktop instance;

suspending access to the copy of the at least a portion of the local computing environment, wherein suspending access to the copy comprises an interruption of the change replication schedule; and

replicating changes to the copy of the local computing environment onto the local computing environment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the local computing environment comprises an image of an operating system and user data.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein initiating a second computing session comprises initiating the second computing session from the first client device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising monitoring the first client device for detection of an event, wherein the event comprises one or more of a power outage, a disconnection of a network connection between the first client device and the PES, a software failure on the first client device, or a hardware failure on the first client device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein initiating a second computing session comprises initiating the second computing session from a second client device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the virtual desktop instance executed by the PES is configured according to the copy of the local computing environment.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein monitoring the first client device for detection of an event is performed by an agent installed on the first client device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising providing, to the PES, access to a copy of the local computing environment through the second computing session.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

detecting, by the first client device, a reconnection of the network connection between the first client device and the PES; and

in response to the reconnection of the network connection;

replicating changes to the local computing environment onto the copy of the local computing environment; and

resuming the providing of access to the copy of the at least a portion of the local computing environment in accordance with the change replication schedule.

14. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising computer-executable instructions that, upon execution, direct a computing system to at least:

establish a computing session between one or more physical computing systems at a Program Execution Service (PES) and a computing device, the computing device comprising a local computing environment, wherein the computing device is associated with a user;

replicate, on a storage server of the PES, the local computing environment, wherein the local computing environment is associated with the user through a user identifier;

receive changes to the local computing environment;

replicate the changes to the local computing environment on the storage server of the PES in accordance with a change replication schedule, wherein the change replication schedule is based at least in part on variations in available network bandwidth;

receive a request to access a virtual desktop instance;

configure a virtual desktop instance in response to the request;

provide, in response to the request, access to a virtual desktop instance configured in accordance with the replicated local computing environment and changes to the local computing environment;

detect an event associated with the virtual desktop instance;

responsive to the detected event, suspend replication of changes to the local computing environment, wherein suspending replication comprises an interruption of the change replication schedule; and

replicate changes to the storage server of the PES to the local computing environment.

15. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions, upon execution, direct the computing system to replicate the local computing environment on a storage server of the PES.

16. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions, upon execution, further direct the computing system to replicate the local computing environment on an additional storage server of the PES.

17. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions, upon execution, direct the computing system to configure the virtual desktop instance in accordance with the replicated local computing environment on the additional storage server of the PES.

18. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions, upon execution, direct the computing system to replicate the changes to the local computing environment periodically based on a frequency of the changes.

23. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions, upon execution, further direct the computing system to:

detect a reconnection of the network connection between the PES and the computing device; and

in response to the reconnection of the network connection, resume replication of changes to the local computing environment in accordance with the change replication schedule.