Computing system providing cloud-based user profile management for virtual sessions and related methods

• US 10,728,343 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2018
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Singleton, IV, Leo C, Gahtori, Avijit
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US15/889,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20190245929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A computing system may include a virtualization server configured to run virtual sessions for a plurality of client devices, with each virtual session having a respective user profile associated therewith, and each user profile having a unique access token associated therewith. The system may further include a cloud computing service configured to store the user profiles, receive access tokens from the virtualization server upon initiation of virtual sessions associated with respective user profiles and provide the user profiles to the virtualization server responsive thereto, and cooperate with the virtualization server to synchronize changes in the user profiles responsive to the user sessions based upon the respective access tokens.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a virtualization server configured to

run virtual sessions for a plurality of different client devices, each virtual session having a respective user profile associated therewith, and

maintain a respective unique access token associated with each user profile separate from the client devices; and

a cloud computing service configured to

store the user profiles,

receive access tokens from the virtualization server upon initiation of virtual sessions associated with respective user profiles, and provide the user profiles to the virtualization server responsive thereto, and

cooperate with the virtualization server to synchronize changes in the user profiles responsive to the user sessions based upon the respective access tokens;

wherein the virtualization server comprises a virtual session controller to assign the virtual sessions to the client devices and a virtual session agent to run the virtual sessions for respective client devices, and wherein the virtual session controller operates as a relay between the virtual session agent and a multi-tenant cloud service to retrieve the access tokens.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the virtual session agent is on-premises with respect to the client devices, and the virtual session controller is remotely located from the virtual session agent.

3. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the virtual session controller and virtual session agent are on-premises with respect to the client devices.

4. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the cloud computing service is distributed over a plurality of different geographic locations and stores the user profiles at the different geographic locations based upon locations of respective users.

5. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the cloud computing service is distributed over a plurality of different geographic locations and stores the user profiles and backups thereof at different geographic locations.

6. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the cloud computing service stores the user profiles in blob storage.

7. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the virtual sessions comprise at least one of virtual desktop sessions and virtual application sessions.

8. A method comprising:

running virtual sessions for a plurality of different client devices at a virtualization server, each virtual session having a respective user profile associated therewith, and maintain a respective unique access token associated with each user profile separate from the client devices; and

using a cloud computing service to

store the user profiles,

receive access tokens from the virtualization server upon initiation of virtual sessions associated with respective user profiles, and provide the user profiles to the virtualization server responsive thereto, and

cooperate with the virtualization server to synchronize changes in the user profiles responsive to the user sessions based upon the respective access tokens;

wherein the virtualization server comprises a virtual session controller to assign the virtual sessions to the client devices and a virtual session agent to run the virtual sessions for respective client devices, and wherein the virtual session controller operates as a relay between the virtual session agent and a multi-tenant cloud service to retrieve the access tokens.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the virtual session agent is on-premises with respect to the client devices, and the virtual session controller is remotely located from the virtual session agent.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the virtual session controller and virtual session agent are on-premises with respect to the client devices.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the cloud computing service is distributed over a plurality of different geographic locations;

and wherein the cloud computing service stores the user profiles at the different geographic locations based upon locations of respective users.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the cloud computing service is distributed over a plurality of different geographic locations;

and wherein the cloud computing service stores the user profiles and backups thereof at different geographic locations.

13. A computing device comprising:

a memory and a processor cooperating with the memory to

store user profiles associated with virtual sessions run by a virtualization server for respective client devices, the virtual server maintaining a respective unique access token associated with each user profile separate from the client devices,

receive access tokens from the virtualization server upon initiation of virtual sessions associated with respective user profiles, and provide the user profiles to the virtualization server responsive thereto, and

synchronize changes in the user profiles responsive to the user sessions based upon the respective access tokens;

wherein the virtualization server comprises a virtual session controller to assign the virtual sessions to the client devices and a virtual session agent to run the virtual sessions for respective client devices, and wherein the virtual session controller operates as a relay between the virtual session agent and a multi-tenant cloud service to retrieve the access tokens.

14. The computing device of claim 13 wherein the processor cooperates with the memory to store the user profiles in blob storage.