Provisioning computing services via an on-line networked computing environment

• US 20020133330A1
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abdo, Ralph, Denefle, Regis, McDaniel, Mark E., Case, Jeff, Loisey, Christophe, Jacobs, Casey John, Bell, William Jason
• Granted Patent: US 6,999,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for allowing user access to software applications, data storage and retrieval, and electronic mail and messaging services in a networked computing environment are provided. The need for software installation, upgrade, and version control, and the need for certain hardware upgrades are eliminated by providing software and data storage and retrieval to a user or to groups of users from a remote terminal server via a networked computing environment. Software applications, data and electronic mail and messaging services are stored, maintained and operated at a remote terminal server and are provided to the user over the Internet or over an intranet of an organization such as a company or educational institution. Data is stored and secured at a remote file server, and web operations are provided by a remote web server. The backend of the system, including the terminal servers, file servers and web servers is managed and secured by a domain controller.

Claims

1. A method of providing computing services in a networked computing environment, comprising the steps of:

providing a computing device a software module from a remote computing device for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote computing device;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of an operating system of the remote computing device;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of the computing device'"'"'s desktop configuration, the desktop configuration being passed to the computing device from the remote computing device;

monitoring actions at the computing device by the operating system of the remote computing device;

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the operating system provided to the computing device; and

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the desktop configuration provided to the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, prior to the step of providing a computing device a software module from a remote computing device, further comprises the steps of:

connecting a computing device to a remote computing device via a networked computing environment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of connecting a computing device to a remote computing device via a networked computing environment, further comprises the steps of:

connecting the computing device to the remote computing device via the Internet.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of connecting a computing device to a remote computing device via a networked computing environment, further comprises the steps of:

connecting the computing device to the remote computing device via an intranet.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of connecting a computing device to a remote computing device via a networked computing environment, further comprises the steps of:

authenticating authority for the computing device to connect to the remote computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a computing device a software module from a remote computing device, further comprises the steps of:

providing the computing device a web page from the remote computing device, the web page having the software module embedded therein.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the remote computing device includes a web server, and wherein the step of providing the computing device a web page includes providing the web page through the web server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the software module is an ActiveX control.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions at the computing device include keyboard strokes, mouse movements, and mouse clicks.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing the computing device use of a software application, the software application being resident on the remote computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of providing the computing device use of a software application, further comprises the steps of:

providing a plurality of software applications subscribed to for use by the computing device; and

providing changes to the plurality of software applications at the remote computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote computing device includes a terminal server, and wherein the step of providing the computing device use of a software application, further comprises the step of providing the software module and the software application through the terminal server.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving data from the computing device;

storing the data received from the computing device on the remote computing device;

storing authentication information and the desktop configuration on the remote computing device; and

retrieving the data from the remote computing device for use by the computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote computing device includes a file server, and wherein the steps of storing the data, storing authentication information, and storing the desktop configuration, further include:

storing the data on the file server;

storing authentication information and the desktop configuration on the file server; and

securing the data received from the computing device from unauthorized use by a second computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing electronic mail services to the computing device from the remote computing device;

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device includes a domain controller and wherein the domain controller performs the steps of:

managing access to the remote computing device; and

securing the remote computing device from unauthorized access.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device includes a plurality of computing devices, and wherein the method of claim 1 further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the computing device has previously been connected to one of the plurality of remote computing devices; and

if so, then the step of connecting a computing device to a remote computing device includes reconnecting the computing device to the one of the plurality of remote computing devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of providing the computing device use of a software application, further comprises the steps of:

providing a plurality of software applications subscribed to for use by the computing device; and

providing changes to the plurality of software applications at the remote terminal server.

18. A method of providing computing services in a networked computing environment, comprising the steps of:

connecting a computing device to a remote terminal server via a networked computing environment;

authenticating authority for the computing device to connect to the remote terminal server;

providing the computing device a software module from the terminal server for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote terminal server;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of an operating system of the remote terminal server;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of the computing device'"'"'s desktop configuration, the desktop configuration being passed to the computing device from the remote terminal server;

monitoring actions at the computing device by the operating system of the remote terminal server;

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the operating system provided to the computing device;

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the desktop configuration provided to the computing device;

providing the computing device use of a software application, the software application being resident on the remote terminal server; and

receiving data at the computing device, and storing the data received at the computing device on the remote terminal server.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, perform the steps of:

providing a computing device a software module from a remote computing device for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote computing device;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of an operating system of the remote computing device;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of the computing device'"'"'s desktop configuration, the desktop configuration being passed to the computing device from the remote computing device;

monitoring actions at the computing device by the operating system of the remote computing device;

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the operating system provided to the computing device; and

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the desktop configuration provided to the computing device.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20 having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, prior to the step of providing a computing device a software module from a remote computing device for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote computing device, further perform the steps of:

connecting a computing device to a remote computing device via a networked computing environment;

authenticating authority for the computing device to connect to the remote computing device; and

providing the computing device a web page from the remote computing device, the web page having the software module embedded therein, whereby the software module is an ActiveX control.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20 having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, further perform the steps of:

providing the computing device use of a software application, the software application being resident on the remote computing device; and

providing changes to the software application at the remote computing device.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 20 having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, further perform the steps of:

receiving data from the computing device;

storing the data received from the computing device at the remote computing device;

storing authentication information and the desktop configuration at the remote computing device; and

retrieving the data from the remote computing device for use by the computing device.

25. The propagated signal of claim 24 carrying thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, prior to the step of providing a computing device a software module from a remote computing device for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote computing device, further perform the steps of:

connecting a computing device to a remote computing device via a networked computing environment;

authenticating authority for the computing device to connect to the remote computing device; and

providing the computing device a web page from the remote computing device, the web page having the software module embedded therein, whereby the software module is an ActiveX control.

26. The propagated signal of claim 24 carrying thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, further perform the steps of:

providing the computing device use of a software application, the software application being resident on the remote computing device; and

providing changes to the software application at the remote computing device.

27. The propagated signal of claim 24 carrying thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, further perform the steps of:

receiving data from the computing device;

storing the data received from the computing device at the remote computing device;

storing authentication information and the desktop configuration at the remote computing device; and

retrieving the data from the remote computing device for use by the computing device.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the terminal server is further operative:

to provide a plurality of software applications subscribed to for use by the computing device; and

to provide changes to the plurality of software applications at the remote terminal server.

30. The system of claim 28, whereby the domain controller is further operative

to manage access to the terminal server by the computing device;

and

to secure the terminal server from unauthorized access.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the remote terminal server includes a plurality of terminal servers, and whereby the domain controller is further operative

to determine whether the computing device has previously been connected to one of the plurality of terminal servers;

and

if so, then to reconnect the computing device to the one of the plurality of terminal servers.

32. The system of claim 28, further comprising,

a web server operative

to provide a web page, through the terminal server, to the computing device, the web page containing the software module embedded therein.

33. The system of claim 32, whereby the software module is an ActiveX control.

24. A propagated signal on which is carried computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, perform the steps of:

providing a computing device a software module from a remote computing device for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote computing device;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of an operating system of the remote computing device;

providing the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of the computing device'"'"'s desktop configuration, the desktop configuration being passed to the computing device from the remote computing device;

monitoring actions at the computing device by the operating system of the remote computing device;

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the operating system provided to the computing device; and

in response to the actions at the computing device, updating the emulation of the desktop configuration provided to the computing device.

28. A system for providing computing services in a networked computing environment, comprising:

a domain controller operative to authenticate authority for a computing device to connect to a remote terminal server via a networked computing environment;

a remote terminal server operative

to connect to a computing device;

to provide the computing device a software module for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote terminal server;

to provide the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of an operating system of the remote terminal server;

to provide the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of the computing device'"'"'s desktop configuration, the desktop configuration being passed to the computing device from the remote terminal server;

to monitor actions at the computing device by the operating system of the remote terminal server;

to update the emulation of the operating system provided to the computing device in response to the actions at the computing device;

to update the emulation of the desktop configuration provided to the computing device in response to the actions at the computing device;

to provide the computing device use of a software application, the software application being resident on the remote terminal server; and

a file server operative

to receive data from the computing device, and

to store the data received at the computing device at the remote terminal server.