Computer program code and method for delivering external data to a process running on a virtual machine

• US 20040163087A1
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Protocom Development Systems Pty Ltd. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Protocom Development Systems Pty Ltd. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Sandland, Carl, Herscovitch, Matthew Patrick, Dingwall, Timothy Brian
• Application Number:
  US10/369,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20040163087A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations

Abstract

A method and system for delivering external data to a process running on a virtual machine, said virtual machine running on an operating system. The method includes the steps of executing instructions on the virtual machine that obtain state data related to the process; querying the virtual machine to obtain component data related to the state data; and manipulating the component data to deliver the external data to the process. In one example, the system provides a single sign-on application that passes user credentials to a Java applet running on a Java virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method for delivering external data to a process running on a virtual machine, said virtual machine running on an operating system, the method including the steps of:

executing instructions on the virtual machine that obtain state data related to the process;

querying the virtual machine to obtain component data related to the state data; and

manipulating the component data to deliver the external data to the process.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the process implements a user interface and the state data is user interface state data.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface (GUI) and the user interface state data indicates the creation of a top level window in the GUI.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the instructions utilise an application programming interface (API) running on the virtual machine to obtain the state data.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the API is an accessibility API and the state data is obtained by hooking the virtual machine process using that API.

6. A method according to claim 3 wherein the process is a Java applet.

7. A method according to claim 6 including, prior to the querying step, the step of calling a second process that executes outside the virtual machine and obtaining attribute data relating to the state data from the second process.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the attribute data includes any one or more of:

a location indicator specifying a directory containing a main Class file of the applet,

a name of the main Class file,

a unique identifier allocated by the operating system to a parent window of the applet, and

a time value representing the time when GUI objects created by the applet were loaded and displayed.

9. A method according to claim 8 further including instructions for forwarding the attribute data for use by the instructions executing on the virtual machine.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the attribute data is forwarded in a UDP packet.

11. A method according to claim 9 wherein the instructions executing on the virtual machine are additionally operative to:

determine the unique identifier allocated by the operating system to a parent window of the applet; and

confirm that the unique identifier determined by the virtual machine instructions matches the unique identifier allocated externally by the operating system.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the external data is delivered to the parent window identified by the unique identifier.

13. A method according to claim 2 wherein the external data is a login script for entering authentication credentials into the process.

14. Computer program code for carrying out the method of claim 1.

15. Computer program code for carrying out the method of claim 12.

16. A Single Sign On system for use on a computer terminal having an operating system installed thereon and a virtual machine running on the operating system, and wherein a server is communicatively coupled to the computer terminal;

said system including;

a Java applet stored at the server, the applet including instructions for execution on a virtual machine to define a user interface;

a browser installed on said computer terminal operative to download the Java applet from the server and run the Java applet on the virtual machine;

a database of authentication credentials accessible to the computer terminal; and

instructions executable on the virtual machine, which instructions are operative to;

obtain user interface state data from the Java applet;

query the virtual machine to obtain component data related to the user interface state data; and

manipulate the component data so as to deliver authentication credentials to the Java applet.

17. A Single Sign On System according to claim 16 wherein the Java applet includes instructions for presenting an object in the user interface that prompts a user of the terminal to authenticate themselves to a resource provided by the server, the virtual machine instructions automatically delivering the authentication credentials to the object to effect the authentication.