Systems and methods for providing seamless software compatibility using virtual machines

• US 20060010433A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Neil, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 8,972,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/138
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to a system for and method of providing seamless software compatibility by using virtual machines to provide an improved, more seamless method of user interaction with one or more virtual machines (VMs) that are resident on a host computer system. Several embodiments of the present invention provide a means in the host environment for directly invoking one or more guest operating system (OS) applications or files and displaying them in the host environment, rather than in a separate VM window. Furthermore, each embodiment of the present invention allows the possibility of multiple applications on multiple OSs (i.e., legacy or modem OSs), respectively, to run simultaneously and with the appearance of running seamlessly in the host environment.

Claims

1. A method for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said method comprising providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system and which, upon operation of said interface, leads to the execution of said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine.

2. A method for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said method comprising, upon selection for execution of an application that is native to a guest operating system, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

3. A method for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said method comprising:

providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system; and

upon operation of said interface, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said interface is a promoted guest desktop icon.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein, in regard to the host display window, the selection of the operation of said interface leads directly to displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system without a guest display window appearing for the guest operating system in said host display window.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the output of said application is displayed on mode of display from among the following modes of display:

(a) in a promoted guest application window;

(b) in a guest application window in a guest display window; and

(c) in both a promoted guest application window and a guest application window in a guest display window.

7. A method for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said host operating system comprising a persistent store with one physical file, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system as well as a virtual hard drive comprising at least one virtual file, said method comprising integrating a list of virtual files from said virtual machine together with a list of files from said host operating system such that the result is a unified list for display to and utilization by an end-user.

8. The method of claim 7 where selecting a virtual file from said unified list causes the file to be loaded in the appropriate application in said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

9. A system for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said system comprising at least one subsystem for providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system and which, upon operation of said interface, leads to the execution of said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine.

10. A system for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said system comprising at least one subsystem for, upon selection for execution of an application that is native to a guest operating system, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

11. A system for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said system comprising at least one subsystem for:

providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system; and

upon operation of said interface, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said interface is a promoted guest desktop icon.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprises a subsystem whereby, in regard to the host display window, the selection of the operation of said interface leads directly to displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system without a guest display window appearing for the guest operating system in said host display window.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprises a subsystem whereby the output of said application is displayed on mode of display from among the following modes of display:

(a) in a promoted guest application window;

(b) in a guest application window in a guest display window; and

(c) in both a promoted guest application window and a guest application window in a guest display window.

15. A system for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said host operating system comprising a persistent store with one physical file, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system as well as a virtual hard drive comprising at least one virtual file, said system comprising at least one subsystem for integrating a list of virtual files from said virtual machine together with a list of files from said host operating system such that the result is a unified list for display to and utilization by an end-user.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprises a subsystem whereby selecting a virtual file from said unified list causes the file to be loaded in the appropriate application in said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system and which, upon operation of said interface, leads to the execution of said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine.

18. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for, upon selection for execution of an application that is native to a guest operating system, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

19. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for:

providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system; and

upon operation of said interface, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

20. The computer-readable instructions of claim 19 further comprising instructions whereby said interface is a promoted guest desktop icon.

21. The computer-readable instructions of claim 19 further comprising instructions whereby, in regard to the host display window, the selection of the operation of said interface leads directly to displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system without a guest display window appearing for the guest operating system in said host display window.

22. The computer-readable instructions of claim 19 further comprising instructions whereby the output of said application is displayed on mode of display from among the following modes of display:

(a) in a promoted guest application window;

(b) in a guest application window in a guest display window; and

(c) in both a promoted guest application window and a guest application window in a guest display window.

23. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said host operating system comprising a persistent store with one physical file, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system as well as a virtual hard drive comprising at least one virtual file, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for integrating a list of virtual files from said virtual machine together with a list of files from said host operating system such that the result is a unified list for display to and utilization by an end-user.

24. The computer-readable instructions of claim 23 further comprising instructions whereby selecting a virtual file from said unified list causes the file to be loaded in the appropriate application in said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

25. A hardware control device for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said hardware control device comprising means for providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system and which, upon operation of said interface, leads to the execution of said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine.

26. A hardware control device for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said hardware control device comprising means for, upon selection for execution of an application that is native to a guest operating system, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

27. A hardware control device for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system, said hardware control device comprising means for:

providing an interface in the host operating system via a host display window by which an end-user selects for execution an application that is native to a guest operating system; and

upon operation of said interface, executing said application in said guest operation system running on said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.

28. The hardware control device of claim 27 comprising means whereby said interface is a promoted guest desktop icon.

29. The hardware control device of claim 27 comprising means whereby, in regard to the host display window, the selection of the operation of said interface leads directly to displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system without a guest display window appearing for the guest operating system in said host display window.

30. The hardware control device of claim 27 comprising means whereby the output of said application is displayed on mode of display from among the following modes of display:

(a) in a promoted guest application window;

(b) in a guest application window in a guest display window; and

(c) in both a promoted guest application window and a guest application window in a guest display window.

31. A hardware control device for integrating a virtual machine with a host operating system, said host operating system comprising a persistent store with one physical file, said virtual machine comprising a guest operating system and at least one application for execution on said guest operating system as well as a virtual hard drive comprising at least one virtual file, said hardware control device comprising means for integrating a list of virtual files from said virtual machine together with a list of files from said host operating system such that the result is a unified list for display to and utilization by an end-user.

32. The hardware control device of claim 31 comprising means whereby selecting a virtual file from said unified list causes the file to be loaded in the appropriate application in said virtual machine and displaying said output of said application in a promoted guest application window on said host operating system.