Method and apparatus for allowing sharing of streamable applications

• US 20060053228A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Raz, Uri, Rachman, Ophir, Malka, Gabriel
• Granted Patent: US 9,124,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A client on a network includes a file system that includes various non-streamable software applications. A streaming support system in the client enables a streamable software application to be located in the file system and executed in a streaming mode without being isolated from the non-streamable software applications in the file system. Non-streamable software applications can invoke the streamable software application, and vice versa. Multiple streamable software applications can be concurrently located throughout the file system and can be executed in the client in the streaming mode without restriction to any particular portion of the main file system. Streamable applications can be located anywhere in the file system that the corresponding non-streamable versions of the applications would be able to be located. The main file system does not need to contain complete copies of the required files for any streamable applications.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a client to execute a streamable software application, the client including a file system that includes a non-streamable software application, the method comprising installing, in the client, client streaming software which configures the client so that the streamable software application can be located in the file system and executed in a streaming mode without being isolated from the non-streamable software application.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the streamable software application is not required to be located in a predetermined portion of the main file system for the streamable software application to be executed in the streaming mode.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the streamable software application can be located at a user-modifiable location in the main file system.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or both of the non-streamable software application and the streamable software application can invoke the other.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

executing the streamable software application in the client in the streaming mode, including receiving one or more blocks of the streamable software application at the client from a remote server while the streamable software application is executing in the client.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said configuring the client comprises configuring the client so that a plurality of streamable software applications can be concurrently located in the main file system and can be executed in the client in the streaming mode without restriction to any particular portion of the main file system for purposes of executing the streamable software applications in the streaming mode.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing registry data for all applications stored in the client system in a normal registry of the client, including registry data for each of the streamable applications.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said configuring the client comprises installing a file filter driver in the client.

9. A method of enabling a client system to execute software in a streaming mode, the method comprising causing information representing sequences of instructions to be transmitted to the client over a data network, the sequences of instructions to be installed on the client system to configure the client system to perform a method as recited in claim 1.

10. A method of enabling a client, which includes a main file system, to execute a streamable software application, the method comprising configuring the client so that the streamable software application can be located in the main file system and executed in a streaming mode, without the streamable software application being required to be located in a predetermined portion of the main file system.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the streamable software application is not located in a virtual file system for the streamable software application to be executed in the streaming mode.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the streamable software application can be located at a user-modifiable location in the main file system.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

executing the streamable software application in the client in the streaming mode, including receiving one or more blocks of the streamable software application at the client from a remote server while the streamable software application is executing in the client.

14. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein said configuring the client comprises configuring the client so that a plurality of streamable software applications can be concurrently located in the main file system and can be executed in the client in the streaming mode without restriction to any particular portion of the main file system for purposes of executing the streamable software applications in the streaming mode.

15. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising storing registry data for all applications stored in the client system in a normal registry of the client, including registry data for each of the streamable applications.

16. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein said configuring the client comprises installing a file filter driver in the client.

17. A method of enabling a client system to execute software in a streaming mode, the method comprising causing information representing sequences of instructions to be transmitted to the client over a data network, the sequences of instructions to be installed on the client system to configure the client system to perform a method as recited in claim 10.

18. A method of enabling a client to execute a streamable software application, the method comprising configuring the client so that the streamable software application can be executed in the client in a streaming mode, without the streamable software application being located in a virtual file system.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the client includes a main file system, and wherein the streamable software application is located in the main file system and is not required to be located in a predetermined portion of the main file system for purposes of streaming execution.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said configuring the client comprises configuring the client so that a plurality of streamable software applications can be concurrently located in the client and can be executed in the client in the streaming mode without being restricted to any predetermined portion of the file system for purposes of executing the streamable software applications in the streaming mode.

21. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the streamable software application can be located at a user-modifiable location in the main file system.

22. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

executing the streamable software application in the client in the streaming mode, including receiving one or more subsets of the streamable software application at the client from a remote server while the streamable software application is executing in the client.

23. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising storing registry data for all applications stored in the client system in a normal registry of the client, including registry data for each of the streamable applications.

24. A method of enabling a client system to execute software in a streaming mode, the method comprising causing information representing sequences of instructions to be transmitted to the client over a data network, the sequences of instructions to be installed on the client system to configure the client system to perform a method as recited in claim 18.

25. A method of enabling a client on a network to stream software applications, the client including an operating system and a main file system, the method comprising:

configuring the client so that a plurality of streamable software applications can be concurrently located in the main file system and are not restricted to any particular location in the main file system for purposes of executing the streamable applications in a streaming mode, and so that each of the streamable software applications appears to the operating system to be entirely present in the client and can be executed in the client from the main file system in a streaming mode even if the streamable software application is not entirely resident locally to the client; and

executing at least one of the streamable software applications in the client in the streaming mode, including receiving one or more subsets of the streamable software application from a remote server while the streamable software application is executing in the client.

26. A method as recited in claim 25, wherein the main file system further can include one or more non-streamable software applications, such that the streamable software applications are not isolated from the non-streamable software applications in the main file system.

27. A method as recited in claim 25, wherein the streamable software application is located at a user-modifiable location in the main file system.

28. A method as recited in claim 25, further comprising storing registry data for all applications stored in the client system in a normal registry of the client, including registry data for each of the streamable applications.

29. A method of enabling a client system to execute software in a streaming mode, the method comprising transmitting to the client system information representing sequences of instructions over a data network, the sequences of instructions to be installed on the client system to configure the client system to perform a method as recited in claim 25.

30. A method of executing a streamable software application in a client in a streaming mode, the client including an operating system and a file system, the method comprising:

intercepting a request to the file system by the operating system for a block of the streamable application during streaming execution of the streamable software application, wherein the streamable software application is located at a user-modifiable location in the file system;

in response to the request, determining whether the block is present in the client system;

if the block is present in the client system, providing the block to the operating system; and

if the block is not present in the client system, then requesting the block from a remote server over the network and, in response to receiving the block from the remote server, providing the block to the operating system.

31. A method as recited in claim 30, further comprising:

in response to intercepting the request to the file system by the operating system, determining whether the block belongs to a streamable software application;

wherein said determining whether the block is present in the client system is done only if the block belongs to a streamable software application.

32. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the streamable software application is not restricted to any particular portion of the file system for purposes of executing the streamable software application in the streaming mode.

33. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the streamable software application is not isolated from non-streamable software applications in the file system.

34. A method of enabling a client system to execute software in a streaming mode, the method comprising transmitting to the client system information representing sequences of instructions over a data network, the sequences of instructions to be installed on the client system to configure the client system to perform a method as recited in claim 30.

35. A processing system comprising:

a processor;

a network adapter through which to communicate over a network;

an operating system;

a file system to implement a hierarchical structure of files, the file system including one or more non-streamable software applications and one or more streamable software applications, wherein the streamable software applications are not isolated from the non-streamable software applications in the file system, each of the streamable software applications including a plurality related blocks;

a memory coupled to the processor and storing client streaming support software, for execution by the processor, to enable the client system to execute the streamable software applications in a streaming mode, the client streaming software including a file filter driver to intercept a request to the file system by the operating system for a block of one of the streamed applications during streaming execution of said streamable application and, in response to the request, to determine whether the block is present in the client system, and if the block is present in the client system, to provide the block to the operating system.

36. A processing system as recited in claim 35, the client streaming support software further including:

an application manager, responsive to the file filter driver, to request the block from a remote server if the block is determined by the file filter driver not to be present in the client system, and in response to receiving the block from the remote server, to provide the block to the operating system.

37. A processing system as recited in claim 35, wherein the streamable applications are not restricted to any particular portion of the main file system for purposes of executing the streamable applications in a streaming mode.

38. A processing system as recited in claim 35, wherein the streamable software application is located at a user-modifiable location in the main file system.

39. A processing system as recited in claim 35, further comprising a registry storing registry data for all applications stored in the client system, including registry data for each of the streamable applications.

40. A client system comprising:

an operating system;

a file system to implement a hierarchical structure of files accessible to the operating system, the file system including one or more non-streamable software applications and one or more streamable software applications, wherein the streamable software applications are not isolated from the non-streamable software applications in the file system, each of the streamable software applications including a plurality related blocks;

means for intercepting a request to the file system by the operating system for a block of one of the streamed applications during streaming execution of said streamable application and, in response to the request, for determining whether the block is present in the client system, and if the block is present in the client system, to provide the block to the operating system; and

means for requesting the block from a remote server if the block is determined not to be present in the client system, and in response to receiving the block from the remote server, for providing the block to the operating system.

41. A client system as recited in claim 40, wherein the streamable applications are not restricted to any particular portion in the main file system for purposes of executing the streamable applications in a streaming mode.

42. A client system as recited in claim 40, wherein the streamable software application is located at a user-modifiable location in the main file system.

43. A client system as recited in claim 40, further comprising a registry storing registry data for all applications stored in the client system, including registry data for each of the streamable applications.

44. A client comprising:

a file system including a non-streamable software application; and

means for configuring the client system so that a streamable software application can be located in the file system and executed in a streaming mode without being isolated from the non-streamable software application.