Establishing and utilizing terminal server dynamic virtual channels

• US 20070244966A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lotlikar, Mahesh, Stoyanov, Vladimir, Patwardhan, Makarand
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for establishing and utilizing terminal server dynamic virtual channels. In some embodiments, a terminal server sends a new channel request to a terminal server. The client receives the new channel request and forwards the new channel request to a listener for a plug-in. The listener creates an instance of the client side plug-in and sends a channel accept to the terminal server. The terminal server receives the channel accept and creates an instance of a server side plug-in. The server and the client agree to use a unique identifier for identifying the established dynamic virtual channel. In other embodiments, data for a dynamic virtual channel is tunneled between computers over a static virtual channel.

Claims

1. At a terminal server, a method for establishing a dynamic virtual channel to a plug-in at a client, the method comprising:

an act of sending a new channel request to create a new channel between a server side plug-in at the terminal server and a client side plug-in at the client, the channel request including the name of the plug-in;

an act of receiving a channel accept from the client, the channel accept indicative of a listener for the client side plug-in receiving the channel request and creating an instance of the client side plug-in;

an act of creating an instance of the server side plug-in to communicate with the instance of the client side plug-in;

an act of a server component at the terminal server negotiating with a client component at the client to establish a dynamic virtual channel between the instance of the server side plug-in and the instance of the client side plug-in; and

an act of the server component agreeing to a unique identifier for the established dynamic virtual channel, the unique identifier usable by the server component to forward communication from the instance of the server side plug-in to the instance of the client side plug-in, the unique identifier differing from the name of the plug-in.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of sending a new channel request to create a new channel comprises an act of sending a new channel request to create a new dynamic virtual channel.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the act of sending a new channel request to create a new dynamic virtual channel comprises an act of sending a new channel request to create a new dynamic virtual over an existing static virtual channel.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of sending a new channel request to create a new channel comprises an act of sending a new channel request over an RDP session

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a channel accept from the client comprises an act of receiving a channel accept message over an RDP session.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of a server component at the terminal server negotiating with a client component comprises an act of negotiating over a static virtual channel

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of sending a close command to the client to indicate that the terminal server intends to close the dynamic virtual channel.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of sending a close command to the terminal server to indicate that the client intends to close the dynamic virtual channel.

8. At a client, a method for establishing a dynamic virtual channel to a plug-in at a terminal server, the method comprising:

an act of a receiving a new channel request to create a new channel between a client side plug-in at the client and a server side plug-in at the terminal server, the channel request including the name of the plug-in;

an act of forwarding the new channel request to a listener for the plug-in having the included name;

an act of the listener creating a instance of the client side plug-in, in response to receiving the new channel request;

an act of sending a channel accept to the terminal server, the channel accept indicative of the listener creating the instance of the client side plug-in;

an act of the client component at negotiating with a server component at the terminal server to establish a dynamic virtual channel between the instance of the client side plug-in and a corresponding instance of the server side plug-in at the terminal server; and

an act of the server component agreeing to a unique identifier for the established dynamic virtual channel, the unique identifier usable by the client component to forward communication from the instance of the client side plug-in to the instance of the server side plug-in, the unique identifier differing from the name of the plug-in.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of receiving a new channel request to create a new channel comprises an act of receiving a new channel request to create a new dynamic virtual channel.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of receiving a new channel request to create a new dynamic virtual channel comprises an act of receiving a new channel request to create a new dynamic virtual over an existing static virtual channel.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of receiving a new channel request to create a new channel comprises an act of receiving a new channel request over an RDP session.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of sending a channel accept from to the terminal server comprises an act of sending a channel accept message over an RDP session.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of client component at the client negotiating with a server component at the terminal server comprises an act of negotiating over a static virtual channel

15. At a computer system, a method for transferring data over a dynamic virtual channel, the method comprising:

an act of accessing application data from an instance of a plug-in that is to be transferred over a dynamic virtual channel;

an act of accessing a unique identifier corresponding to the dynamic virtual channel;

an act of encapsulating the unique identifier and application data within static virtual channel data for a static virtual channel;

an act of further encapsulating the static virtual channel data within lower layer data corresponding to lower layers of a communication stack; and

an act of sending the lower layer data such that the unique identifier for the dynamic virtual session and the application data are tunneled to the destination.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the act of accessing a unique identifier corresponding to the dynamic virtual channel comprises an act of accessing a unique identifier from a channel mapping at the terminal server.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the act of encapsulating the unique identifier and application data within static virtual channel data for a static virtual channel comprises an act of encapsulating the unique identifier within static virtual channel data that includes the name of the static virtual channel.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the act of further encapsulating the static virtual channel data within lower layer data corresponding to lower layers of a communication stack comprises an act of encapsulating the static virtual channel data within RDP data.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the act of further encapsulating the static virtual channel data within lower layer data corresponding to lower layers of a communication stack comprises an act of encapsulating the RDP data within an IP packet.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the act of sending the lower layer data comprises an act of sending the lower layer data over the Internet.