Mapping of virtualized setup-free applications for a computing system

• US 20080010630A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Christensen, Neal R., Ou-Yang, Darwin
• Granted Patent: US 9,405,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44584 Portable applications, i.e. making applications self-contained, e.g. U3 standard

Abstract

A setup-free software application and related operating techniques are described herein. The setup-free application is contained within a package file that does not appear as a program file to the computing system. When the package file is opened, the computing system virtualizes the “installation” of the setup-free application without copying application files to the actual file system and without making any modifications to the actual registry. When the setup-free application is running, operating requests (such as file read requests, registry read requests, and file write requests) are directed to the contents of the package file. Such redirection away from the actual file system and away from the actual registry enables the computing system to run the setup-free application from the package file.

Claims

1. A method for running a setup-free software application on a computing system, the method comprising:

opening a package file that contains an executable application file, file system elements for the executable application file, and registry elements for the executable application file;

maintaining a virtualizing mechanism for the executable application file, the virtualizing mechanism being configured to virtualize the executable application file to the computing system; and

the virtualizing mechanism directing an operating request from the executable application file to the package file.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operating request is a file read request.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operating request is a file write request.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operating request is a registry read request.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operating request is a registry write request.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising running the executable application file from the package file without installing the executable application file onto the computing system.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing mappings for the virtualizing mechanism, the mappings corresponding to the file system elements for the executable application file.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing mappings for the virtualizing mechanism, the mappings corresponding to the registry elements for the executable application file.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the package file is configured to appear as a non-program file to the computing system; and

the method further comprises mapping contents of the package file to an actual program files location of the computing system.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

exiting the executable application file; and

deleting at least one of the mappings for the virtualizing mechanism in response to the exiting step.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

exiting the executable application file; and

maintaining at least one of the mappings for the virtualizing mechanism in response to the exiting step.

12. A method for running a setup-free software application on a computing system, the method comprising:

maintaining a package file on the computing system, the package file containing an executable application file that is not installed on the computing system;

virtualizing the executable application file to the computing system to establish a virtualized application;

receiving an operating request from the virtualized application; and

directing the operating request to the package file if the operating request corresponds to an item contained in the package file.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising directing the operating request to an actual file system of the computing system if the operating request corresponds to a file that is not contained in the package file.

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising directing the operating request to an actual registry of the computing system if the operating request corresponds to a registry entry that is not contained in the package file.

15. A method according to claim 12, further comprising opening the package file, wherein virtualizing the executable application file is responsive to the opening step.

16. A method according to claim 12, further comprising running the virtualized application from the package file without installing the executable application file onto the computing system.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein virtualizing the executable application file comprises initializing a virtualizing component of the computing system.

18. A method according to claim 12, wherein virtualizing the executable application file comprises establishing mappings to items contained in the package file.

19. A method for running a setup-free software application on a computing system, the method comprising:

maintaining a package file on the computing system, the package file containing an executable application file that is not installed on the computing system, and the package file containing a virtual registry for the executable application file;

establishing mappings from an actual registry of the computing system to the virtual registry; and

running the executable application file as a virtualized application from the package file without modifying the actual registry of the computing system.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising directing a registry operation request to the package file if the registry operation request corresponds to a registry entry contained in the virtual registry.