Remote human interface device in an aggregate computer system

• US 20080320500A1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Yang, Wang, Jian, Wang, Lifeng
• Application Number:
  US11/821,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20080320500A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/324
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

Described is a technology by which a human interface device (e.g., a keyboard or mouse) physically coupled to a first computing machine controls a second computing machine in an aggregated computer system. When the first computing machine enters a device producer state with respect to the human interface device, the first machine routes the human interface device data to the second computing machine. The second computing machine receives the human interface device data, and simulates a physical connection of the human interface device to the second computing machine by providing the human interface device data to a virtual device driver loaded on the second computing machine. The virtual device driver may be registered with a virtual bus driver to receive the data.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

obtaining human interface device data from a corresponding human interface device physically coupled by a wired or wireless connection to a first computing machine;

routing the human interface device data to a second computing machine coupled to the first computing machine via a remote communications means;

receiving the human interface device data at the second computing machine; and

providing the human interface device data to a corresponding virtual human interface device driver of the second computing machine, to control operation of the second computing machine from the human interface device physically coupled to the first computing machine.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the human interface device data comprises accessing a corresponding storage into which a real device driver for that human interface device has buffered the human interface device data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein routing the human interface device data to the second computing machine comprises providing the data to an aggregate connection manager of the first machine, and communicating corresponding information to an aggregate connection manager of the second machine.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the human interface device data to the corresponding virtual human interface device driver comprises providing the data to a virtual bus driver of the second computing machine with which the virtual human interface device driver has registered.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, receiving device information at the second computing machine in response to a query for information of the human interface device;

plugging in a virtual human interface device by loading the virtual human interface device driver in the second computing machine based on the device information.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising, at the second computing machine, querying for the information of the human interface device by sending events to a virtual bus.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising, at the second computing machine, querying for an updated device list, receiving the updated device list, and comparing the updated device list with a previous device list to determine which device to query for the information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the second computing machine queries for the information of the device and for the updated device list by sending plug-and-play events.

9. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

a first computing machine configured as a human interface device producer that generates human interface device data from a corresponding human interface device physically coupled by a wired or wireless connection to the first computing machine; and

a second computing machine that is not physically coupled to the human interface device, the second computing machine configured as a human interface device consumer that receives the human interface device data from the first computing machine over a network connection, to control operation of the second computing machine via a virtual driver on the second computing machine that corresponds to the human interface device.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a real human interface device driver that buffers the human interface device data for an aggregate device manager, the aggregate device manager determining that the first computing machine is in a device producer state with respect to that human interface device, and as a result, sends the human interface device data to the second computing machine.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the second machine includes a virtual bus driver for simulating physical connection of the human interface device to the second machine via a bus.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the aggregate device manager sends the human interface device data to the second computing machine via a connection manager of the first computing machine that is coupled to a connection manager of the second computing machine via the network connection.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the connection manager of the second computing machine routes the human interface device data to the virtual driver via an aggregate device manager of the second machine that is coupled to a virtual bus driver of the second machine.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the human interface device comprises a mouse or a keyboard.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the network connection comprises an Ethernet connection, a WiFi connection, a Universal Serial Bus connection, a serial connection, a parallel connection, an infrared connection, a FireWire connection or a Bluetooth®

connection.

16. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps comprising, controlling a second computing machine via a human interface device that is physically coupled to a first computing machine via a wired or wireless connection, including by transmitting human interface device data over a communication means to the second computing machine, receiving the human interface device data at the second computing machine, and simulating a physical connection of the human interface device to the second computing machine by providing the human interface device data to a virtual driver that is loaded on the second computing machine.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 having further computer-executable instructions, comprising, at the first computing machine, obtaining the interface device data from a real human interface device driver, and transmitting the human interface device data upon determining that the human interface device corresponds to a device producer operating state.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 having further computer-executable instructions, comprising, at the first computing machine, receiving information indicating that the human interface device no longer corresponds to a device producer operating state, and in response, sending the human interface device data to an operating system of the first computing machine.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 having further computer-executable instructions, comprising, at the second computing machine, querying for information of the human interface device by sending events to a virtual bus, receiving the information in response to the query, and loading the virtual human interface device driver in based on the information.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein simulating the physical connection of the human interface device to the second computing machine includes coupling the virtual driver to a virtual bus driver that is loaded on the second computing machine.