Facility for Centrally Managed and Locally Managed Workspaces on the Same Computer

• US 20090249336A1
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Virtual Computer Incorporated (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Virtual Computer Incorporated (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Vasilevsky, Alex David, Goetz, Thomas Carl, McCall, Daniel Robert, Lane, Douglas Copeland, Nieuwejaar, Nils Atticus
• Application Number:
  US12/435,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249336A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Embodiments deliver an operating system and software applications to a personal computer. The operating system and software applications may be managed and configured at a central location prior to delivery. Data that is created or modified on the personal computer may, from time to time, be stored at the central location. When a user switches from one personal computer to another, any and all of the data may be transferred from the central location to the user'"'"'s current computer. Additionally, the user'"'"'s current computer may receive suitable versions of the operating system and applications from the central location. In any case, the operating system and software applications may run with a domain of execution that is provided by a hypervisor. Thus, the operating system and software applications may operate within a virtualized machine, perhaps alongside and in isolation from other operating systems and software applications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of virtualized workspaces for operating on the same computer, each workspace embodied in at least one virtual machine disk image;

providing shared management of at least one workspace, using at least one root disk image adapted for use by a plurality of users of a plurality of centrally managed desktops; and

allowing local management of at least one other workspace, the management of the other workspace not being subject to at least one constraint applicable to the centrally managed workspace.