Application Streaming Over HTTP

• US 20090313322A1
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ahmad, Naveed, Sheehan, John, Reierson, Kristofer
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for application streaming over HTTP. A virtual application running on a host computing device may detect the need for a page of memory that is not present on the host computing device. Accordingly, the virtual application may send a request to a virtual application server, seeking the absent memory page. The virtual application server may send to a web server an HTTP GET byte range request for the desired memory page. The web server may retrieve the requested block, which may be a portion of the virtual application image file. The requested data is returned to the host computing device via the virtual application server. The virtual application continues running on the host device using the requested data.

Claims

1. A method for application streaming, the method comprising:

receiving a message from a host computing device, the message identifying a portion of a virtual application image file;

sending to a remote server an HTTP request for the identified portion of the virtual application file; and

providing the identified portion of the virtual application file to the host computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message from the host computing device is a request for the identified portion of the virtual application image file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the virtual application image file corresponds to a virtual application running on the host computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identified portion of the virtual application image file corresponds to a memory page that is absent on the host computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the HTTP request is an HTTP byte range request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the HTTP byte range request includes a byte range corresponding to the memory page.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the remote sever is a web server, and no proprietary protocol is necessary to request the identified portion of the virtual application file from the web server.

8. A method for application streaming, the method comprising:

receiving a message from a host computing device, the message identifying a portion of a virtual application image file;

sending to a remote server a request for only the identified portion of the virtual application file; and

providing only the identified portion of the virtual application file to the host computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the message from the host computing device is a request for the identified portion of the virtual application image file.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the virtual application image file corresponds to a virtual application running on the host computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identified portion of the virtual application image file corresponds to a memory page that is absent on the host computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the request to retrieve only the identified portion of the virtual application file is an HTTP byte range request.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the HTTP byte range request includes a byte range corresponding to the memory page.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote sever is a web server.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein no proprietary protocol is necessary to request the identified portion of the virtual application file from the web server.

16. A virtual application server, comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

receiving a request from a host computing device for a portion of a virtual application image file;

sending to a remote server an HTTP request for only the requested portion of the virtual application file; and

providing only the requested portion of the virtual application file to the host computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the virtual application image file corresponds to a virtual application running on the host computing device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the requested portion of the virtual application image file corresponds to a memory page that is absent on the host computing device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the HTTP request is an HTTP byte range request that includes a byte range corresponding to the memory page.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the remote sever is a web server, and no proprietary protocol is necessary to request the requested portion of the virtual application file from the web server.