SESSIONLESS REDIRECTION IN TERMINAL SERVICES

• US 20090328172A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Huei Chung, Das, Munindra N., Sampath, Sriram, Dopson, Dave, Beletski, Rouslan
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing

Abstract

Embodiments described herein are directed to establishing a terminal services (TS) session between a TS server and the client without creating a temporary session. In one embodiment, a computer system receives a user request indicating that a TS session with a first TS server is to be initiated. The request includes an indication that the user is authenticated and authorized to use the first TS server. The computer system searches for any prior TS sessions previously initiated by the user with other TS servers and determines, based on the search, that at least one prior TS session was initiated with a second TS server. The computer system also sends redirection data to the user indicating that the user request is to be redirected to the second TS server to reestablish the prior TS session with the second TS server.

Claims

1. In a computer networking environment comprising a plurality of computing systems including a client computer system and a terminal server computer system, a method for establishing a terminal services (TS) session between a TS server and the client without creating a temporary session, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a user request indicating that a TS session with a first TS server is to be initiated, the request including an indication that the user is authenticated and authorized to use the first TS server;

an act of searching for any prior TS sessions previously initiated by the user with other TS servers;

an act of determining, based on the search, that at least one prior TS session was initiated with a second TS server; and

an act of sending redirection data to the user indicating that the user request is to be redirected to the second TS server to reestablish the prior TS session with the second TS server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of receiving user authentication credentials generated by a credential service prior to receiving the user request.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising authenticating the user to the first TS server using the received authentication credentials prior to receiving the user request from the user.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising an act of the second TS server establishing a TS session using the received authentication credentials, such that the TS session between the user and the second TS server is established without creating a temporary session between the user and the first TS server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of notifying the user that the user'"'"'s TS session initiation request is being redirected from the first TS server to the second TS server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication that the user is authenticated and authorized to use the first TS server includes identification information identifying the user'"'"'s identity.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the user authentication credentials are received as part of a login request.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

an act of determining that, based on the search, no prior TS sessions were established with other TS servers by the user; and

an act of establishing a TS session with the first TS server using the user authentication credentials received in the user request.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

an act of determining that, based on the search, a prior TS session was established with the first TS server by the user; and

an act of reestablishing the prior TS session with the first TS server using the user authentication credentials received in the user request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the prior TS session previously initiated by the user is a disconnected session.

11. In a computer networking environment including a client computer system and a terminal services (TS) server farm, a method for establishing a TS session between at least one TS server of the server farm and the client without creating a temporary session, the method comprising:

an act of receiving at a TS server farm session broker user authentication credentials as part of a TS server login request, the authentication credentials having been generated by a credential service on the user'"'"'s computer system;

an act of receiving at the TS server farm session broker a user request indicating that a TS session with a TS server in the server farm is to be initiated, the request including identification information identifying the user as the user whose authentication credentials were previously received;

an act of the TS server farm session broker searching for any prior TS sessions previously initiated by the user with other TS servers in the server farm using the received authentication credentials;

an act of the TS server farm session broker determining, based on the search, that at least one prior TS session was initiated with an identified TS server in the server farm; and

an act of sending redirection data to the user indicating that the user request is to be redirected to the identified TS server to reestablish the prior TS session with the identified TS server in the server farm.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising an act of the identified TS server establishing a TS session using the identification information included in the user request, such that the TS session between the user and the indicated TS server is established without creating a temporary session between the user and the TS server farm session broker.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the user'"'"'s client computer system login credentials are used to generate the user'"'"'s TS authentication credentials.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the TS server farm session broker redirects user requests based on current server load status, such that the load is balanced among the TS servers in the farm.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the TS server farm session broker is configured to store session information including session IDs, user names, server names and session state information.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the credential service is CredSSP.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

an act of the TS server farm session broker determining, based on the search, that a plurality of prior TS session were initiated with a plurality of TS servers in the server farm;

an act of the TS server farm session broker determining, based on current server load status, which of the determined plurality of TS servers is best suited to handle the request; and

an act of the TS server farm session broker redirecting the user request to the TS server determined to be the best suited to handle the request.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising discarding at least one of the prior TS sessions after the TS session between the determined best suited server and the client is established.

19. A computer program product for implementing a method for establishing a terminal services (TS) session between a TS server and the client without creating a temporary session, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a user request indicating that a TS session with a first TS server is to be initiated, the request including an indication that the user is authenticated and authorized to use the first TS server;

an act of searching for any prior TS sessions previously initiated by the user with other TS servers;

an act of determining, based on the search, that at least one prior TS session was initiated with a second TS server; and

an act of sending redirection data to the user indicating that the user request is to be redirected to the second TS server to reestablish the prior TS session with the second TS server.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the user is authenticated and authorized to use the first TS server prior to sending the user request.