Unified Secure Virtual Machine Player and Remote Desktop Client

• US 20100070870A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnissa, LLC
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: LEROY, Christian Matthew, CHEONG, Gerald I. L., WASMER, Noah, HALPERIN, Yaron, ECCLESTON, Matthew B., CHAMCHAM, Jad
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/742
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine

Abstract

A virtual machine (VM) is accessed by receiving user log-in information, the log-in information identifying a user and a corresponding VM, the VM having a local copy and a remote copy. A selected copy of the VM is identified based on at least one of a policy and a user selection, the selected copy being one of the local copy and the remote copy of the VM. A desktop generated by the selected copy of the VM is presented to the user in a common application graphical user interface, the common application graphical user interface being used regardless as to whether the selected copy of the VM is the local copy or the remote copy.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a virtual machine (VM), the method comprising:

receiving user log-in information, the log-in information identifying a user and a corresponding VM, the VM having a local copy and a remote copy;

identifying a selected copy of the VM based on at least one of a policy and a user selection, the selected copy being one of the local copy and the remote copy of the VM;

presenting a desktop generated by the selected copy of the VM to the user in a common application graphical user interface, the common application graphical user interface being used regardless as to whether the selected copy of the VM is the local copy or the remote copy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user log-in information is received by a desktop portal, the desktop portal comprising selection logic, and a user interface, the selection logic performing the identifying, and the user interface performing the presenting.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the desktop portal comprises a VM player interface and a remote desktop client, the VM player interface accessing the desktop generated by the local VM when the selected copy of the VM is the local VM, and the remote desktop client accessing the desktop generated by the remote VM when the selected copy of the VM is the remote copy, the application graphical user interface being generated by the desktop portal, the VM player and the remote desktop client displaying the selected desktop through the common application graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining which of the copies of the VM is most recently modified;

allowing the user to only access the most recently modified copy of the VM or synchronize the copies of the VM, the synchronizing causing the copies to be identical with one another.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

performing background synchronization, the background synchronization, while the user is interacting with one of the copies of the VM dynamically updates another of the copies of the VM.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected copy of the VM is a preferred copy of the VM, the policy requiring that the user access the preferred copy of the VM, the user being automatically connected to the preferred copy of the VM upon log-in.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, when the preferred copy of the VM is not a most recently modified copy of the VM, the preferred copy of the VM is updated so that it is identical with the most recently modified copy of the VM prior to the presenting of the desktop of the preferred copy of the VM.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user is permitted to check in or check out the VM, the checking in comprising creating or synchronizing the remote copy of the VM from the local copy of the VM when the local copy is the most recently modified copy of the VM, the checking out comprising creating or synchronizing the local copy of the VM from the remote copy of the VM when the remote copy of the VM is the most recently modified copy of the VM; and

the selected copy of the VM is the local copy of the VM when the VM was most recently checked out and the selected copy of the VM is the remote copy of the VM when the VM was most recently checked in.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected copy of the VM is a stale copy of the VM, the stale copy of the VM being a copy of the VM that is not the most recently modified copy of the VM, the method further comprising informing the user that accessing a stale VM could result in roll-back of the VM to a state prior to the most recent use.

10. A machine readable storage medium for providing access to a virtual machine (VM), the machine readable storage medium embodying computer code causing a computer system to implement a method, the method comprising:

receiving user log-in information, the log-in information identifying a user and a corresponding VM, the VM having a local copy and a remote copy;

identifying a selected copy of the VM based on at least one of a policy and a user selection, the selected copy being one of the local copy and the remote copy of the VM;

presenting a desktop generated by the selected copy of the VM to the user in a common application graphical user interface, the common application graphical user interface being used regardless as to whether the selected copy of the VM is the local copy or the remote copy.

11. The machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user log-in information is received by a desktop portal, the desktop portal comprising selection logic, and a user interface, the selection logic performing the identifying, and the user interface performing the presenting.

12. The machine readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the desktop portal comprises a VM player interface and a remote desktop client, the VM player interface accessing the desktop generated by the local VM when the selected copy of the VM is the local VM, and the remote desktop client accessing the desktop generated by the remote VM when the selected copy of the VM is the remote copy, the application graphical user interface being generated by the desktop portal, the VM player and the remote desktop client displaying the selected desktop through the common application graphical user interface.

13. The machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

determining which of the copies of the VM is most recently modified;

allowing the user to only access the most recently modified copy of the VM or synchronize the copies of the VM, the synchronizing causing the copies to be identical with one another.

14. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

performing background synchronization, the background synchronization, while the user is interacting with one of the copies of the VM dynamically updates another of the copies of the VM.

15. The machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the selected copy of the VM is a preferred copy of the VM, the policy requiring that the user access the preferred copy of the VM, the user being automatically connected to the preferred copy of the VM upon log-in.

16. The machine readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein, when the preferred copy of the VM is not a most recently modified copy of the VM, the preferred copy of the VM is updated so that it is identical with the most recently modified copy of the VM prior to the presenting of the desktop of the preferred copy of the VM.

17. The machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein:

the user is permitted to check in or check out the VM, the checking in comprising creating or synchronizing the remote copy of the VM from the local copy of the VM when the local copy is the most recently modified copy of the VM, the checking out comprising creating or synchronizing the local copy of the VM from the remote copy of the VM when the remote copy of the VM is the most recently modified copy of the VM; and

the selected copy of the VM is the local copy of the VM when the VM was most recently checked out and the selected copy of the VM is the remote copy of the VM when the VM was most recently checked in.

18. The machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the selected copy of the VM is a stale copy of the VM, the stale copy of the VM being a copy of the VM that is not the most recently modified copy of the VM, the method further comprising informing the user that accessing a stale VM could result in roll-back of the VM to a state prior to the most recent use.