Systems and Algorithm For Interfacing With A Virtualized Computing Service Over A Network Using A Lightweight Client

• US 20110126110A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Framehawk LLC
• Inventors: Roncadin, Dan, Badger, Peter, Vilke, Stephen D., Willis, Rudy, Selvidge, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/163 Interprocessor communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]

Abstract

Systems and algorithm for controlling a virtualized computer service remotely through a client includes defining a virtual infrastructure in which a plurality of virtual machines are running on a hypervisor with at least one of the virtual machine executing an image processor algorithm. The image processor algorithm is configured to receive a connection request from the client for controlling the virtualized computer service (or simply, virtual service) available at a specific virtual machine. The request includes a plurality of connection parameters that describe the connection requirements of the client and is received at the virtual machine that is equipped with the image processor algorithm. The connection parameters are interrogated using the image processor algorithm to identify a specific virtual machine that provides the requested virtualized computer service. A framebuffer data for the identified virtual machine located in virtual memory is accessed and read directly through a hypervisor. The framebuffer data is processed into a plurality of image data packets using the image processor algorithm and transmitted to the client for presenting on a display device associated with the client. The image data packet grammar is tailored to the client and represents an image of the virtual machine display for the identified virtual machine.

Claims

1. A system for providing a service to a client over a network, comprising:

a) one or more virtual machines configured to run on a hypervisor, wherein at least one of the virtual machines is executing an image processor algorithm, the image processor algorithm includes logic to,

(i) detect a connection request from the client for controlling a virtualized computer service available at a specific virtual machine;

(ii) identify the specific virtual machine that provides the virtualized computer service by interrogating the connection request;

(iii) access and read framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine from a predetermined location in virtual memory through a hypervisor, the framebuffer data defining graphical output representing an image associated with a virtual machine display of the specific virtual machine;

(iv) process the read framebuffer data into image data packets, the image data packets including contextual information associated with the framebuffer data;

(v) transmit the image data packets of the specific virtual machine to the client for presenting on a display device associated with the client,

wherein image data packets are specific for the client and represents the image of the virtual machine display.

2. The system of claim 1, further includes,

a) a directory service to provide mapping of clients to the one or more virtual machines and to authenticate information associated with the connection request;

b) a time-based storage array service to store groups of areas of activity and any changes to the groups of areas of activity over time; and

c) a compression technique service to provide compression/transmission techniques for packaging the framebuffer data, wherein the compression/transmission technique is used to provide contextual compression.

3. A system for providing a service to a client over a network, comprising:

a) one or more virtual machines configured to run on a hypervisor, wherein at least one of the virtual machine is executing an image processor algorithm alongside the other virtual machines, the image processor algorithm includes,

(i) a scan engine configured to,

(ia) detect a connection request from the client for controlling a virtualized computer service available on a specific virtual machine, the connection request identifying a plurality of connection parameters defining connection requirements of the client;

(ib) interrogate the connection parameters to identify the specific virtual machine that provides the virtualized computer service;

(ic) interact with a hypervisor to directly access framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine;

(id) scan the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine to discern an image of a virtual machine display of the specific virtual machine including any changes in the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine and to process the framebuffer data including any changes into a time-based storage array associated with the specific virtual machine;

(ii) a context engine configured to,

(iia) determine any contiguous areas based on characteristics associated with the framebuffer data and to determine context associated with the framebuffer data; and

(iii) a logic engine configured to

(iiia) analyze the framebuffer data;

(iiib) process the framebuffer data to integrate contextual information associated with the framebuffer data based on the determined context; and

(iiic) transmitting the processed framebuffer data including relevant contextual information of the specific virtual machine to the client for presenting on a display device associated with the client,

wherein the processed framebuffer data being specific for the client and represents the image of the virtual machine display.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the image processor algorithm further includes a heat engine with a search algorithm that is configured to interact with the time-based storage array to search for any activity within the framebuffer data, identify areas of activity and the level of activity within the framebuffer data based on the search, and to ignore areas of non-activity.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the scan and the heat engine are further configured to receive user interactions through a backchannel, wherein the user interactions define areas of likely change within the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine.

6. The system of claim 5, further includes a directory service and a policy and authentication service, the directory service being a repository of mappings of a plurality of clients to the one or more virtual machines and the policy and authentication service configured to ascertain policies for authenticating connection request from the client.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the image processor algorithm further includes a connection engine configured to,

interact with the client to obtain connections parameters and to determine ongoing quality of connection associated with the client;

interact with the policy and authentication service to authenticate connection parameters received from the client and to determine one or more policies for handling the connection request;

interact with the logic engine to provide up-to-date connection parameters associated with ongoing quality of connection;

interact with the directory service to identify the specific virtual machine that can provide the requested virtualized computer service to the client; and

interact with the scan engine to direct the scan engine to the appropriate framebuffer data for the specific virtual machine.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the image processor algorithm further includes an output engine to transmit the processed framebuffer data as image data packets that are sized optimally for efficient transmission to the client for presenting in response to the request, wherein the size of the image data packets are based on the connection parameters.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the image processor algorithm is executable independently on one or more of a plurality of virtual machines running on the hypervisor, where the image processor algorithm is used for accessing and reading corresponding framebuffer data of other virtual machines running on the hypervisor.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the image processor algorithm is executable independently on each one of the virtual machines running on the hypervisor, where the image processor algorithm of each of the virtual machines is used for accessing and reading corresponding framebuffer data of other virtual machines running on the hypervisor.

11. The system of claim 3, further includes a plurality of service layers, each of the plurality of service layers provide a specific type of service requested by the client, each of the plurality of service layers includes one or more virtual machines, the image processor algorithm running on the virtual machine configured to access the framebuffer data of the virtual machines in each of the plurality of service layers.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the virtual machines in each of the plurality of service layers is independently executing the image processor algorithm.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein the client includes logic configured to process the image data packets received from the virtual machine executing the image processor algorithm, where the processing of the image data packets includes,

removing packaging information from the image data packets;

and

mapping the data to a specific portion of the display of the client.

14. An image processor algorithm embodied on a computer readable medium, the image processor algorithm which when executed on a processor of a virtual machine within a virtual center is configured to provide a service to a client over a network, the image processor algorithm comprising:

programming logic for receiving a connection request from the client at the virtual machine executing the image processor algorithm requesting a service, the connection request including a plurality of connection parameters defining connection requirements of the client;

programming logic for interrogating the connection parameters to identify a specific virtual machine providing the service that satisfies the request from the client;

programming logic for accessing framebuffer data for the specific virtual machine from a predetermined location in virtual memory through a hypervisor associated with the specific virtual machine, the framebuffer data being read from the predetermined location in virtual memory, the framebuffer data defining a graphical output representing an image associated with a virtual machine display of the specific virtual machine;

programming instructions for processing the read framebuffer data into a plurality of image data packets using the image processor algorithm based on the plurality of connection parameters; and

programming logic for transmitting the image data packets to the client for presenting on a display device associated with the client, the image data packets being specific for the client and represents the image of the virtual machine display.

15. The image processor algorithm of claim 14, wherein programming logic for processing the accessed framebuffer data further includes,

programming logic for analyzing the framebuffer data of the identified virtual machine to determine context;

and

programming logic for associating appropriate contextual information to the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine based on the analysis.

16. The image processor algorithm of claim 15, further includes,

programming logic for scanning the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine periodically;

programming logic for determining areas of change by comparing scanned framebuffer data against framebuffer data stored for the specific virtual machine; and

programming logic for storing the areas of change in a time-based storage array associated with the virtual machine for analysis and transmission, wherein storing of the areas of change includes storing of contextual information associated with the areas of change.

17. The image processor algorithm of claim 16, wherein the programming logic for scanning the framebuffer data further includes,

programming logic for interrogating a sync-signal associated with the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine, the sync signal identifying status of a refresh of the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine;

and

programming logic for performing the scanning of the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine based on the interrogation of the sync-signal,

wherein the scanning is performed periodically at a refresh frequency of the framebuffer data at the virtual machine or at a frequency driven by one or more of the connection parameters associated with the client.

18. The image processor algorithm of claim 17, further includes,

programming logic for setting the sync-signal prior to a refresh of the framebuffer data for the specific virtual machine;

and

programming logic for re-setting the sync-signal upon completion of the refresh of the framebuffer data of the specific virtual machine.