METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PUBLISHING VIRTUAL APPLICATIONS TO A WEB SERVER

• US 20120096071A1
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Code Systems Incorporated (VOXX International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Code Systems Incorporated (VOXX International Corporation)
• Inventors: Murphey, C. Michael, Obata, Kenji C., Zeller, Mark Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method and system for publishing virtual applications on the Internet. The method includes obtaining a list of applications associated with a publisher from a server computing device and displaying the list to a user via a user interface. Next, a selection by the user of one of the applications is received from the user interface. A new virtualized version of the selected application is built. The virtualized version includes at least one application file that at least partially implements the new virtualized version of the selected application. Then, the application file is uploaded to the server computing device. An application address is received from the server computing device and a link to the application address is displayed to the user via the user interface. The virtualized version of the application is available at the application address for download and execution over a network (e.g., the Internet).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use with a first server computing device and a network, the method comprising:

establishing a connection with the first server computing device over the network;

obtaining a list of applications associated with a publisher from the first server computing device;

displaying the list of applications to a user;

receiving a selection of one of the applications displayed;

building a new virtualized version of the selected application, the virtualized version comprising an application file;

uploading the application file to the first server computing device over the network;

receiving an application address from the first server computing device, the virtualized version of the application being available at the application address for download and execution over the network; and

displaying a link to the application address to the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 for use with a second server computing device connected to the first server computing device over the network, the method further comprising:

instructing the first server computing device to copy the uploading application file to the second server computing device; and

waiting until the application file has been fully copied to the second server computing device before displaying the link to the application address to the user, wherein the application address is not received until the application file has been fully copied to the second server computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding the application address to a different user over the network.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

before forwarding the application address to the different user, modifying the application address to indicate that when the virtualized version of the selected application is executed, the execution of the virtualized version of the selected application is to be profiled.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the user related to the selected application; and

incorporating the information received into the application file when building the virtualized version of the selected application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the information related to the selected application comprises an identifier associated with the publisher.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the information related to the selected application comprises an identifier of a domain whereat the virtualized version of the selected application is to be published.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the application address is an address on the domain.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the information related to the selected application comprises an application identifier and a version identifier.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the version identifier comprises a major version indicator, a minor version indicator, a build indicator, and a revision indicator.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein uploading the application file to the first server computing device further comprises:

successively uploading portions of the application file separately.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein uploading the application file to the first server computing device further comprises:

uploading portions of the application file separately; and

before uploading each portion, validating that the user is authorized to upload the application file.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein validating that the user is authorized to upload the application file further comprises:

receiving a user name and a password from the user; and

determining whether the user has entered a valid user name and password.

14. A computer-implemented method for use with a client computing device and a server computing device, the method comprising:

receiving from the client computing device a request for a list of applications associated with a publisher;

in response to the request, identifying a plurality of applications associated with the publisher, assembling the list of applications associated with the publisher, and forwarding the list to the client computing device;

receiving an application file uploaded by the client computing device;

parsing the application file for information related to the application file;

storing the information parsed from the application file in an application library database; and

forwarding an application address to the client computing device, the virtualized version of the application being available for download and execution over the Internet at the application address.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

in response to the request, identifying at least one version associated with each application in the list of applications associated with the publisher, and forwarding to the client computing device information identifying each of the at least one version associated with each application in the list,

wherein the information related to the application file comprises an identifier identifying one of the applications of the list, and information identifying one of the at least one version associated with the application identified by the identifier.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the information parsed from the application file comprises application version information.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the information parsed from the application file comprises a major version indicator, a minor version indicator, a build indicator, and a revision indicator.

18. A system for use with a client computing device, the system comprising:

an application library;

an upload server computing device connected to the application library and the client computing device, the upload server computing device being further configured to receive an application file uploaded by the client computing device, parse the uploaded application file to obtain information related to the file, and store the information in the application library; and

a website server computing device connected to the upload server computing device, the upload server computing device being further configured to copy the application to the website server computing device at an application address and forward the application address to the client computing device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the upload server computing device is further configured to query the application library for a list of applications associated with a publisher and forward the list to the client computing device before receiving the application file from the client computing device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the website server computing device is configured to generate a website with a link to the application address;

receive a request from a different client computing device to download the application file;

download the application file to the different client computing device; and

as the application file is downloading, receive a new version of the application file from the upload server computing device and store the new version of the application file without interrupting the downloading of the application file to the different client computing device.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the application file is a binary file that at least partially implements a virtual application.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

an account database storing account information, the upload server computing device being further configured to query the account database to determine whether a user operating the client computing device is authorized to upload the application file.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the website server computing device is configured to generate a website with a link to the application address.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the website server computing device is further configured to query the application library and generate a web page displaying a result received in response to the query.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors and when so executed, causing the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

establishing a connection with a first server computing device over a network;

obtaining a list of applications associated with a publisher from the first server computing device;

displaying the list of applications to a user via a user interface;

receiving a selection of one of the applications displayed via the user interface;

building a new virtualized version of the selected application, the virtualized version comprising an application file;

uploading the application file to the first server computing device over the network;

receiving an application address from the first server computing device, the virtualized version of the application being available at the application address for download and execution over the network; and

displaying a link to the application address to the user via the user interface.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

instructing the first server computing device to copy the uploading application file to a second server computing device over the network; and

waiting until the application file has been fully copied to the second server computing device before displaying the link to the application address to the user, wherein the application address is not received until the application file has been fully copied to the second server computing device.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving information from the user related to the selected application; and

incorporating the information received into the application file when building the virtualized version of the selected application.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the information related to the selected application comprises a major version indicator, a minor version indicator, a build indicator, and a revision indicator.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein uploading the application file to the first server computing device further comprises:

successively uploading portions of the application file separately.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein uploading the application file to the first server computing device further comprises:

uploading portions of the application file separately; and

before uploading each portion, validating that the user is authorized to upload the application file.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein validating that the user is authorized to upload the application file further comprises:

receiving a user name and a password from the user; and

determining whether the user has entered a valid user name and password.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors and when so executed, causing the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving from a client computing device a request for a list of applications associated with a publisher;

in response to the request, identifying a plurality of applications associated with the publisher, assembling the list of applications associated with the publisher, and forwarding the list to the client computing device;

receiving an application file uploaded by the client computing device;

parsing the application file for information related to the application file;

storing the information parsed from the application file in an application library database; and

forwarding an application address to the client computing device, the virtualized version of the application being available for download and execution over the Internet at the application address.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to the request, identifying at least one version associated with each application in the list of applications associated with the publisher, and forwarding to the client computing device information identifying each of the at least one version associated with each application in the list,

wherein the information related to the application file comprises an identifier identifying one of the applications of the list, and information identifying one of the at least one version associated with the application identified by the identifier.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the information parsed from the application file comprises a major version indicator, a minor version indicator, a build indicator, and a revision indicator.