CONTROLLING A VIRTUAL MACHINE

• US 20120124580A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regional Resources Ltd (Imperial Metals Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bouchier, Paul, Garee, Scott E., Jacquot, Bryan J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,863,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/549 Remote execution
• 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 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

A system is operatively coupled to a remote computer via a network. The system comprises service processing logic and a server executing a virtual machine. The service processing logic controls the virtual machine as directed by the remote computer.

Claims

1. A system operatively coupled to a remote computer via a network, comprising:

service processing logic; and

a server executing a virtual machine;

wherein the service processing logic controls the virtual machine as directed by the remote computer.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the service processing logic controls the virtual machine using an interface that comprises a service processing logic agent and a virtual machine manager.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein, in response to a command from the remote computer, the service processing logic causes the virtual machine to perform an action selected from the group consisting of starting the virtual machine, stopping the virtual machine, and re-booting the virtual machine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the service processing logic collects video display data associated with the virtual machine and transmits the video display data to the remote computer for display on the remote computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the service processing logic virtualizes a hardware peripheral device of the remote computer and enables the virtual machine to access the virtualized peripheral device.

6. A computer-readable medium comprising code which, when executed, causes hardware processing logic to:

receive user-input data from a remote computer via a network; and

control a virtual machine using said data.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the hardware processing logic:

transmits to the remote computer video data of a graphical user interface associated with the virtual machine; and

transmits to said virtual machine user-input data entered into the remote computer in response to displaying said video data.

8. The computer-readable-medium of claim 6, wherein the hardware processing logic provides a service to the virtual machine, and wherein part of providing said service includes using a hardware peripheral device coupled to the remote computer.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein said computer-readable medium is housed within a server.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein, in response to said user-input data, the hardware processing logic causes the virtual machine to be shut down, re-booted, started or stopped.

11. A method, comprising:

providing data from a host computer to a remote computer for display on .a user interface;

receiving user input from the remote computer to the host computer in response to said display; and

in accordance with the user input, performing actions using the host computer on a virtual machine which executes on the host computer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said display reproduces images associated with the virtual machine.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

loading a software-encoded medium into a peripheral device coupled to the remote computer;

service processing logic on the host computer mapping the peripheral device to the virtual machine; and

applying software from the software-encoded medium to the virtual machine.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said actions are selected from the group consisting of starting, stopping, re-booting and shutting down.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the display includes a graphical user interface that provides options to a user of the remote computer, said options corresponding to said actions.