SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A VIRTUAL DESKTOP

• US 20120304168A1
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: RAJ SEENIRAJ, Sam Arun, KULKARNI, Neeraj Sanjeev, SEETHARAMAIAH, Sriranga
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

A technique for composing a virtual desktop associated with one or more applications in a virtualized computing environment. The technique includes generating file system level metadata in the desktop image for applications that create a perception that data blocks in the desktop image have been allocated to applications, but not actually copying any of the application data into the allocated blocks. Instead, the technique builds a mapping table between disk block numbers and the application data, which can be stored in a separate application store. The disclosed techniques provide a more efficient way to compose a virtual desktop, compared to current virtual desktop adoption techniques.

Claims

1. A method for generating a desktop image for a client computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of one or more applications to include in the desktop image;

determining references to application containers associated with each of the one or more applications, wherein the application containers are stored in a storage system accessible by a hypervisor running a virtual machine accessing the desktop image;

modifying metadata in a file system associated with the disk image to indicate that application data associated with the one or more applications is stored in a number of data blocks of the file system, but not copying the application data into the number of data blocks of the file system;

generating a mapping between the number of data blocks of the file system and the references to the application containers; and

enabling access to the mapping by the hypervisor when running the virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of an operating system to include in the desktop image; and

determining a reference to an image of the operating system stored in an operating system storage accessible by the hypervisor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the virtual machine has been shutdown;

determining that a first application has been installed;

capturing the first application in a first application container;

modifying the metadata in the file system to indicate that first application data associated with the first application is stored in a first number of data blocks of the file system, but not copying the first application data into the first number of data blocks of the file system; and

generating a first mapping between the first number of data blocks of the file system and a reference to the first application container.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the desktop image further includes user profile information and/or operating system customizations associated with the virtual machine.

5. A method for accessing a file of a virtual desktop for a client computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a read request to a data block from a file system driver of the virtual desktop;

determining whether the data block is stored in a desktop image or in an application container;

when the data block is stored in the application container, translating the read request based on information stored in a mapping table and causing the data block to be accessed from the application container; and

when the data block is stored in the desktop image, causing the data block to be accessed from the desktop image.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising causing the accessed data block to be transmitted to the file system driver.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether the data block is stored in the desktop image or in an application container comprises performing a look-up in the mapping table.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the mapping table includes information associated with a location of application data stored in the application container.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the metadata includes attributes associated with at least one of file size, time-stamps, and security information of the application data stored in the application container.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the mapping table is associated with the particular virtual desktop associated with the read request.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed in a computing device, enable a technique for generating a desktop image for a client computing device, by performing the steps of:

receiving a selection of one or more applications to include in the desktop image;

determining references to application containers associated with each of the one or more applications, wherein the application containers are stored in a storage system accessible by a hypervisor running a virtual machine accessing the desktop image;

modifying metadata in a file system associated with the disk image to indicate that application data associated with the one or more applications is stored in a number of data blocks of the file system, but not copying the application data into the number of data blocks of the file system;

generating a mapping between the number of data blocks of the file system and the references to the application containers; and

enabling access to the mapping by the hypervisor when running the virtual machine.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a selection of an operating system to include in the desktop image; and

determining a reference to an image of the operating system stored in an operating system storage accessible by the hypervisor.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that the virtual machine has been shutdown;

determining that a first application has been installed;

capturing the first application in a first application container;

modifying the metadata in the file system to indicate that first application data associated with the first application is stored in a first number of data blocks of the file system, but not copying the first application data into the first number of data blocks of the file system; and

generating a first mapping between the first number of data blocks of the file system and a reference to the first application container.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the desktop image further includes user profile information and/or operating system customizations associated with the virtual machine.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed in a computing device, enable a technique for accessing a file of a virtual desktop for a client computing device, by performing the steps of:

receiving a read request to a data block from a file system driver of the virtual desktop;

determining whether the data block is stored in a desktop image or in an application container;

when the data block is stored in the application container, translating the read request based on information stored in a mapping table and causing the data block to be accessed from the application container; and

when the data block is stored in the desktop image, causing the data block to be accessed from the desktop image.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising causing the accessed data block to be transmitted to the file system driver.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining whether the data block is stored in the desktop image or in an application container comprises performing a look-up in the mapping table.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mapping table includes information associated with a location of application data stored in the application container.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the metadata includes attributes associated with at least one of file size, time-stamps, and security information of the application data stored in the application container.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mapping table is associated with the particular virtual desktop associated with the read request.