INTEGRATED APPLICATION LAUNCHING IN HETEROGENEOUS CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130104044A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Gujarathi, Ashish, East, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,256,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Application programs delivered from one or more cloud computing systems (“clouds” or “CCSs”) are integrated into a desktop being delivered/hosted by another cloud (“primary” CCS). In one respect, the integration includes integration of controls for directly launching a separately hosted application program from a desktop hosted by the primary CCS, such as by selection of a start menu entry or activation of a “shortcut” icon that points to the application program. In another respect, a separately hosted application program is launched based on a user opening or accessing content (e.g. data file) that is specifically associated with the separately hosted application program but residing more locally, such as in the hosted desktop. In this aspect, the content is seamlessly redirected to the other cloud without requiring any direct network connectivity between the clouds.

Claims

1. A method of operating a cloud computing system executing a desktop hosting program providing a hosted desktop interface to a client computer, comprising:

maintaining a functional connection between the desktop hosting program and a local access program at the client computer to enable use of the hosted desktop interface by application programs locally accessed at the client computer;

obtaining application program metadata from the client computer, the application program metadata identifying a separately hosted application program to be executed at a separate hosting computing system for delivering an application service to the client computer;

populating the hosted desktop interface with a user-activated control including the application program metadata; and

upon activation of the user-activated control in the hosted desktop interface, sending a control message to the client computer via a control channel, the control message instructing the client computer to launch the separately hosted application program in functional association with the local access program to enable user interface functions of the separately hosted application program to be provided in the hosted desktop interface.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cloud computing system is a primary cloud computing system, and wherein the separate hosting computing system is a secondary cloud computing.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the client computer is a fat client having a local operating system providing a local desktop interface, the local desktop interface having integral application-launching interface functionality;

the user-activated control is a hosted-desktop control distinct from a local-desktop control included in the integral application-launching interface functionality of the local desktop interface, the local-desktop control including the application program metadata; and

obtaining the application program metadata includes sending a request message to the client computer and receiving a corresponding response message from the client computer via the control channel, the request message requesting data for application programs launchable via the local desktop interface, the response message including the application program metadata from the local-desktop control.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

the integrated application-launching functionality of the local desktop interface includes a local user-activated application program start menu having one or more entries for corresponding application programs each launched by user selection of a respective entry, and the local-desktop control is an entry of the local user-activated application program start menu;

the hosted-desktop control is an entry of a hosted user-activated application program start menu of the hosted desktop interface;

the request message includes a request for data of the local user-activated application program start menu; and

the response message includes the data of the local user-activated application program start menu.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the client computer is a thin client providing a terminal-like interface to the primary cloud computing system and the separate hosting computing system, the terminal-like interface being operative to display a terminal-interface hypertext page including a set of application launching controls, the client computer storing application-identifying data corresponding to the application launching controls;

the user-activated control is a hosted-desktop control distinct from a local control included in the set of application launching controls, the local control including the application program metadata; and

obtaining the application program metadata includes sending a request message to the client computer and receiving a corresponding response message from the client computer via the control channel, the request message requesting data for application programs launchable via the terminal-like interface, the response message including application-identifying data for application programs hosted by separate hosting computing systems including the application program metadata from the local control.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the local control is a shortcut.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein:

the request message is a second request message preceded by a first request message sent to the client computer via the control channel, the first request message instructing the client computer to enumerate application programs from secondary clouds that are executable by the client computer in an application program data file stored at the client computer, the second request message requesting contents of the application program data file; and

the response message includes the application program metadata from the local control obtained from the application program data file.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the application program metadata includes one or more file type associations each identifying a corresponding file type as being opened by the separately hosted application program, and further comprising:

maintaining a handler launch record for each file type association, the handler launch record including a handler launch command usable to invoke a handler routine executed by the primary cloud computing system, the handler launch command including an agent launch command usable to invoke an agent routine executed by the client computer, the agent launch command including an application launch command usable at the client computer to invoke the separately hosted application program; and

upon a file being opened in the hosted desktop interface having a file type of one of the file type associations;

based on the handler launch record, executing the handler launch command to invoke the handler routine with the agent launch command and a file location parameter identifying a storage location of the file; and

under control of the handler routine, sending the agent launch command with the file location parameter to an application-launching agent executing on the client computer, the application-launching agent being operative to use the application launch command to launch the separately hosted application program with the file location parameter to cause the separately hosted application program to open the file.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

maintaining the handler launch record includes (1) sending a request message to the client computer and receiving a corresponding response message from the client computer via the control channel, the request message requesting data for application programs launchable via a local user interface of the client computer, the response message including the application program metadata, (2) constructing the handler launch record based on the application program metadata as obtained from the response message, and (3) populating a registry of the hosted desktop interface with a registry entry, the registry entry being associated with a corresponding file type and including the handler launch record as constructed; and

executing the handler launch command based on the handler launch record includes retrieving the handler launch record from the registry based on the file type of the file being opened.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein

the client computer is a fat client having a local operating system providing a local desktop interface, the local desktop interface being the local user interface of the client computer;

and

the application program metadata provided in the response message is obtained from a registry of the local operating system of the client computer.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

the client computer is a thin client providing a terminal-like interface to the primary cloud computing system and the separate hosting computing system, the terminal-like interface being operative to display a terminal-interface hypertext page including a set of application launching controls, the client computer storing application-identifying data corresponding to the application launching controls in an application program data file;

the user-activated control is a hosted-desktop control distinct from a local control included in the set of application launching controls, the local control including the application program metadata;

the request message requests contents of the application program data file; and

the application program metadata provided in the response message is data for the local control obtained from the application program data file.

12. A method of operating a client computer as a client of a cloud computing system executing a desktop hosting program providing a hosted desktop interface to the client computer, comprising:

maintaining a functional connection between the desktop hosting program and a local access program at the client computer to enable use of the hosted desktop interface by application programs locally accessed at the client computer;

providing application program metadata from the client computer to the cloud computing system, the application program metadata identifying a separately hosted application program to be executed at a separate hosting computing system for delivering an application service to the client computer, the application program metadata being used by the cloud computing system to populate the hosted desktop interface with a user-activated control including the application program metadata; and

upon activation of the user-activated control in the hosted desktop interface, (1) receiving a control message from the cloud computing system via a control channel, the control message instructing the client computer to launch the separately hosted application program, and (2) in response to receiving the control message, launching the separately hosted application program in functional association with the local access program to enable user interface functions of the separately hosted application program to be provided in the hosted desktop interface.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

the client computer is a fat client having a local operating system providing a local desktop interface, the local desktop interface having integral application-launching interface functionality;

the user-activated control is a hosted-desktop control distinct from a local-desktop control included in the integral application-launching interface functionality of the local desktop interface, the local-desktop control including the application program metadata; and

providing the application program metadata includes receiving a request message from the cloud computing system and sending a corresponding response message to the cloud computing system via the control channel, the request message requesting data for application programs launchable via the local desktop interface, the response message including the application program metadata from the local-desktop control.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein:

the integrated application-launching functionality of the local desktop interface includes a local user-activated application program start menu having one or more entries for corresponding application programs each launched by user selection of a respective entry, and the local-desktop control is an entry of the local user-activated application program start menu;

the hosted-desktop control is an entry of a hosted user-activated application program start menu of the hosted desktop interface;

the request message includes a request for data of the local user-activated application program start menu; and

the response message includes the data of the local user-activated application program start menu.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

the client computer is a thin client providing a terminal-like interface to the primary cloud computing system and the separate hosting computing system, the terminal-like interface being operative to display a terminal-interface hypertext page including a set of application launching controls, the client computer storing application-identifying data corresponding to the application launching controls;

the user-activated control is a hosted-desktop control distinct from a local control included in the set of application launching controls, the local control including the application program metadata; and

obtaining the application program metadata includes receiving a request message from the cloud computing system and sending a corresponding response message to the cloud computing system via the control channel, the request message requesting data for application programs launchable via the terminal-like interface, the response message including application-identifying data for application programs hosted by separate hosting computing systems including the application program metadata from the local control.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the local control is a shortcut.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

the request message is a second request message preceded by a first request message sent to the client computer via the control channel, the first request message instructing the client computer to enumerate application programs from secondary clouds that are executable by the client computer in an application program data file stored at the client computer, the second request message requesting contents of the application program data file; and

the response message includes the application program metadata from the local control obtained from the application program data file.

18. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

the application program metadata includes one or more file type associations each identifying a corresponding file type as being opened by the separately hosted application program;

the cloud computing system maintains a handler launch record for each file type association, the handler launch record including a handler launch command usable to invoke a handler routine executed by the primary cloud computing system, the handler launch command including an agent launch command usable to invoke an agent routine executed by the client computer, the agent launch command including an application launch command usable at the client computer to invoke the separately hosted application program; and

the cloud computing system is operative, upon a file being opened in the hosted desktop interface having a file type of one of the file type associations, and based on the handler launch record, to (1) execute the handler launch command to invoke the handler routine with the agent launch command and a file location parameter identifying a storage location of the file, and (2) under control of the handler routine, send the agent launch command with the file location parameter to an application-launching agent executing on the client computer,

and further including, by the application-launching agent of the client computer, using the application launch command to launch the separately hosted application program with the file location parameter to cause the separately hosted application program to open the file.

19. A cloud computing system, comprising:

input/output circuitry operative to provide a communications interface to the client computer;

memory storing a set of computer program instructions of a desktop hosting program; and

processing circuitry operative to execute the desktop hosting program to provide a hosted desktop interface to the client computer, the execution of the desktop hosting program by the processing circuitry causing the cloud computing system to perform a method including;

maintaining a functional connection between the desktop hosting program and a local access program at the client computer to enable use of the hosted desktop interface by application programs locally accessed at the client computer;

obtaining application program metadata from the client computer, the application program metadata identifying a separately hosted application program to be executed at a separate hosting computing system for delivering an application service to the client computer;

populating the hosted desktop interface with a user-activated control including the application program metadata; and

upon activation of the user-activated control in the hosted desktop interface, sending a control message to the client computer via a control channel, the control message instructing the client computer to launch the separately hosted application program in functional association with the local access program to enable user interface functions of the separately hosted application program to be provided in the hosted desktop interface.

20. A client computer, comprising:

input/output circuitry operative to provide a communications interface to a cloud computing system and to a separate hosting computing system;

memory storing a set of computer program instructions of a user interface program; and

processing circuitry operative to execute the user interface program to obtain a hosted desktop interface from the cloud computing system, the execution of the user interface program by the processing circuitry causing the client computer to perform a method including;

maintaining a functional connection between the desktop hosting program and a local access program at the client computer to enable use of the hosted desktop interface by application programs locally accessed at the client computer;

providing application program metadata from the client computer to the cloud computing system, the application program metadata identifying a separately hosted application program to be executed at the separate hosting computing system for delivering an application service to the client computer, the application program metadata being used by the cloud computing system to populate the hosted desktop interface with a user-activated control including the application program metadata; and

upon activation of the user-activated control in the hosted desktop interface, (1) receiving a control message from the cloud computing system via a control channel, the control message instructing the client computer to launch the separately hosted application program, and (2) in response to receiving the control message, launching the separately hosted application program in functional association with the local access program to enable user interface functions of the separately hosted application program to be provided in the hosted desktop interface.