System and Method for Live Migration of Remote Desktop Session Host Sessions without Data Loss

• US 20160344821A1
• Filed: 05/21/2015
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Baladhandayutham, Senthil Kumaran, Khosrowpour, Farzad
• Granted Patent: US 10,560,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0897 by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

A remote desktop session host system includes a first terminal server including a first data collector, a second terminal server including a second data collector, and a data storage device. The first terminal server hosts a first terminal session. In response to determining that the first terminal server is underutilized, the first data collector creates a snapshot of the first terminal session, stores the snapshot on the data storage device, and logs off the first terminal session. The snapshot includes a context for the first terminal session. A second terminal session is launched on the second terminal server, and the second data collector retrieves the snapshot and provides the snapshot to the second terminal session to restore the context to the second session.

Claims

1. A remote desktop session host system comprising:

a first terminal server including a first data collector, the first terminal server to host a first terminal session;

a second terminal server including a second data collector; and

a data storage device;

wherein in response to determining that the first terminal server is underutilized;

the first data collector creates a snapshot of the first terminal session, the snapshot including a context for the first terminal session, the first data collector stores the snapshot on the data storage device, and the first data collector logs off the first terminal session;

a second terminal session is launched on the second terminal server; and

the second data collector retrieves the snapshot and provides the snapshot to the second terminal session to restore the context to the second session.

2. The remote desktop session host system of claim 1, further comprising:

a load balancer that determines that the first terminal server is underutilized, and, in response to the first data collector logging off the first terminal session, that shuts down the first terminal server.

3. The remote desktop session host system of claim 2, wherein further:

the load balancer determines to migrate the first terminal session from the first terminal server to the second terminal server; and

the second terminal session is launched on the second terminal server in response to the load balancer determining to migrate the first terminal session.

4. The remote desktop session host system of claim 1, wherein retrieving the snapshot and providing the snapshot to the second terminal session is in response to a prompt to a user logged in to the second terminal session.

5. The remote desktop session host system of claim 1, further comprising:

a session broker that launches the second terminal session on the second terminal server.

6. The remote desktop session host system of claim 1, wherein the context includes an application that is hosted by the first terminal server and that is utilized by the first terminal session.

7. The remote desktop session host system of claim 6, wherein restoring the context to the second session includes launching the application on the second terminal server.

8. The remote desktop session host system of claim 1, wherein, prior to the first data collector logging off the first terminal session, the first terminal session stores data generated in the first terminal session to a cloud storage device.

9. The remote desktop session host system of claim 1, wherein in further response to determining that the first terminal server is underutilized, the first terminal server is placed into a drain mode, such that a request to launch a third terminal session on the first terminal server is redirected to the second terminal server.

10. A method comprising:

hosting a first terminal session on a first terminal server;

determining that the first terminal server is underutilized;

creating, by a first data collector of the first terminal server, a snapshot of the first terminal session, the snapshot including a context for the first terminal session;

storing the snapshot on a data storage device;

logging off the first terminal session;

launching a second terminal session on a second terminal server;

retrieving, by a second data collector on the second terminal server, the snapshot; and

providing the snapshot to the second terminal session to restore the context to the second session.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a load balancer determines that the first terminal server is underutilized, the method further comprising:

shutting down the first terminal server in response to the first data collector logging off the first terminal session.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining to migrate the first terminal session from the first terminal server to the second terminal server, wherein launching the second terminal session is in response to determining to migrate the first terminal session.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a prompt to a user logged in to the second terminal session, wherein retrieving the snapshot and providing the snapshot to the second terminal session is in response to a response to the prompt.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a session broker launches the second terminal session on the second terminal server.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the context includes an application that is hosted by the first terminal server and that is utilized by the first terminal session.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein in restoring the context to the second session the method further comprises:

launching the application on the second terminal server.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including code for performing a method, the method comprising:

hosting a first terminal session on a first terminal server;

determining that the first terminal server is underutilized;

creating, by a first data collector of the first terminal server, a snapshot of the first terminal session, the snapshot including a context for the first terminal session;

storing the snapshot on a data storage device;

logging off the first terminal session;

launching a second terminal session on a second terminal server;

retrieving, by a second data collector on the second terminal server, the snapshot; and

providing the snapshot to the second terminal session to restore the context to the second session.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein a load balancer determines that the first terminal server is underutilized, and the method further comprises:

shutting down the first terminal server in response to the first data collector logging off the first terminal session; and

determining to migrate the first terminal session from the first terminal server to the second terminal server, wherein launching the second terminal session is in response to determining to migrate the first terminal session.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, the method further comprising:

providing a prompt to a user logged in to the second terminal session, wherein retrieving the snapshot and providing the snapshot to the second terminal session is in response to a response to the prompt.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the context includes an application that is hosted by the first terminal server and that is utilized by the first terminal session, and the method further comprises:

launching the application on the second terminal server.