Method and system for managing windows desktops in a heterogeneous server environment

• US 6,633,906 B1
• Filed: 04/26/1999
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Callaway, Janet Roberts, Smith, Stanley Alan, Morganti, Denise Ann, Dutcher, David Paul, Reichek, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/299,937
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/244
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for managing Windows desktops in a heterogeneous server environment is provided. A Windows User Profile is generated for a user and associatively stored with desktop information in a datastore on a heterogeneous server. The heterogeneous server may be a non-Windows-based server. The desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system. The desktop may be a restricted desktop that may be either non-modifiable or only temporarily modifiable by the user for a session on the Windows-based data processing system. The datastore may contain a pair of desktops for a user, in which one of the pair of desktops is a Windows NT desktop and one of the pair of desktops is a Windows 95 desktop or a Windows 98 desktop.

Claims

1. A method of administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on said non-Windows-based server;

wherein an administrator can control said desktop information through said non-Windows-based server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said non-Windows-based server is part of a distributed data processing system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the configurability is on a per-user basis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the said desktop information includes user-specific files.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the desktop comprises a Windows 95 desktop, a Windows 98 desktop, or a Windows NT desktop.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the datastore comprises a pair of desktops for a user, wherein one of the pair of desktops is a Windows NT desktop and one of the pair of desktops is a Windows 95 desktop or a Windows 98 desktop.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said Windows User Profile provides a mandatory desktop for the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each user has a unique location in said server for storage of a respective Windows User Profile.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user can access a respective desktop from a plurality of workstations in the data processing system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of ensuring that a person performing said storing step has the authority to do so.

12. An apparatus of administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server, the apparatus comprising:

generating means for generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

storing means for associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on said non-Windows-based server.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

managing means for managing a desktop of a client from said non-Windows-based server in a distributed data processing system.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the configurability is on a per-user basis.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the desktop information includes user-specific files.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the desktop comprises a Windows 95 desktop, a Windows 98 desktop, or a Windows NT desktop.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the datastore may comprise a pair of desktops for a the user, wherein one of the pair of desktops is a Windows NT desktop and one of the pair of desktops is a Windows 95 desktop or a Windows 98 desktop.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said Windows User Profile provides a mandatory desktop for the user.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said storing means stores said Windows User Profile in a unique location for each respective user.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each respective desktop can be accessed from a plurality of workstations in the data processing system.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said storing means ensures that a person storing said Windows User Profile has the authority to do so.

23. A method of administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server in a data processing system, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

associatively storing said Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on a non-Windows-based server, wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said Windows User Profile provides a mandatory desktop for the user.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein each user has a unique location in said server for storage of a respective Windows User Profile.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the user can access a respective desktop from a plurality of workstations in the data processing system.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of ensuring that a person performing said storing step has the authority to do so.

28. A method of administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on said non-Windows-based server;

wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system;

wherein the desktop is a restricted desktop that may not be modified by the user of said Windows-based data processing system.

29. A method of administering a Windows desktop form a non-Windows-based server, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on said non-Windows-based server;

wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system;

wherein the desktop is a restricted desktop that may be temporarily modified by the user for a session on said Windows-based data processing system.

30. An apparatus for administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server, the apparatus comprising:

generating means for generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

storing means for associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on said non-Windows-based server;

wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system;

wherein the desktop is a restricted desktop that may not be modified by the user of the Windows-based data processing system.

31. An apparatus for administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server, the apparatus comprising:

generating means for generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

storing means for associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on said non-Windows-based server;

wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system;

wherein the desktop is a restricted desktop that may be temporarily modified by the user for a session on the Windows-based data processing system.

32. A computer program product on a computer-readable medium for administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

second instructions for associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on a non-Windows-based server, wherein the desktop information provides configurability of a desktop of a Windows-based data processing system.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein said Windows User Profile provides a mandatory desktop for the user.

34. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein said second instructions stores a respective Windows User Profile in a unique location for each respective user.

35. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein stored desktop information can be accessed from a plurality of workstations in the data processing system.

36. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein said second instructions ensure that a person requesting said storing step has the authority to do so.

37. A computer program product on a computer-readable medium for administering a Windows desktop from a non-Windows-based server, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for generating a Windows User Profile for a user; and

second instructions for associatively storing the Windows User Profile with desktop information in a datastore on a said non-Windows-based server.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein said Windows User Profile provides a mandatory desktop for the user.

39. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein said second instructions stores a respective Windows User Profile in a unique location for each respective user.

40. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein stored desktop information can be accessed from a plurality of workstations in the data processing system.

41. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein said second instructions ensure that a person requesting said storing step has the authority to do so.