Associating multiple display units in a grouped server environment

• US 6,915,347 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Varma, Sangeeta, Hanko, James G., Peacock, J. Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUCKART, BENJAMIN R
• Application Number:
  US09/733,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20020046300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,672 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/248, 709/227, 709/223, 709/228, 709/239, 709/200, 709/213, 709/224, 345/759, 707/2, 719/329
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method for grouping Human Interface Devices (HIDs) into a multi-head display is provided. The HIDs are identified as either “primary” or “secondaries”. A computational-service policy module is consulted when a new HID connects to the network. If the HID is identified as a secondary, the module consults all servers within a group to see if the primary presently has an active session connected to any of the servers. If the primary is being controlled by the same server to which the secondary is connected, the session connection information for the primary is augmented to indicate that the secondary is attached to the same session, and this information is disseminated to the interested software entities. The associated session may then provide multi-head outout to the secondary. If the primary is being controlled by another server in the group, the secondary re-attaches to the server that is hosting the primary.

Claims

1. A method for associating multiple display units in a grouped server environment including a number of grouped server computer systems, the method comprising:

identifying when a secondary Human Interface Device is connected with a first server computer system;

determining whether a primary Human Interface Device associated with said secondary Human Interface Device is displaying a first part of an associated active session;

performing a first action, if said primary Human Interface Device is displaying said first part of said associated active session; and

displaying a second part of said associated active session on said secondary Human Interface Device;

wherein said first part of said associated active session is different from said second part of said associated active session; and

wherein said first action comprises;

determining a second server computer system for providing said first associated active session;

determining whether said first and second server computer systems are the same server computer system; and

redirecting said connection of said secondary Human Interface Device to said second server computer system, if said first and second server computer systems are not the same server computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

augmenting said associated active session to indicate that said first and second server computer systems are the same server computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a second action, if said primary Human Interface Device does not have said associated active session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said second action comprises:

performing a special session for said secondary Human Interface Device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said special session comprises:

indicating on said secondary Human Interface Device that said secondary Human Interface Device is waiting to find said primary Human Interface Device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said special session further comprises:

determining whether said primary Human Interface Device is displaying said first part of said associated active session after performance of said special session; and

exiting said special session, if said primary Human Interface Device is displaying said first part of said associated active session.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said special session further comprises:

performing the steps in said first action, if said primary Human Interface Device is displaying said first part of said associated active session.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said special session further comprises:

repeating the steps in said special session until said primary Human Interface Device is displaying said first part of said associated active session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said primary and secondary Human Interface Devices are associated to simulate a multi-head display unit.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of the method are performed by a computer-readable code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said primary Human Interface Device provides a network interface to a user and wherein said second server computer system provides a plurality of computational services removed from said primary Human Interface Device to said user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said plurality of computational services comprise a computational power for said primary Human Interface Devices and a state maintenance for said primary Human Interface Devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said primary and secondary Human Interface Devices are stateless devices.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said primary and secondary Human Interface Devices comprises only a single framebuffer card for display.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said associated active session displays a large computing environment as separate parts.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying commands from the second server computer system to both the primary Human Interface Device and the secondary Human Interface Device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the commands include connection commands, disconnection commands, or redirection commands.

18. A method for associating multiple display units of a display terminal group, wherein the multiple display units of the display terminal group are capable of being controlled by a number of server computer systems in a computational server group, comprising:

identifying an event occurrence wherein a secondary display unit within the display terminal group connects to a server computer system in the computational server group, the display terminal group including one primary display unit and one or more secondary display units;

in response to identifying the event occurrence, determining whether the primary display unit in the display terminal group has an active session connected to a server computer system in the computational server group; and

if the primary display unit in the display terminal group does have an active session connected,

determining if the server computer system connected to the secondary display unit is different from the server computer system connected to the primary display unit, and

if the server computer systems connected to the secondary and primary display units are determined to be different, reconnecting the secondary display unit to the server computer system to which the primary display unit is connected, the reconnecting causing the secondary display unit to share the active session connected with the primary display unit.