Provisioning computing services via an on-line networked computing environment

• US 6,999,912 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abdo, Ralph, Denefle, Regis, McDaniel, Mark E., Case, Jeff, Loisey, Christophe, Jacobs, Casey John, Bell, William Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Paul L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARON, AYAL I
• Application Number:
  US09/804,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 703/24, 703/27, 703/21, 709/203, 709/220
• US Class Current: 703/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for allowing user access to software applications, data storage and retrieval, and electronic mail and messaging services in a networked computing environment are provided. The need for software installation, upgrade, and version control, and the need for certain hardware upgrades are eliminated by providing software and data storage and retrieval to a user or to groups of users from a remote terminal server via a networked computing environment. Software applications, data and electronic mail and messaging services are stored, maintained and operated at a remote terminal server and are provided to the user over the Internet or over an intranet of an organization such as a company or educational institution. Data is stored and secured at a remote file server, and web operations are provided by a remote web server. The backend of the system, including the terminal servers, file servers and web servers is managed and secured by a domain controller.

Claims

1. A system for providing computing services in a networked computing environment, comprising:

a domain controller operative to authenticate authority for a computing device to connect to a remote terminal server via a networked computing environment;

a remote terminal server operative

to connect to a computing device;

to provide the computing device a software module for allowing exchange of data between the computing device and the remote terminal server;

to provide the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of an operating system of the remote terminal server;

to provide the computing device, through the software module, an emulation of the computing device'"'"'s desktop configuration, the desktop configuration being passed to the computing device from the remote terminal server;

to monitor actions at the computing device by the operating system of the remote terminal server;

to update the emulation of the operating system provided to the computing device in response to the actions at the computing device;

to update the emulation of the desktop configuration provided to the computing device in response to the actions at the computing device;

to provide the computing device use of a software application, the software application being resident on the remote terminal server; and

a file server operative

to receive data from the computing device, and

to store the data received at the computing device at the remote terminal server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the terminal server is further operative:

to provide a plurality of software applications subscribed to for use by the computing device; and

to provide changes to the plurality of software applications at the remote terminal server.

3. The system of claim 1, whereby the domain controller is further operative

to manage access to the terminal server by the computing device;

and

to secure the terminal server from unauthorized access.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote terminal server includes a plurality of terminal servers, and whereby the domain controller is further operative

to determine whether the computing device has previously been connected to one of the plurality of terminal servers;

and

if so, then to reconnect the computing device to the one of the plurality of terminal servers.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising,

a web server operative

to provide a web page, through the terminal server, to the computing device, the web page containing the software module embedded therein.

6. The system of claim 5, whereby the software module is an ActiveX control.