Appropriately rendering terminal server graphical data at multiple client side monitors

• US 7,439,937 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Parsons, John E., Abdo, Nadim, Schmieder, Robert-Wilhelm, Porter, Nelly, Ben-Shachar, Ido M., Chik, Pui Loi Joy
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous; Wesner
• Application Number:
  US11/404,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-205, 709217-222, 709/250, 345 11- 135, 345/2.1, 345/501, 345/581, 345/522, 715/273, 715/748, 715733-738, 718/1, 726/2
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet

Abstract

The present invention is directed to appropriately rendering terminal server graphical data at multiple client side monitors. In some embodiments, a client sends client side monitor configuration for a plurality of monitors to a server. The server simulates a virtual desktop for the plurality of monitors based on the client side monitor configuration. Graphical data generated for the simulated virtual desktop is converted to drawing commands and returned to the client for rendering. In other embodiments, a separate terminal server session is established for each of a plurality client side monitors. Drawing commands for a specified client side monitor is sent from the terminal server to the client over the corresponding session for the client side monitor.

Claims

1. At a computer system including a terminal server with a server side desktop configured to produce drawing commands, a method for providing drawing commands that can be appropriately rendered at a plurality of client side monitors, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a client side monitor configuration from a client, the client side monitor configuration indicating a physical arrangement of a plurality of monitors relative to one another at the client;

an act of simulating a virtual desktop for the plurality of monitors based on the client side monitor configuration;

an act of configuring an operating system to write graphical data to the simulated virtual desktop;

an act of collecting graphical data written from the operating system to the simulated virtual desktop, the graphical data directed to at least two monitors in the simulated virtual desktop;

an act of converting the graphical data into drawing commands configured for rendering on at least two monitors of the plurality of monitors; and

an act of sending the drawing commands to the client such that the client can render the graphical data on the at least two monitors.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a client side monitor configuration from a client comprises an act of receiving a client side monitor configuration indicating the resolution of each monitor in the plurality of monitors.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of simulating a virtual desktop for the plurality of monitors based on the client side monitor configuration comprises an act of arranging and bounding the combined display of the plurality of monitors similar to a virtual desktop at the client.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of collecting graphical data comprises:

an act of a mirror driver receiving a first portion of graphical data corresponding to a first monitor of the simulated virtual desktop, the first portion of graphical data mirrored from graphical data sent to a first frame buffer driver, the first frame buffer driver having previously indicated output characteristics for the first monitor to the operating system and that graphical data for the first monitor is to be mirrored to the mirror driver; and

an act of a mirror driver receiving a second portion of graphical data corresponding to a second monitor of the simulated virtual desktop, the second portion of graphical data mirrored from graphical data sent to a second frame buffer driver, the second frame buffer driver having previously indicated output characteristics for the second monitor to the operating system and that graphical data for the second monitor is to be mirrored to the mirror driver.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the act of converting the graphical data comprises an act of the mirror driver converting the first and second portions of graphical data into drawing commands on a single graphical surface, the drawing commands for rendering at the first and second monitors.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of collecting graphical data written to the virtual desktop comprises:

a first remote display driver receiving a first portion of graphical data corresponding to a first monitor of the simulated virtual desktop, the first remote display driver having previously indicated the output characteristics of the first monitor to the operating system; and

a second remote display driver receiving a second portion of graphical data corresponding to a second monitor of the simulated virtual desktop, the second remote display driver having previously indicated the output characteristics of the second monitor to the operating system.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the act of converting the graphical data comprises:

an act of the first remote display driver converting the first portion of graphical data into first drawings commands on a first graphical surface, the first drawing commands for rendering at the first monitor; and

an act of the second remote display driver converting the second portion of graphical data into second drawings commands on a second graphical surface, the second drawing commands for rendering at the second monitor.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of collecting graphical data written to the virtual desktop comprises:

a remote display driver receiving a first portion of graphical data corresponding to a first monitor of the simulated virtual desktop, the remote display driver having previously indicated the output characteristics of the first monitor to the operating system; and

the remote display driver receiving a second portion of graphical data corresponding to a second monitor of the simulated virtual desktop, the remote display driver having previously indicated the output characteristics of the second monitor to the operating system.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of converting the graphical data comprises:

an act of the remote display driver converting the first portion of graphical data into first drawings commands on a first graphical surface, the first drawing commands for rendering at the first monitor; and

an act of the remote display driver converting the second portion of graphical data into second drawings commands on a second graphical surface, the second drawing commands for rendering at the second monitor.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein that act of sending the drawing commands to the client comprises an act of sending drawing commands over an RDP session.

11. At a computer system including a plurality of monitors configured to rendering drawing commands, a method for providing drawing commands that can be appropriately rendered at a plurality of client side monitors the method comprising:

an act of sending client side monitor configuration to a server, the client side monitor configuration indicating a physical arrangement of a plurality of monitors relative to one another at the client;

an act of receiving a drawing commands from the server, the drawing commands for rendering on at least two monitors of plurality of monitors;

an act of identifying drawing commands that correspond to each of the at least two monitors; and

an act of rendering identified drawing commands at corresponding monitors.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of sending client-side monitor configuration comprises an act of sending client monitor characteristics that can be used to simulate a virtual desktop for the plurality of monitors.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of identifying drawing commands corresponding to each of the plurality of monitors comprises an act of identifying drawing commands based on the resolution of the drawing commands.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of identifying drawing commands corresponding to each of the plurality of monitors comprises an act of identifying drawing commands from indication data including in drawing commands.

15. At a computer system including a terminal server with a server side desktop configured to produce drawing commands, a method for providing drawing commands that can be appropriately rendered at a plurality of client side monitors, the method comprising:

an act of receiving first session establishment data from a client, the first session establishment data for establishing a first terminal server session corresponding to a first client side monitor;

an act of receiving second session establishment data from the client, the second session establishment data for establishing a second terminal server session corresponding to a second client side monitor;

an act of establishing a first session to the client in accordance with the first connection establishment data, the first session for sending drawing commands to the first client side monitor;

an act of establishing a second session to the client in accordance with the second connection establishment data, the second session for sending drawing commands to the second client side monitor;

an act of configuring an operating system to write graphical data for the first monitor to the first session and to write graphical data for the second monitor to the second session;

an act of collecting graphical data written from the operating system to at least one client side monitor, the graphical data including drawing commands directed to the at least one client side monitor;

an act of converting the graphical data into drawing commands configured for rendering on at least one client side monitor; and

an act of sending the drawing commands to the client over the appropriate sessions.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the acts of establishing first and second sessions to the client comprises acts of establishing first and second RDP session to the client respectively.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the act of configuring the operating system to write graphical data for the first monitor to the first session and to write graphical data for the second monitor to the second session comprises:

an act of first display driver configuring the operating system to write graphical data for the first monitor to the first display driver; and

an act of second display driver configuring the operating system to write graphical data for the second monitor to the second display driver.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the act of sending the drawing commands to the client over the appropriate sessions comprises:

an act of the first display driver sending graphical data for the first monitor to a server side component for transfer over the first session; and

an act of the second display driver sending graphical data for the second monitor to the server side component for transfer over the second session.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the act of configuring the operating system to write graphical data for the first monitor to the first session and to write graphical data for the second monitor to the second session comprises:

an act of a display driver configuring the operating system to write graphical data for the first monitor to the display driver; and

an act of the display driver configuring the operating system to write graphical data for the second monitor to the display driver.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the act of sending the drawing commands to the client over the appropriate sessions comprises:

an act of the display driver sending graphical data for the first monitor to a server side component for transfer over the first session; and

an act of the display driver sending graphical data for the second monitor to the server side component for transfer over the second session.