Systems and methods of creating and accessing software simulated computers

• US 7,500,236 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avalara Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applianz Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Janzen, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phillip H
• Application Number:
  US10/845,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 717/174, 709/102, 709/104, 709/105, 709/223, 709/226, 718/104, 718/105
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105

Abstract

The system and methods of the present application comprise one or more computers that generate and maintain a plurality of software-simulated computers. Each software-simulated computer is adapted to efficiently run an installed application program. Additional security layers provide access to the installed application through a remote user interface installed on a user'"'"'s computing device. The system generates a new copy of the software-simulated computer for each user session, that prevents configuration problems from interfering with the proper operation of the application program, thereby consistently running the application in an optimized fashion, regardless of changes made to the software-simulated computer by the user or a virus. These software-simulated computers are unaffected by changes a user makes on their own client device. To this end, the system provides robust, web accessible capabilities to application software that may not have been adapted for use on the Internet.

Claims

1. A method of deploying and remotely accessing a plurality of software-simulated computer, comprising:

creating a software-simulated computer image, said image comprising;

simulated hardware device specifications;

a bootable application;

a guest processing manager, and;

one or more application programs;

cloning said image to create said plurality of software-simulated computers;

booting the software-simulated computer;

during the boot process of each software-simulated computer, the guest process manager in a booting software-simulated computer branding the software simulated computer with unique, machine-differentiation information;

selecting a software-simulated computer in said plurality;

establishing communications for remote access across a network to said selected software-simulated computer;

evaluating quality of said communications and selecting a remote control communications protocol based on said quality; and

accessing said selected software-simulated computer through a remote interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of branding prevents communication conflicts between machines on said network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said bootable application is a Windows variant, and said machine differentiation information includes a system identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

loading user specific information into said image before performing said cloning step.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said user specific information comprises software license numbers.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said user specific information includes one or more of company names and individual names.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said user specific information includes user identifiers and associated passwords.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said branding prevents conflicts between machines on said network.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising booting each software-simulated computer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a firewall to permit communications with said selected software-simulated computer.