Method and system for providing virtualized application workspaces

• US 8,010,701 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Anthony J, Benson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US11/643,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/282 Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4523 using lightweight directory access protocol [LDAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Methods and systems for automatically customizing applications for a particular user within virtual workspaces are provided. An Application Workspace System “AWS” is provided which enables users to access remote server-based applications (e.g., thin client applications, terminal server applications, applications on hosted operating systems, etc.) using the same interface that they use to access local applications, without needing to know where the application is being accessed. The AWS automatically determines which applications the user is entitled to use, and then figures out automatically, based upon a variety of parameters, which applications are to be made available to the user (resolved to version, particular package etc.), and whether they are to be installed locally, or accessed remotely. Script objects are retrieved and executed to automatically customize installed applications for a particular user in response to events associated, for example, with a state of the local computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-readable memory medium containing contents that, when executed in response to a received event trigger, cause a computing device to automatically customize one or more applications for a particular user, by performing a method comprising:

determining an event identifier of an event that caused the event trigger, a user identifier identifying the particular user, and a plurality of parameters;

determining a plurality of applications that have been installed on the computing device, in whole or in part, and that are associated with the user identifier;

retrieving a plurality of scripts associated with the determined event identifier and with the determined installed plurality of applications associated with the user identifier, each script corresponding to a corresponding application of the determined plurality of applications; and

executing each retrieved script to automatically customize the corresponding applications, thereby customizing, for the particular user, the plurality of determined applications in response to the event.

2. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1 wherein the event identifier identifies at least one of a configure event, a logon triggered event, an application upgrade related event, an application installation related event, a code package update related event, or a code package removal related event.

3. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1 wherein the event identifier identifies an event associated with a state of the computing device or associated with a network connection.

4. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1 wherein the event is triggered using at least one of:

a WMI event notification, a SENS event notification, a prescheduled event, or a notification that a user shell script has been started.

5. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, the method further comprising:

for each retrieved script, determining one or more application specific parameters and forwarding the determined application specific parameters for inclusion as part of the executing each retrieved script.

6. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 5 wherein the determined application specific parameters are name-value tuples stored in a data repository, the data repository used for determining the plurality of applications that have been installed.

7. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1 wherein the determining the plurality of applications that have been installed, in whole or in part, and that are associated with the user identifier, determines a plurality applications that have been installed as a result of an entitlements resolution process that determines a set of applications to install or upgrade for the particular user on the computing device at a designated time.

8. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the retrieving of the plurality of scripts associated with the determined event identifier and with the determined installed plurality applications associated with the user identifier, each script corresponding to a corresponding application, further comprises:

for each corresponding application, retrieving, from an installation/upgrade code package stored on the computing device in a location associated with the corresponding application, a script suitable for execution.

9. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the retrieving the plurality of scripts further comprises retrieving a plurality of scripts from a data repository associated with the computing device, one or more of the plurality of scripts delivered to the data repository after the computing device has already been configured to execute the plurality of applications.

10. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1 wherein the automatically customizing the corresponding applications comprise at least one of:

setting a parameter as a result of an attribute of the computing device, setting a parameter specific to the particular user, or setting a parameter specific corresponding to a time.

11. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1 wherein each script contains one or more executable expressions programmed prior to delivery of the script to the computing device.

12. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 1 wherein the computer-readable memory medium is a memory of the computing device and the contents are instructions that control the computing device to perform the method.

13. A method in a computing device for automatically customizing one or more installed applications for a particular user in response to receiving notification of an event generated by software or hardware of the computing device, comprising:

determining an event identifier of the event that triggered the event notification, a user identifier identifying the particular user, and a plurality of parameters;

determining one or more applications that have been installed, in whole or in part, and that are associated with the user identifier;

retrieving one or more script objects associated with the determined event identifier and the determined installed one or more applications associated with the user identifier, each script object having an executable script and associated with a corresponding application of the determined one or more applications, at least one script object corresponding to an application that has been previously installed and is being upgraded; and

executing the script of each retrieved script object to automatically customize the corresponding applications, thereby customizing for the particular user at least one of the one or more determined applications in response to the event, including automatically customizing the application that is being upgraded.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each script object is stored in a code package stored on the computing device in a location associated with the corresponding application, and wherein the retrieving the one or more script objects further comprises:

for each corresponding application, when a script object associated with the determined event identifier is available, retrieving the script object from the code package associated with the corresponding application.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the retrieving one or more script objects further comprises:

retrieving one or more script objects associated with the determined event identifier and the determined installed one or more applications associated with the user identifier from a data repository associated with the computing device, at least one of the one or more script objects delivered to the data repository after the computing device is already configured to run at least one or the determined installed one or more applications.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the event generated by software or hardware of the computing device is at least one of a configure event, a logon event, an upgrade event, an installation event, a package installation event, a package update event, or a package removal event.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the event generated by software or hardware of the computing device is at least one of an event associated with a hardware state of the computing device or associated with a network connection.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

for each retrieved script object, determining one or more application specific parameters and forwarding the determined application specific parameters for inclusion as part of the executing the script of each retrieved script object.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more application specific parameters are name-value tuples stored in a data repository on the computing device.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the determining the one or more applications that have been installed, in whole or in part, and that are associated with the user identifier further comprises:

using an entitlements resolution process to determine one or more applications that have been installed, in whole or in part, and that are associated with the user identifier, the entitlements resolution process including executing one or more rules defined by a policy, the policy used to generate an identification of one or more applications that may potentially be made available to a user at a particular time on the computing device.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically customizing the corresponding applications comprises at least one of setting a parameter or performing an action related to an attribute of the computing device, specific to the particular user, or corresponding to a designated time.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the designated time is determined from data associated with at least one or the retrieved script objects.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically customizing the corresponding applications comprises automatically customizing a plurality of applications as part of receiving a plurality of upgrade related notifications.

24. A computing system comprising:

a memory;

an event handler stored on the memory that is configured, when executed in response to receiving a notification of an event triggered by hardware or software of the computing system, to;

determine an event identifier associated with the event;

determine an identifier of a user;

retrieve indications of a plurality of applications that are installed on the computing system and associated with the user identifier;

retrieve a plurality of scripts associated with the retrieved indications of the plurality of applications and with the determined event identifier, each script capable of customizing a corresponding application of the indicated plurality of applications, each script including one or more name-value expressions used for customizations; and

execute the retrieved plurality of scripts to customize the plurality of applications for the identified user, the customization of at least one of the plurality of applications occurring after the user has already executed the at least one application at least once.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the event is at least one of a configure related event, a logon related event, an installation related event, a package installation related event, a package update related event, or a package removal related event.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the event is at least one of an event associated with a state of the computing device or associated with a network connection.