Method and system for communicating between isolation environments

• US 8,171,483 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Nord, Joseph, Hoy, David, Chinta, Madhav
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/875,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,655 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1, 718/100, 718/104, 709/217, 719/310, 719/329, 717/120, 707/781, 707/782
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

A method and system for associating installation scopes within an isolation environment, where the method includes defining an isolation environment for encompassing an aggregation of installation scopes. Associations are created between a first application and a first installation scope. When the first application requires the presence of a second application within the isolation environment for proper execution, an image of the required second application is mounted onto a second installation scope and an association between the second application and the second installation scope is created. Another association is created between the first installation scope and a second installation scope, and this third association is created within a third installation scope. Each of the first, second, and third installation scopes are stored and the first application is launched into the defined isolation environment.

Claims

1. A method for associating installation scopes to facilitate updating instances of native resources, the method comprising:

executing a first application within a first isolation environment,

mounting an image of a second application,

executing a third application within a second isolation environment;

intercepting a request to retrieve and update a native resource sent by the third application associated with a third installation scope and located within the second isolation environment;

failing to locate, within the third installation scope, an instance of a native resource corresponding to the requested native resource;

determining that there is an association between the third installation scope and a second installation scope representative of the image of the second application;

retrieving an instance of the requested native resource, the instance located within the second installation scope;

updating the retrieved instance of the requested native resource and returning the updated native resource to the second installation scope;

intercepting a request to retrieve the native resource, the request sent by the first application associated with a first installation scope located within the first isolation environment;

failing to locate, within the first installation scope, a native resource corresponding to the requested native resource;

determining an association between the first installation scope and the second installation scope;

retrieving an instance of the updated native resource located within the second installation scope; and

returning the updated native resource to the first application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image of the second application is mounted within the first isolation environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image of the second application is mounted within the second isolation environment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the association between the first and second installation scopes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the association between the second and third installation scopes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating an association between the first, second, and third installation scopes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the association between the third and second installation scopes is also an association with the first installation scope.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the association between the first and second installation scopes is also an association with the third installation scope.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enumerating the resources in the first and second installation scopes.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enumerating the resources in the second and third installation scopes.

11. A system for associating installation scopes to facilitate updating instances of native resources, the system comprising:

at least one computer processor programmed to;

execute a first application within a first isolation environment,

mount an image of a second application,

execute a third application within a second isolation environment;

intercept a request to retrieve and update a native resource sent by the third application associated with a third installation scope and located within the second isolation environment;

determine that there is an association between the third installation scope and a second installation scope representative of the image of the second application after failing to locate, within the third installation scope, an instance of a native resource corresponding to the requested native resource;

retrieve an instance of the requested native resource, the instance located within the second installation scope;

update the retrieved instance of the requested native resource and returning the updated native resource to the second installation scope;

intercept a request to retrieve the native resource, the request sent by the first application associated with a first installation scope located within the first isolation environment;

determine an association between the first installation scope and the second installation scope after failing to locate, within the first installation scope, a native resource corresponding to the requested native resource;

retrieve an instance of the updated native resource located within the second installation scope; and

return the updated native resource to the first application.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the image of the second application is mounted within the first isolation environment.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the image of the second application is mounted within the second isolation environment.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further programmed to:

create the association between the first and second installation scopes.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further programmed to:

create the association between the second and third installation scopes.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further programmed to:

create an association between the first, second, and third installation scopes.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the association between the third and second installation scopes is also an association with the first installation scope.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the association between the first and second installation scopes is also an association with the third installation scope.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further programmed to:

enumerate the resources in the first and second installation scopes.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further programmed to:

enumerate the resources in the second and third installation scopes.