Controlling the transfer of terminal server data

• US 8,233,499 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Patwardhan, Makarand V., Abdo, Nadim, Lotlikar, Mahesh S., Butt, Hammad, Hagiu, Costin
• Primary Examiner(s): SINKANTARAKORN, PAWARIS
• Application Number:
  US12/484,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 370/431, 370/437, 370/449, 370/462, 710/200
• US Class Current: 370/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for controlling the transfer of terminal server data. In some embodiments, contending request to send terminal server data are resolved by a flow control module situated between a terminal server protocol and a transport/network protocol. The flow control module utilizes channel priorities along with amounts of previously sent data per channel to determine how to distribute bandwidth in a relatively controlled manner between contending channels. The flow control module can be configured to intercept communication between terminal server protocol and a transport/network protocol to facilitate bandwidth distribution. In other embodiments, data is simultaneously sent over multiple channels of terminal server connection. A first write operation obtains a lock on a corresponding channel but the channel lock does not prevent write operations on other channels.

Claims

1. At a computer system, a method for managing a plurality of channel writes by applications at a terminal server system over a terminal server connection that connects the terminal server system with a client system, the method comprising:

the terminal server system establishing a terminal server connection with the client system, including establishing, as part of the terminal server connection, at least the following channels;

a first channel between a first application executing at the terminal server system on behalf of the client system and a first plug-in at the client system; and

a second channel between a second application executing at the terminal server system on behalf of the client system and a second plug-in at the client system,

wherein data transfer over the first channel and the second channel are managed, at least in part, by a server component at the terminal server system;

the server component at the terminal server system receiving first terminal server data from the first application, the first terminal server data corresponding to a first write operation sent by the first application over the first channel for writing the first terminal server data to the first plug-in;

in response to the first write operation, the server component at the terminal server system locking a write resource associated with the first channel to prevent simultaneous write operations by the first application on the first channel without locking write operations on other channels of the terminal server connection;

simultaneous to the write resource associated with the first channel being locked, the server component at the terminal server system receiving second terminal server data from the second application, the second terminal server data corresponding to a second write operation sent by the second application over the second channel for writing the second terminal server data to the second plug-in;

in response to the second write operation, the server component at the terminal server system determining that a write resource associated with the second channel is not locked; and

based at least in part on determining that the write resource associated with the second channel is not locked, the server component at the terminal server system simultaneously writing at least a portion of the first terminal server data on the first channel and at least a portion of the second terminal server data on the second channel while the write resource associated with the first channel is locked, including the server component sending the portion of the first terminal server data to the first plug-in over the first channel while simultaneously sending the portion of the second terminal server data to the second plug-in over the second channel.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving first terminal server data from the first application, the first terminal server data corresponding to a first write operation comprises receiving a write operation on a channel of a remote desktop protocol connection.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein locking a write resource associated with the first channel comprises modifying a value in a channel data structure used to represent the first channel.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that a write resource associated with the second channel is not locked comprises checking a value in a channel data structure used to represent the second channel.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein simultaneously writing at least a portion of the first terminal server data on the first channel and at least a portion of the second terminal server data on the second channel comprises simultaneously writing data over two virtual channels of a remote desktop protocol connection.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer system maintains a first channel data structure for the first channel and a second channel data structure for the second channel and wherein locking a write resource associated with the first channel comprises modifying a value in the first channel data structure prior to receiving the second terminal server data such that the first channel is locked without impacting the unlocked status of the second channel.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

in response to the second write operation, the server component at the terminal server system locking a write resource associated with the second channel to prevent simultaneous write operations by the second application on the second channel, wherein locking a write resource associated with the second channel comprises modifying a value in the second channel data structure subsequent to receiving the second terminal server data such that the second channel is locked without impacting the locked status of the first channel.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

the server component at the terminal server system receiving third terminal server data from the first application, the third terminal server data corresponding to a third write operation sent by the first application over the first channel for writing the third terminal server data to the first plug-in, the third terminal server data received subsequent to locking the write resource associated with the first channel and prior to the completion of writing the first terminal server data.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

the server component referring to the write resource associated with the first channel to determine that the first channel is locked for writing the first terminal server data to the first plug-in; and

the server component preventing the third terminal data from writing on the first channel while the first channel is locked.

10. A computer storage device for use at a terminal server computer system, the computer storage device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor of the terminal server computer system, cause the terminal server computer system to perform a method for managing a plurality of channel writes by applications at the terminal server computer system over a terminal server connection that connects the terminal server computer system with a client system, including performing the following:

establishing a terminal server connection with the client system, including establishing, as part of the terminal server connection, at least the following channels;

a first channel between a first application executing at the terminal server computer system on behalf of the client system and a first plug-in at the client system; and

a second channel between a second application executing at the terminal server computer system on behalf of the client system and a second plug-in at the client system,

wherein data transfer over the first channel and the second channel are managed, at least in part, by a server component at the terminal server computer system;

the server component obtaining first terminal server data from the first application, the first terminal server data corresponding to a first write operation sent by the first application over the first channel for writing the first terminal server data to the first plug-in;

in response to the first write operation, the server component locking a write resource associated with the first channel to prevent simultaneous write operations by the first application on the first channel without locking write operations on other channels of the terminal server connection;

simultaneous to the write resource associated with the first channel being locked, the server component receiving second terminal server data from the second application, the second terminal server data corresponding to a second write operation sent by the second application over the second channel for writing the second terminal server data to the second plug-in;

in response to the second write operation, the system server component determining that a write resource associated with the second channel is not locked; and

based at least in part on determining that the write resource associated with the second channel is not locked, the server component simultaneously writing at least a portion of the first terminal server data on the first channel and at least a portion of the second terminal server data on the second channel while the write resource associated with the first channel is locked, including the server component sending the portion of the first terminal server data to the first plug-in over the first channel while simultaneously sending the portion of the second terminal server data to the second plug-in over the second channel.

11. The computer storage device as recited in claim 10, wherein receiving first terminal server data from the first application, the first terminal server data corresponding to a write operation comprises receiving a write operation on a channel of a remote desktop protocol connection.

12. The computer storage device as recited in claim 10, wherein locking a write resource associated with the first channel comprises modifying a value in a channel data structure used to represent the first channel.

13. The computer storage device as recited in claim 10, wherein determining that a write resource associated with the second channel is not locked comprises checking a value in a channel data structure used to represent the second channel.

14. The computer storage device as recited in claim 10, wherein simultaneously writing at least a portion of the first terminal server data on the first channel and at least a portion of the second terminal server data on the second channel comprises simultaneously writing data over two virtual channels of a remote desktop protocol connection.

15. The computer storage device as recited in claim 10, wherein the terminal server computer system maintains a first channel data structure for the first channel and a second channel data structure for the second channel and wherein locking a write resource associated with the first channel comprises modifying a value in the first channel data structure prior to receiving the second terminal server data such that the first channel is locked without impacting the unlocked status of the second channel.

16. The computer storage device as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

in response to the second write operation, the server component locking a write resource associated with the second channel to prevent simultaneous write operations by the second application on the second channel, wherein locking a write resource associated with the second channel comprises modifying a value in the second channel data structure subsequent receiving the second terminal server data such that the second channel is locked without impacting the locked status of the first channel.

17. The computer storage device as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

the server component receiving third terminal server data from the first application, the third terminal server data corresponding to a third write operation sent by the first application over the first channel for writing the third terminal server data to the first plug-in, the third terminal server data received subsequent to locking the write resource associated with the first channel and prior to the completion of writing the first terminal server data.

18. The computer storage device as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

the server component referring to the write resource associated with the first channel to determine that the first channel is locked for writing the first terminal server data to the first plug-in; and

the server component preventing the third terminal data from writing on the first channel while the first channel is locked.

19. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer storage device having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to perform acts in a method, including the following;

establishing a terminal server connection with a client system, including establishing, as part of the terminal server connection, at least the following channels;

a first channel between a first application executing on behalf of the client system and a first plug-in at the client system; and

a second channel between a second application executing on behalf of the client system and a second plug-in at the client system;

instantiating a server component which manages data transfer over channels of the terminal server connection;

receiving, at the server component, first terminal server data from the first application, the first terminal server data corresponding to a first write operation sent by the first application over the first channel for writing the first terminal server data to the first plug-in;

in response to the first write operation, the server component locking a write resource associated with the first channel to prevent simultaneous write operations by the first application on the first channel without locking write operations on other channels of the terminal server connection;

simultaneous to the write resource associated with the first channel being locked, the server component receiving second terminal server data from the second application, the second terminal server data corresponding to a second write operation sent by the second application over the second channel for writing the second terminal server data to the second plug-in;

in response to the second write operation, the server component determining that a write resource associated with the second channel is not locked; and

based at least in part on determining that the write resource associated with the second channel is not locked, the server component simultaneously writing at least a portion of the first terminal server data on the first channel and at least a portion of the second terminal server data on the second channel while the write resource associated with the first channel is locked, including the server component sending the portion of the first terminal server data to the first plug-in over the first channel while simultaneously sending the portion of the second terminal server data to the second plug-in over the second channel.