Methods and systems for launching applications into existing isolation environments

• US 8,326,943 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Chinta, Madhav, Raj, Sam Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): HIGA, BRENDAN Y
• Application Number:
  US13/290,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709213-229, 718/1, 718100-104
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine

Abstract

Methods and systems that can launch applications into existing isolation environments do so by executing a run module on a computing machine to intercept requests to execute an application. A client communicating with the computing machine generates requests to execute an application on the computing machine. A run module identifies a profile associated with the requested application and queries an application delivery service to identify at least one isolation environment that corresponds to the profile. The run module receives from the application delivery service a response that identifies a first isolation environment associated with the application, and issues a command to a launch module to launch the application into the first isolation environment.

Claims

1. A method for launching applications into existing isolation environments executing in user sessions hosted by a server computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a run module comprising software executing in a user session hosted on a server machine, a request by a user to execute an application;

identifying, by the run module, a profile associated with the application;

querying, by the run module, an application delivery service executing on the server computing machine to identify at least one isolation environment corresponding to the profile;

receiving, by the run module from the application delivery service, a response identifying a first isolation environment executing in the user session, the first isolation environment associated with the application; and

issuing, by the run module, a command to a launch module comprising software executing in the first isolation environment on the computing machine to launch the application into the first isolation environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the response from the application delivery service identifying the first isolation environment further comprises receiving an identifier associated with the first isolation environment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving an identifier further comprises receiving a name of the first isolation environment.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising querying, by the run module responsive to receiving the first isolation environment identifier, a runtime object table for an address of the first isolation environment, wherein the run module queries the runtime object table using the first isolation environment identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

exposing, by the first isolation environment, a communication interface for communicating with components executing on the computing machine, the communication interface generated by an inter-process mechanism.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein launching further comprises transmitting a location of the application to the communication interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a first isolation environment further comprises identifying an address associated with the first isolation environment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying an address further comprises identifying a first isolation environment address comprising a profile version associated with the first isolation environment.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying an address further comprises identifying a first isolation environment address comprising a user session identifier associated with the first isolation environment.

10. A system for launching applications into existing isolation environments executing in user sessions hosted by a server computing device, the system comprising:

a server computing machine hosting at least one user session and communicating with a client generating a request to execute an application on the computing machine, the application associated with a profile;

an application delivery service executing on the server computing machine;

a launch module comprising software executing in an isolation environment executing in a user session hosted on the computing machine; and

a

a run module comprising software executing in the user session hosted on the computing machine, the run module;

receiving the client request,

querying the application delivery service to identify at least one isolation environment corresponding to the profile,

receiving, from the application delivery service, a response identifying a first isolation environment associated with the application, and

issuing a command to the launch module to launch the application into the first isolation environment.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the application delivery service transmits an identifier associated with the first isolation environment to the run module.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the identifier comprises a name of the first isolation environment.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a runtime object table responding to a query generated by the run module and comprising the first isolation environment identifier, with an address of the first isolation environment.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first isolation environment further comprises a communication interface for communicating with components executing on the computing machine, the communication interface generated by an inter-process mechanism.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the run module transmits a location of the application to the communication interface.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the application delivery service identifies an address associated with the first isolation environment.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first isolation environment address further comprises a profile version number.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first isolation environment address further comprises a user session identifier.