Methods and systems for accessing remote user files associated with local resources

• US 8,452,812 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Brad, Harwood, William T., Fleck, Christopher, Braddy, Rick G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US11/875,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• 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 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A system for accessing, by a resource, a setting in a virtualized user profile includes an isolation environment, a resource, and a filter driver. The resource executes outside an isolation environment on a local machine and requests access to a setting in a user profile. The filter driver intercepts the request for access and identifies one of the isolation environment and a remote machine, responsive to an application of a rule to the request. The filter driver redirects the request to the one of the isolation environment and the remote machine. A method includes intercepting an instruction from a resource to modify a setting on a local machine, the resource provided by a local machine and executing outside of an isolation environment. The method includes identifying the isolation environment, responsive to an application of a rule to the instruction. The method includes redirecting the instruction to the isolation environment.

Claims

1. A system for accessing, by a locally executing application, a setting in a virtualized user profile comprising:

an isolation environment executed by a processor of a local machine;

an application executed by the processor outside of the isolation environment, the application requesting access to a setting in a user profile outside of the isolation environment; and

a filter driver executed by the processor to;

intercept the request of the application executing outside of the isolation environment for access to the setting in the user profile outside of the isolation environment,

apply a rule to the intercepted request to identify one of (i) the isolation environment and (ii) a remote machine,

identify the isolation environment via application of the rule to the intercepted request and further based on a network connection of the local machine to the remote machine having high latency or low bandwidth,

redirect the request of the application executing outside of the isolation environment for access to the setting in the user profile outside of the isolation environment to a user profile in the isolation environment, responsive to the identification, and

subsequently synchronize the user profile in the isolation environment and the user profile in the remote machine via a second network connection of the local machine to the remote machine having high bandwidth.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a copy of the user profile outside of the isolation environment is stored within the isolation environment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the isolation environment further comprises a cache memory element.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the filter driver is further configured to intercept a second request of the application executing outside of the isolation environment for access to a second setting in the user profile;

apply a second rule to the intercepted second request; and

redirect the intercepted second request to the user profile stored on the local machine outside the isolation environment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting in the user profile includes a configuration file.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting in the user profile includes a registry key.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting in the user profile includes a data file.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the filter driver intercepts a request from a second application for access to the setting in the user profile outside of the isolation environment, the second application executed by a second local machine.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a copy of a modified version of the setting in the user profile stored on the remote machine and transmitted to the second local machine, responsive to the intercepted request.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the filter driver redirects the request to the identified isolation environment, identifies a modification to the requested setting, and transmits, to the remote machine, an identification of the modification.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the filter driver redirects the request to the identified isolation environment, identifies a modification to the requested setting, and transmits, to the remote machine, an identification of the modification.

12. A method for modifying, by a locally executing application, a setting in a virtualized user profile, the method comprising:

intercepting, by a filter driver executed by a processor of a local machine, an instruction of an application executing on the local machine to modify a setting in a user profile on the local machine, the resource executing on the local machine outside of an isolation environment provided by the local machine and the instruction directed to a user profile outside of the isolation environment;

applying a rule to the intercepted instruction, by the filter driver, to identify one of (i) the isolation environment and (ii) a remote machine;

identify the isolation environment via application of the rule to the intercepted request and further based on a network connection of the local machine to the remote machine having high latency or low bandwidth;

redirecting, by the filter driver, the instruction of the application executing outside of the isolation environment on the local machine to modify the setting of the user profile on the local machine to a user profile in the isolation environment; and

subsequently synchronize the user profile in the isolation environment and the user profile in the remote machine via a second network connection of the local machine to the remote machine having high bandwidth.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein intercepting the instruction further comprises intercepting an instruction from the application to install, on the local machine, at least one file associated with a second application.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the application comprises an installer application and wherein intercepting the instruction further comprises intercepting an instruction, from the installer application, to store a file on the local machine, the installer application executed by the user.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing an application file in the identified isolation environment.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising modifying the setting in the user profile on the local machine.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising synchronizing data associated with the isolation environment with a copy of the data on the remote machine.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

synchronizing, by an agent executed by the local machine or the remote machine,

i) a copy of data stored on the remote machine and associated with the isolation environment on the local machine with

ii) a copy of data stored on a second remote machine and associated with a second isolation environment;

intercepting, by a second filter driver, a request for access to a setting on the second remote machine by a second application executing on the second remote machine; and

responding, by the second filter driver, to the request with the synchronized data associated with the second isolation environment on the second remote machine.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising executing, by a processor on the second remote machine, the second application responsive to the synchronized data from the second remote machine.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

intercepting, by a second filter driver, a request for access to a setting on the remote machine by a second application executing on the remote machine;

retrieving, by the second filter driver, the requested setting from a copy of the data associated with the isolation environment on the local machine and stored on a second remote machine, responsive to a determination that a second isolation environment on the remote machine does not contain the file; and

executing, by a processor on the second remote machine, the second application responsive to the retrieved setting.