Method, apparatus and system for enhancing the usability of virtual machines

• US 8,479,193 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Robinson, Scott H., Tewari, Vijay, Knauerhase, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHE, MENG YAO
• Application Number:
  US11/016,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,119 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for improving usability of virtual machines is described. A console module on a VM host may continuously monitor incoming data (e.g., files and/or attachments) and make automatic determinations regarding how and/or whether to intercept, route, redirect and/or deliver the data (e.g., where to store files, when and/or whether to deliver the files, execute the files, etc.). Additionally, in one embodiment, a unification console may be provided to enhance the usability of the VM host. The unification console enables the user to view the VM host via a unified desktop interface while handling the underlying switching and/or interactions between VMs.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing usability of a plurality of virtual machines (“

VMs”

) established on a VM host, the method comprising;

presenting, on the VM host, a unified interface to provide a user of the VM host a view of a plurality of applications executed in different VMs of the plurality of VMs;

intercepting, on a VM host, an incoming communication from a source remote to the VM host;

examining the communication to determine whether the communication includes an attached data file;

if the communication does not include the attached data file, allowing a virtual machine manager to deliver the communication to a recipient VM of the plurality of VMs;

if the communication includes the attached data file;

examining the communication to determine a communication type;

examining the data file to determine a data file type;

examining at least one descriptor module to determine how to handle the communication and the data file based on the communication type and the data file type; and

processing the data file and the communication according to information in at least one descriptor module,

wherein processing the communication comprises directing the communication to a VM of the plurality of VMs that is different from the recipient VM to which the communication was originally destined.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein processing the data and the communication further comprises examining a second descriptor module to determine how to further handle the communication and the data.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein intercepting incoming communication further comprises intercepting incoming communication in cooperation with the virtual machine manager.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein examining the descriptor module to determine how to handle the communication based on the type of the data further comprises identifying an action to be taken based on the communication type and the data type, and processing the data and the communication further comprises executing the action.

5. A virtual machine (“

VM”

) host, comprising;

a processor; and

a memory device communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory device having stored therein a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to establish;

a plurality of VMs;

a unified interface to provide a view on the VM host of a plurality of applications executed in different VMs of the plurality of VMs;

a descriptor module comprising information correlating a data type to an appropriate action for the data type; and

a console module capable of (i) intercepting a communication received by the VM host, the communication destined for a recipient VM of the plurality of VMs, (ii) determining a data type of a data file attached to the communication, (iii) accessing the descriptor module to determine how to handle the data file based on the data type; and

(iv) directing the communication to a VM of the plurality of VMs different from the recipient VM to which the communication was originally destined based on the data type.

6. The virtual machine host according to claim 5 wherein the console module is further capable of executing the appropriate action for the data type.

7. The virtual machine host according to claim 5 wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the processor to establish a virtual machine manager (“

VMM”

) capable of communicating with the console module.

8. An article comprising a non-transitory, machine-accessible medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

establish a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) on a VM host;

present a unified interface on the VM host of a view of a plurality of applications executed in different VMs of the plurality of VMs;

intercept an incoming e-mail on VM host;

determine whether the incoming e-mail destined to a recipient VM of the plurality of VMs includes an attached data file;

determine a data type of the attached data file;

examine at least one descriptor module to determine how to process the data type of the attached data file, the at least one descriptor including information that correlates data types to actions to be taken based on the data types; and

process the attached data file according to the information in the at least one descriptor module,

wherein to process the attached data file comprises to direct the e-mail to a VM of the plurality of VMs different from the recipient VM to which the e-mail was originally destined.

9. The article according to claim 8 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to process the attached data file by executing an action.

10. The article according to claim 9 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to log information pertaining to the action for future use.

11. The article according to claim 8 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to process the attached data file by examining a second descriptor module to determine how to further process the data.

12. The article according to claim 8 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to prevent an action to be taken based on predetermined criteria.

13. The article according to claim 12 wherein the predetermined criteria includes at least one of a data type, a network port the data is processed by and a destination VM for the data.

14. The article according to claim 8 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to:

examine the e-mail to determine a communication type;

examine the at least one descriptor module to determine how to process the e-mail based on the communication type; and

process the e-mail according to the information in the at least one descriptor module.