Method and system for providing remote access to applications

• US 8,838,769 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CloudOn Ltd. (Dropbox, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CloudOn Ltd. (Dropbox, Inc.)
• Inventors: Binyamin, Shuki
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US13/682,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 718/104, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method of remotely providing an application includes receiving, at an access server, a request for an application from a client. One or more application servers which are capable of providing the requested application are identified base at least in part on a resource of the identified one or more application servers. The client is provided with the identified one or more application servers which are capable of providing the application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a client at an access server, a request to access an application;

obtaining a set of user preferences of a user the client;

identifying two or more application servers capable of providing the requested application;

selecting one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on the set of user preferences;

requesting the selected application server to execute the requested application; and

providing access to the requested application on the selected application server to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to the requested application on the selected application server to the client comprises streaming advertisements and at least a portion of a graphical user interface of the executing application to the client, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a preference for lowest cost.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the one of the two or more application servers comprises selecting the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on proximity, wherein the set of user preferences comprises the proximity of the client to the one of the two or more application servers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the one of the two or more application servers comprises selecting the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on ability of the one of the two or more application servers to approximate a desired level of performance of application execution when compared to other application servers of the two or more application servers, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating the desired level of performance of application execution.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on the set of user preferences comprises generating a list of candidate application servers of the two or more application servers and selecting the one of the two or more application servers from the list.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to the requested application on the selected application server to the client comprises streaming a display of at least a portion of a graphical user interface of the executing application to the client.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the streaming the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface of the executing application to the client comprises streaming the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface to an active display of the client.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the streaming the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface of the executing application to the client comprises dividing a display of the client into a plurality of segments and streaming the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface to a subset of the plurality of segments.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the streaming the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface of the executing application to the client comprises determining a visible portion of an active application window of the client and streaming the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface to the visible portion of the active application window of the client.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired budget of the client, and wherein selecting the one of the two or more application servers comprises selecting the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on a cost of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the cost of an application server providing the requested application is determined based, at least in part, on a cost of application server equipment, a time when the application is requested, a version of the application being provided, a current workload of the application server, a bandwidth through which the application server provides the requested application, an entity which owns the application server, a security of the application server, a geographical location of the application server, or a latency between the client and the application server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired application version, and wherein selecting the one of the two or more application servers comprises selecting the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on an application version of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired bandwidth, and wherein selecting the one of the two or more application servers comprises selecting the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on a bandwidth of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired security level, and wherein selecting the one of the two or more application servers comprises selecting the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on a security level of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.

15. A system comprising:

an access server comprising;

memory; and

a processor configured

to receive, from a client at the access server, a request to access an application,

to obtain a set of user preferences of a user of the client,

to identify two or more application servers capable of providing the requested application,

to select one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on the set of user preferences,

to request the selected application server to execute the requested application, and

to provide access to the requested application on the selected application server to the client.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor configured to provide access to the requested application on the selected application server to the client comprises the processor configured to stream advertisements and at least a portion of a graphical user interface of the executing application to the client, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a preference for lowest cost.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers comprises the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on proximity, wherein the set of user preferences comprises the proximity of the client to the one of the two or more application servers.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers comprises the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on ability of the one of the two or more application servers to approximate a desired level of performance of application execution when compared to other application servers of the two or more application servers, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating the desired level of performance of application execution.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on the set of user preferences comprises the processor configured to generate a list of candidate application servers of the two or more application servers and to select the one of the two or more application servers from the list.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor configured to provide access to the requested application on the selected application server to the client comprises the processor configured to stream a display of at least a portion of a graphical user interface of the executing application to the client.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor configured to stream the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface of the executing application to the client comprises the processor configured to stream the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface to an active display of the client.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor configured to stream the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface of the executing application to the client comprises the processor configured to divide a display of the client into a plurality of segments and to stream the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface to a subset of the plurality of segments.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor configured to stream the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface of the executing application to the client comprises the processor configured to determine a visible portion of an active application window of the client and to stream the display of the at least the portion of the graphical user interface to the visible portion of the active application window of the client.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired budget of the client, and wherein the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers comprises the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on a cost of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the cost of an application server providing the requested application is determined based, at least in part, on a cost of application server equipment, a time when the application is requested, a version of the application being provided, a current workload of the application server, a bandwidth through which the application server provides the requested application, an entity which owns the application server, a security of the application server, a geographical location of the application server, or a latency between the client and the application server.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired application version, and wherein the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers comprises the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on an application version of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired bandwidth, and wherein the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers comprises the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on a bandwidth of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of user preferences comprises a user preference indicating a desired security level, and wherein the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers comprises the processor configured to select the one of the two or more application servers based, at least in part, on a security level of each of the two or more application servers to provide the requested application.