Multi-desktop interaction using nested remote desktop sessions

• US 8,843,646 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kuzin, Sergey A., Black, Christopher Benjamin, Mehmood, Kashif, Hussain, Amjad, Ben-Shachar, Ido Miles
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHANG, SHIRLEY X
• Application Number:
  US13/327,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 709/228, 726/7
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet

Abstract

As described herein, a computer system receives a first indication that an interactive login session is to be established. The first indication includes user credentials for establishing the interactive login session. The computer system then establishes the interactive login session using the received user credentials. The interactive login session includes a data transfer endpoint for receiving data from other sessions. The computer system receives a second indication that a child session is to be established in parallel to the established interactive login session. The child session is configured to direct input and output data through a loopback connection to the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session. The computer system also establishes the child session using the received user credentials. The child session then transfers at least a portion of data to the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session using the loopback connection.

Claims

1. At a computer system including at least one processor and a memory, a computer-implemented method for instantiating a child session in parallel to an interactive login session, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a first indication that an interactive login session is to be established, wherein the first indication includes user credentials for establishing the interactive login session;

an act of establishing the interactive login session using the received user credentials, the interactive login session including a data transfer endpoint for receiving data from other sessions;

an act of receiving a second indication that a child session is to be established in parallel to the established interactive login session, the child session being configured to direct input and output data through a loopback connection to the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session; and

an act of establishing the child session using the received user credentials, wherein the child session transfers at least a portion of data to the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session using the loopback connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input and output data of the child session are directed to the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session instead of being transferred to local computer system hardware.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the child session'"'"'s lifetime is directly linked to the lifetime of the interactive login session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive login session is a remote session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive login session is a local session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of child sessions are established and run simultaneously on the same computer system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each child session provides a distinct and isolated user environment that is different from the environment provided by the interactive login session.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each child session is configured to run a plurality of different applications.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more licensing checks to determine that the child sessions each have a corresponding license.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the user is automatically logged in to the child sessions using the provided user credentials.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transferred via the loopback connection includes graphics data for the child session.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an extension that allows third party plugins to access the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the child session is provided in a container that is configured for hosting by one or more other software applications.

14. A computer program product for implementing a method for instantiating a plurality of child sessions in parallel to an interactive login session, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a first indication that an interactive login session is to be established, wherein the first indication includes user credentials for establishing the interactive login session;

an act of establishing the interactive login session using the received user credentials, the interactive login session including a data transfer endpoint for receiving data from one or more child sessions;

an act of receiving a second indication that a plurality of child sessions are to be established in parallel to the established interactive login session, wherein the child sessions are configured to direct input and output data through a loopback connection to the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session, each child session providing a distinct and isolated user environment that is different from the environment provided by the interactive login session;

an act of establishing the plurality of child sessions simultaneously on the same computer system using the received user credentials to automatically log in to each child session; and

an act of receiving, at the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session, child session data from the plurality of child sessions using the loopback connection.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising performing one or more licensing checks to determine that the child sessions each have a corresponding license.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein at least one of the child sessions is configured to run a debugging operation.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the data transferred via the loopback connection remains local to the computing system.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of child sessions is accessible via a remote desktop connection.

19. A computer system comprising the following:

one or more processors;

system memory;

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing system to perform a method for instantiating a plurality of child sessions in parallel to an interactive login session, the method comprising the following;

an act of receiving a first indication that an interactive login session is to be established, wherein the first indication includes user credentials for establishing the interactive login session;

an act of establishing the interactive login session using the received user credentials, the interactive login session including a data transfer endpoint for receiving data from one or more child sessions;

an act of receiving a second indication that a plurality of child sessions are to be established in parallel to the established interactive login session, wherein the child sessions are configured to direct input and output data through a loopback connection to the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session, each child session providing a distinct and isolated user environment that is different from the environment provided by the interactive login session;

an act of performing one or more licensing checks to determine that the child sessions each have a corresponding license;

an act of establishing the plurality of child sessions simultaneously on the same computer system using the received user credentials to automatically log in to each child session; and

an act of receiving, at the data transfer endpoint of the interactive login session, child session data from the plurality of child sessions using the loopback connection.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein each child session is configured to run a plurality of different software applications.