Method and apparatus for computing over a wide area network

• US 8,924,566 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2000
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Reference Limited Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hickman, Paul L.
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US09/690,182
• Time in Patent Office: 5,188 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/238, 709/245, 709/249, 709/219, 709/227, 370/310, 370/315, 370/316, 370/338, 370/349, 370/409, 455/11.1, 455/12.1, 455 131- 133, 455/427, 455/430, 455/431, 455/436
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A cluster computer system including multiple network accessible computers that are each coupled to a network. The network accessible computers implement host computer programs which permits the network accessible computers to operate as host computers for client computers also connected to the network, such that input devices of the client computers can be used to generate inputs to the host computers, and such that image information generated by the host computers can be viewed by the client computers. The system also includes a cluster administration computer coupled to the multiple network accessible computers to monitor the operation of the network accessible computers. A method for providing access to host computers by client computers over a computer network includes receiving a request for a host computer coupled to a computer network from a client computer coupled to the computer network, wherein the relationship of the host computer to the client computer is to be such that after the client computer becomes associated with a host computer, an input device of the client computer can be used to generate inputs to the host computer, and such that image information generated by the host computer can be viewed by the client computer. Next, a suitable host computer for the client computer is determined, and the client computer is informed of the network address of the suitable host computer.

Claims

1. A fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system comprising:

a TCP/IP protocol data packet radio receiver associated with a fixed node;

a TCP/IP protocol data packet radio transmitter associated with the fixed node; and

a TCP/IP protocol data packet processor including a computer associated with the fixed node and coupled to the TCP/IP protocol data packet receiver and the TCP/IP protocol data packet transmitter,

the TCP/IP protocol data packet processor configured to;

determine whether a data packet received by the data packet receiver had been previously sent by the data packet transmitter,

transmit the TCP/IP protocol data packet by the TCP/IP protocol data packet radio transmitter in response to a TCP/IP address of the data packet not being associated with the fixed node and had not been previously transmitted by the TCP/IP protocol data packet radio transmitter,

determine whether the received data packet is addressed to the fixed node as a destination and utilizing the received data packet responsive to the received data packet being addressed to the fixed node, and

the computer configured to;

provide a TCP/IP access to a virtual machine by loading a prior state workspace of a personal state that corresponds to an operating system of the virtual machine, the personal state including a plurality of prior state workspaces that each correspond to one of a plurality of operating systems.

2. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the fixed node is a geosynchronous satellite.

3. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the fixed node is an Earth station.

4. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the fixed node is a radio tower.

5. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the personal state is updated in response to a user access of the virtual machine.

6. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1,

wherein the personal state is distributed throughout a network in which the fixed node is a part of by being stored in a plurality of nodes, and

wherein the personal state is updated in each of the plurality of nodes in response to a change of the personal state.

7. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the personal state is updated in each of the plurality of nodes in response to a change of the personal state.

8. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the personal state further includes:

a file structure created by the user and one or more windows that were open at a time the user last used a previous virtual computer.

9. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the personal state further includes one or more system extensions of a previously accessed virtual computer.

10. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the personal state further includes one or more values or registers on a central processing unit (CPU) of the previously accessed virtual computer.

11. The fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system of claim 1, wherein the personal state further includes one or more values or registers in one or more peripheral units of the previously accessed virtual computer.

12. A fixed node TCP/IP protocol data packet processing system comprising:

a TCP/IP protocol data packet radio receiver associated with a fixed node;

a TCP/IP protocol data packet radio transmitter associated with the fixed node; and

a TCP/IP protocol data packet processor including a computer associated with the fixed node and coupled to the TCP/IP protocol data packet receiver and the TCP/IP protocol data packet transmitter,

the TCP/IP protocol data packet processor configured to;

determine whether a data packet received by the data packet receiver had been previously sent by the data packet transmitter,

transmit the TCP/IP protocol data packet by the TCP/IP protocol data packet radio transmitter in response to a TCP/IP address of the data packet not being associated with the fixed node and had not been previously transmitted by the TCP/IP protocol data packet radio transmitter,

determine whether the received data packet is addressed to the fixed node as a destination and utilizing the received data packet responsive to the received data packet being addressed to the fixed node, and

the computer configured to provide a TCP/IP access to a virtual machine by loading a personal state to reinitialize the virtual machine, the personal state including a plurality of workspaces that each corresponds to one of a plurality of operating systems.