State separation for applications

• US 8,984,512 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2013
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sheehan, John M, Reierson, Kristofer H
• Primary Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US13/907,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20130263134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1, 718/100, 718/108, 713/100
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines

Abstract

Application states may be stored and retrieved using policies that define various contexts in which the application is used. The application states may define configurations or uses of the application, including connections to and interactions with other applications. Applications that are virtualized may have state that is defined within a usage context and multiple states or configurations may be stored and recalled based on the usage context. Policies may define the context and what parameters are to be saved, and may be applied when applications are operated in a virtualized manner.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

applying a configuration to an application;

detecting a change to the application executing on a device subsequent to applying the configuration, the executing application having the configuration and a first state, the change defining a second state for the application;

determining a context for the second state; and

dispositioning the change based on the context as defined in a policy for the context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application includes a plurality of external resources including one or more of:

a virtual machine, an operating system, and a network service.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting metadata associated with the detected change; and

using the metadata to define the second state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein collecting metadata comprises collecting metadata about a session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a change to an application executing on a device comprises detecting a change to a virtual application executing on the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a context for the second state comprises determining a context that includes parameters of an operating system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the configuration comprises applying one or more of:

a company-wide configuration and a user-specific configuration.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said context comprises at least one of:

a session specific context, a cross machine context, and a virtual context.

8. A computer program product having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to perform a method including the following:

detect a change to an application executing on a device, the executing application having a configuration and a first state, the executing application integrated with a second application, the change affecting a resource included in the application and defining a second state;

determine a context for the second state; and

disposition the change based on the context.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the application includes a plurality of external resources including one or more of:

a virtual machine, an operating system, a network service, and the second application.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to:

collect metadata associated with the detected change; and

use the metadata to define the second state.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system to collect metadata comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to collect metadata about a session.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to detect a change to an application executing on a device comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to detect a change to a virtual application executing on the device.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to determine a context for the second state comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to determine a context that includes parameters of an operating system.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to apply the configuration to the application prior to detecting the change in the application.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to applying the configuration comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to apply one or more of:

a company-wide configuration and a user-specific configuration.

16. A method comprising:

detecting a change to an application executing on a device, the executing application having a configuration and a first state, the executing application including a second application, the change affecting a resource included in the application and defining a second state;

determining a context for the second state; and

dispositioning the change based on the context.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the affected resource is one of a plurality of resources included in the application, the plurality of resources also including the second application.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising applying the configuration to the application prior to detecting the change in the application, the configuration including at least one of:

a company-wide configuration and a user-specific configuration.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein dispositioning the change based on the context comprises storing the change as defined in a policy for the context.