Enterprise application store for an orchestration framework for connected devices

• US 9,053,340 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Borzycki, Andrew, Deva, Mallikharjuna Reddy, Gajendar, Uday Nandigam, Roychoudhry, Anil
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US13/963,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms

Abstract

Aspects described herein allow multiple devices to function as a coherent whole, allowing each device to take on distinct functions that are complementary to one another. Aspects described herein also allow the devices function as a coherent whole when interconnected devices and their respective applications are configured to operate in various operation modes, when management policies are employed to control the operation of the interconnected devices and their respective applications, when transferring content between the interconnected devices and storing the content at those devices, when obtaining access credentials for the interconnected devices that enable the devices to access enterprise resources, when a policy agent applies management policies to control operation of and interaction between the interconnected devices, and when the interconnected devices are used to access an enterprise application store.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

interconnecting a plurality of computing devices through an orchestration framework such that functionality associated with a computing activity is assignable to one or more of the computing devices;

connecting the plurality of computing devices to an application store configured to deliver one or more applications to individual computing devices of the plurality of computing devices;

receiving from a first computing device a request to assign functionality associated with the computing activity to a second computing device that does not include an application configured to perform the functionality assigned;

maintaining a management policy that indicates whether the second computing device is permitted to receive the application from the application store and is permitted to perform the functionality assigned;

modifying the application to include a policy agent before delivering the application to the second computing device such that execution of the application becomes subject to the management policy which is enforced by the policy agent at the second computing device; and

determining whether to deliver the application from the application store to the second computing device

initiating delivery of the application from the application store to the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the second computing device is permitted to receive the application based on the management policy; and

wherein initiating delivery of the application to the second computing device is in response to a determination that the second computing device is permitted to receive the application;

determining not to deliver the application to the second computing device responsive to a determination that the second computing device is not permitted to receive the application.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the second computing device is permitted to perform the functionality assigned based on the management policy; and

wherein initiating delivery of the application to the second computing device is in response to a determination that the second computing device is permitted to perform the functionality assigned;

determining not to deliver the application to the second computing device responsive to a determination that the second computing device is not permitted to perform the functionality assigned.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

instructing the second computing device to perform the functionality assigned using the application delivered to the second computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recommending the application for delivery to the second computing device based on a capability of the second computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the application delivered to the second computing device is a client agent configured to provide access to a virtualized application that is configured to perform the functionality assigned and that executes at a remotely-located computing device relative to the second computing device.

7. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

an application store configured to deliver one or more applications to individual computing devices of a plurality of computing devices; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to

interconnect the plurality of computing devices through an orchestration framework such that functionality associated with a computing activity is assignable to one or more of the computing devices,

receive a request from a first computing device to assign functionality associated with the computing activity to a second computing device that does not include an application configured to perform the functionality assigned,

maintain a management policy that indicates whether the second computing device is permitted to receive the application from the application store and is permitted to perform the functionality assigned;

modify the application to include a policy agent before delivering the application to the second computing device such that execution of the application becomes subject to the management policy which is enforced by the policy agent at the second computing device; and

determine whether to deliver the application from the application store to the second computing device, and

initiate delivery of the application from the application store to the second computing device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to recommend one or more applications for delivery to the second computing device based on a capability of the second computing device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

recommend one or more applications for presenting video content responsive to a determination that the second computing device is capable of presenting video content;

recommend one or more applications for presenting audio content responsive to a determination that the second computing device is capable of presenting audio content; and

recommend one or more applications for document editing responsive to a determination that the second computing device is capable of editing a document.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

initiate delivery of a client agent from the application store to the second computing device responsive to a determination that the second computing device is not permitted to receive the application or responsive to a determination that the second computing device is not permitted to perform the functionality assigned; and

configure the client agent to provide access to a virtualized application that is configured to perform the functionality assigned and that executes at a remotely-located computing device relative to the second computing device.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the application store tracks which applications are delivered to individual computing devices of the plurality of computing devices.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device to:

connect to one or more computing devices through an orchestration framework such that functionality associated with a computing activity is assignable to one or more of the computing devices;

connect to an application store configured to deliver one or more applications to the computing device and the one or more computing devices;

submit a request via the orchestration framework to perform functionality associated with the computing activity at a selected computing device of the one or more computing devices that does not include an application configured to perform the functionality assigned;

wherein the orchestration framework is configured to i) maintain a management policy that indicates whether the selected computing device is permitted to receive the application and is permitted to perform the functionality assigned, ii) modify the application to include a policy agent before delivering the application to the selected computing device such that execution of the application becomes subject to the management policy which is enforced by the policy agent at the selected computing device, and iii) instruct the application store to deliver the application to the selected computing device.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 12 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:

display a list of computing devices available for selection as the selected computing device; and

wherein the list of computing devices is based on the management policy such that the list of computing devices includes one or more computing devices that are permitted to receive the application from the application store and excludes any computing devices that are not permitted to receive the application from the application store.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 13 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:

display a list of computing devices available for selection as the selected computing device; and

wherein the list of computing devices is based on the management policy such that the list of computing devices includes one or more computing devices that are permitted to perform the functionality assigned and excludes any computing devices that are not permitted to perform the functionality assigned.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 12 wherein the functionality assigned is presentation of content associated with the computing activity at the selected computing device.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 12 wherein the orchestration framework is configured to interconnect the computing device and the one or more computing devices via at least one of a client-server communication session, a peer-to-peer communication session, and combinations thereof.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 12 wherein the application delivered to the selected computing device is a client agent configured to provide access to a virtualized application that is configured to perform the functionality assigned and that executes at a remotely-located computing device relative to the selected computing device.