Hosted application sandbox model

• US 9,197,417 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ghanaie-Sichanie, Arash, Augustine, Matthew S., Shukla, Dharma K., Burdick, Matthew J., S, Hari Krishnan
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US12/429,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,405 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/229, 713/167
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

An application host (such as a web application server) may execute a set of applications on behalf of a set of users. Such applications may not be fully trusted, and a two-way isolation of the distributed resources of an application (e.g., the executing application, the application user interface on the user'"'"'s computer, and server- and client-side stored resources) from other applications may be desirable. This isolation may be promoted utilizing the cross-domain restriction policies of each user'"'"'s computer by allocating a distinct subdomain of the application host for each application. The routing of network requests to a large number of distinct subdomains may be economized by mapping all distinct subdomains to the address of the domain of the application host. Moreover, the application user interfaces may be embedded in an isolation construct (e.g., an IFRAME HTML element) to promote two-way isolation among application user interfaces and client-side application resources.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a server having a processor and a network address to execute at least two instances of an application on behalf of a user of a device accessible over a network through a routing table, the method comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to;

responsive to receiving the application;

store the application; and

allocate at least two subdomains of the server for respective instances of the application, where the at least two subdomains are mapped to the network address of the server through one routing rule in the routing table; and

responsive to receiving a request to execute the application on behalf of the user;

among the at least two subdomains allocated for the respective instances of the application, select a selected subdomain that has not been selected for another instance of the application;

instantiating a new instance of the application on the processor; and

serve an application user interface of the new instance of the application to the device of the user through the selected subdomain serving the application user interface of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the server further comprises a web application server;

the application further comprises a web application;

the device of the user further comprises a web browser; and

the application user interface further comprises a web page embedding the application sent to the device, the web page to be rendered in the web browser.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein serving the application user interface to the user comprises:

presenting to the user the application user interface within the web browser within an isolation construct configured to isolate the application user interface from other applications executing on the device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the isolation construct further comprises a hypertext markup language IFRAME element associated with the selected subdomain.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a first instance of the application is executed on behalf of a first user, and

a second instance of the application is executed on behalf of a second user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before executing the application, authenticate the user according to at least one user authentication credential received from the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the instructions are configured to:

present to the user a user login interface configured to receive from the user at least one user login credential, and

responsive to receiving from the user the at least one user login credential;

verify the at least one user login credential, and

upon verifying the at least one user login credential;

generate the at least one user authentication credential, and

send to the device of the user the at least one user authentication credential.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before executing the application, authenticate the application according to at least one application authentication credential received from the application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the server has access to a computing environment store configured to store at least one data object comprising a computing environment of the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the application further comprises instructions configured to perform at least one operation applicable to the computing environment of the user according to at least one permission;

the device of the user is configured to store at least one permission token representing a permission to apply the at least one operation of the application to the computing environment of the user; and

executing the application further comprises;

receiving the at least one permission token with the request to execute the application on behalf of the user;

validating the at least one permission token; and

upon validating the at least one permission token, applying the operation of the application to the computing environment of the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the server further comprises a web application server;

the application further comprising a web application;

the at least one permission token further comprises a permission cookie; and

the device of the user having a web browser is configured to;

store the permission cookie, and

send the permission cookie to the web application server with the request to execute the application.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further configured to, responsive to receiving from the user an authorization of the permission to apply the at least one operation of the application to the computing environment:

generate the permission token indicating the permission to apply the at least one operation of the application to the computing environment, and

send the permission token to the device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further configured to, upon receiving a request from the user to install the application, install the application within the computing environment of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further configured to present to the user at least one application stored in an application store and installable within the computing environment of the user.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further configured to, responsive to receiving an application from an application developer:

store the application in an application store, and

allocate the selected subdomain of the server for the application.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured to, responsive to receiving the application from the application developer, issue to the application at least one application authentication credential.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the application is further configured to perform at least one operation applicable to the computing environment of the user according to at least one permission, and

the instructions are further configured to, while installing the application on behalf of the user;

present to the user at least one permission request query requesting an authorization of the permission of the application, and

upon receiving the authorization from the user, store the authorization.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to, responsive to receiving the application, create in the routing table the one routing rule that routes the at least two subdomains allocated for the respective instances of the application to the server.

19. A server that executes at least two instances of an application on behalf of a user of a device, the server comprising:

a processor;

a network adapter communicating with the device over a network through a routing table, wherein the server is identified to the device by a network address; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, provide a system comprising;

an application domain allocator that, responsive to receiving an application, allocates at least two subdomains of the server for respective instances of the application, where the at least two subdomains are mapped to the network address of the server through one routing rule in the routing table; and

an application instantiator that, responsive to receiving a request to execute the application on behalf of the user;

among the at least two subdomains allocated for instances of the application, selects a selected distinct subdomain that has not been selected for another instance of the application;

instantiates a new instance of the application on the processor; and

serves an application user interface of the new instance of the application to the device of the user through the selected subdomain.

20. A memory device storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a server having a network address and an application store, cause the at least one processor to execute an application on behalf of a user of a device by:

responsive to receiving the application;

storing the application in the application store;

allocating at least two subdomains of the server for respective instances of the application, where the at least two subdomains are mapped to the network address of the system through one routing rule in the routing table; and

responsive to receiving a request to execute the application on behalf of the user;

among the at least two subdomains allocated for the respective instances of the application, select a selected subdomain that has not been selected for another instance of the application;

instantiating a new instance of the application on the device; and

serving an application user interface of the new instance of the application to the device of the user through the selected subdomain.