Methods and systems for an intermediate graphical desktop sharing protocol

• US 9,383,891 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skytap Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Skytap Incorporated
• Inventors: Schick, Bradley M., Novodvorskiy, Petr, Pearson, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US13/842,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20130283171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 5/00 Methods or arrangements for data conversion without changing the order or content of the data handled
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• 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

Abstract

Generating a universal graphical desktop sharing protocol is disclosed. The universal graphical desktop sharing protocol is configured to communicate information (e.g., a sequence of one or more desktop sharing events) that has been translated from a first graphical desktop sharing protocol and is available to be translated into a final graphical desktop sharing protocol.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory, computer-readable storage device having contents that, when executed by at least one data processing device, provides a universal graphical desktop sharing protocol, comprising:

receiving, from a computing resource, a connection request in a first graphical desktop sharing protocol at a time when the computing resource has not loaded a guest operating system;

receiving an indication that the computing resource is accessible via a second graphical desktop sharing protocol at a time when the computing resource has loaded at least part of the guest operating system, wherein the at least part of the guest operating system supports communication in the second graphical desktop sharing protocol;

in response to receiving a request from a client to communicate with the computing resource at a time when the second graphical desktop sharing is not accessible at guest operating system is loaded, converting a traffic stream in a third graphical desktop sharing protocol used by the client into a traffic stream that is compliant with the first graphical desktop sharing protocol; and

in response to receiving an indication from the client to communicate with the computing resource at a time when the indication of the second graphical desktop sharing protocol is received, converting the third graphical desktop sharing protocol used by the client into a traffic stream that is compliant with the second graphical desktop sharing protocol.

2. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the conversion of the third graphical desktop sharing protocol into the traffic stream compliant with the first graphical desktop sharing protocol uses an extensible protocol conversion based on the universal graphical desktop sharing protocol.

3. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising generating a visual representation of video output of the computing resource, wherein the graphical representation is displayed in order to facilitate the generation of the request or the indication that is received from the client.

4. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising updating a record to indicate whether the computing resource is available for communication in the first graphical desktop sharing protocol or the second graphical desktop sharing protocol.

5. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving one of the requests, verifying whether an entry in a record indicates that the client is authorized to communicate with the computing resource.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising verifying whether an entry in a record indicates that the client is authorized to communicate with the computing resource using the third graphical desktop sharing protocol, wherein the computing resource is a VM.

7. A computer-implemented method for providing a universal graphical desktop sharing protocol, comprising:

receiving, from a computing resource, a connection request in a first graphical desktop sharing protocol at a time when the computing resource has not loaded a guest operating system;

receiving an indication that the computing resource is accessible via a second graphical desktop sharing protocol at a time when the computing resource has loaded at least part of the guest operating system, wherein the at least part of the guest operating system supports communication in the second graphical desktop sharing protocol;

in response to receiving a request from a client to communicate with the computing resource at a time when the second graphical desktop sharing is not accessible at guest operating system is loaded, converting a traffic stream in a third graphical desktop sharing protocol used by the client into a traffic stream that is compliant with the first graphical desktop sharing protocol; and

in response to receiving an indication from the client to communicate with the computing resource at a time when the indication of the second graphical desktop sharing protocol is received, converting the third graphical desktop sharing protocol used by the client into a traffic stream that is compliant with the second graphical desktop sharing protocol.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising generating a visual representation of video output of the computing resource, wherein the graphical representation is displayed in order to facilitate the generation of the request or the indication that is received from the client.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more desktop sharing protocols is VNC and at least one other of the one or more desktop sharing protocols is RDP.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising updating a record to indicate whether the computing resource is available for communication in the first graphical desktop sharing protocol or the second graphical desktop sharing protocol.

11. One or more hardware computer systems each including at least one processor, comprising:

a means for receiving, from a computing resource, a connection request in a first graphical desktop sharing protocol at a time when the computing resource has not loaded a guest operating system;

a means for receiving an indication that the computing resource is accessible via a second graphical desktop sharing protocol at a time when the computing resource has loaded at least part of the guest operating system, wherein the at least part of the guest operating system supports communication in the second graphical desktop sharing protocol;

in response to receiving a request from a client to communicate with the computing resource at a time when the second graphical desktop sharing is not accessible at guest operating system is loaded, a means for converting a traffic stream in a third graphical desktop sharing protocol used by the client into a traffic stream that is compliant with the first graphical desktop sharing protocol; and

in response to receiving an indication from the client to communicate with the computing resource at a time when the indication of the second graphical desktop sharing protocol is received, a means for converting the third graphical desktop sharing protocol used by the client into a traffic stream that is compliant with the second graphical desktop sharing protocol.

12. The one or more hardware computer systems of claim 11, further comprising updating a record to indicate whether the computing resource is available for

communication in the first graphical desktop sharing protocol or the second graphical desktop sharing protocol.