Event-responsive download of portions of streamed applications

• US 9,516,094 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: McDiarmid, Trevor, Brar, Gurashish, Yap, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US13/474,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44557 Code layout in executable memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Disclosed here are implementations involving an application program that includes an event handling portion. The event handling portion monitors for an event associated with execution of an initial portion of the application program downloaded with the event handling portion that involves an additional portion of the application program not yet downloaded. In response to detecting the event, the execution of the initial portion of the application program is paused by the event handler and downloading of the additional portion is initiated. Upon downloading the additional portion of the application program, execution of the initial portion of the application program can resume.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer readable storage devices;

a computing system operatively coupled with the one or more computer readable storage devices; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices and comprising at least an event handling portion of an application program for facilitating streaming of the application program that, when executed by the computing system directs the computing system to at least;

monitor for an event associated with execution of an initial portion of the application program downloaded with the event handling portion, wherein the event comprises an access violation triggered by an execution jump to a portion of memory that is restricted and that involves an additional portion of the application program not yet downloaded to the computing system;

in response to detecting the access violation, pause the execution of the initial portion of the application program and initiate downloading of the additional portion of the application program to the computing system; and

upon downloading the additional portion of the application program to the computing system, resume the execution of the initial portion of the application program that involves the additional portion of the application program;

wherein the access violation corresponds to an access restricted page within a range of virtual memory allocated to the application program, wherein the access restricted page comprises a page loaded into the range of virtual memory but not accessible by the initial portion of the application, wherein the access violation is not a page fault, and wherein to monitor for the event, the event handling portion of the application program directs the computing system to at least;

receive a notification of the access violation from an operating system element that the access violation occurred.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the event handler portion of the application program, when executed by the computing system, further directs the computing system to identify the additional portion from remaining portions of the application program yet to be downloaded corresponding to the access restricted page.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the additional portion of the application program comprises executable code.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the additional portion of the application program comprises non-executable data to be processed by the initial portion of the application program.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the access violation comprises an attempt to read data from the additional portion of the application program.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, with the one or more computer readable storage devices having stored thereon the initial portion of the application program that, when executed by the computing system, directs the computing system to map the event handler portion and the initial portion of the application program within a range of the memory allocated to the application program.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the initial portion of the application program, when executed by the computing system, directs the computing system to map the additional portion of the application program within the range of the memory allocated to the application program, wherein the memory comprises virtual memory.

8. A method for facilitating streaming of an application program comprising an event handling portion, an initial portion, and an additional portion, the method comprising:

downloading a boot block from a network location to a computing system, wherein the boot block includes the event handling portion and the initial portion of the application program; and

during execution of the application program, detecting an event comprising an access violation triggered by an execution jump to a portion of memory that is restricted and is associated with execution of the initial portion involving the additional portion;

responsive to detecting the event, downloading the additional portion from the network location to the computing system;

wherein the access violation corresponds to an access restricted page within a range of virtual memory allocated to the application program, wherein the access restricted page comprises a page loaded into the range of virtual memory but not accessible by the initial portion of the application, wherein the access violation is not a page fault, and wherein to monitor for the event, the event handling portion of the application program directs the computing system to at least;

receive a notification of the access violation from an operating system element that the access violation occurred.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

monitoring for the access violation associated with the execution of the initial portion that involves the additional portion of the application program;

in response to detecting the access violation, pausing the execution of the initial portion of the application program and initiating the downloading of the additional portion of the application program to the computing system; and

upon downloading the additional portion of the application program to the computing system, resuming the execution of the initial portion of the application program that involves the additional portion of the application program.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the access violation corresponds to an access restricted page within a range of the memory allocated to the application program.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising identifying the additional portion from a remainder of the application program yet to be downloaded that corresponds to the access restricted page.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the additional portion of the application program comprises at least one of executable code and non-executable data to be processed by the initial portion of the application program.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the access violation associated with the execution of the initial portion of the application program comprises an attempt to read data from the additional portion of the application program.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising mapping the event handler portion and the initial portion of the application program within a range of virtual memory allocated to the application program and mapping the additional portion of the application program within the range of virtual memory allocated to the application program.

15. One or more computer readable storage devices having stored thereon at least an event handling portion of an application program for facilitating streaming of the application program that when executed by a computing system directs the computing system to at least:

during execution of the initial portion of the application downloaded with the event handling portion, monitor for an access violation triggered by an execution jump to a portion of memory that is restricted and that involves a first additional portion of the application program not yet downloaded to the computing system;

in response to detecting the access violation, pause the execution of the initial portion of the application program and initiate a download of the first additional portion of the application program to the computing system; and

upon downloading the first additional portion of the application program to the computing system, resume the execution of the initial portion of the application program;

wherein the access violation corresponds to an access restricted page within a range of virtual memory allocated to the application program, wherein the access restricted page comprises a page loaded into the range of virtual memory but not accessible by the initial portion of the application, wherein the access violation is not a page fault, and wherein to monitor for the event, the event handling portion of the application program directs the computing system to at least;

receive a notification of the access violation from an operating system element that the access violation occurred.

16. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 15 wherein the event handler instructions, when executed by the computing system, further direct the computing system to:

monitor for an attempt to read data from a second additional portion of the application program yet to be downloaded;

in response to detecting the attempt to read the data from the second additional portion of the application program, pause the execution of the initial portion of the application program and initiate a download of the second additional portion of the application program to the computing system; and

upon downloading the second additional portion of the application program to the computing system, resume the execution of the initial portion of the application program.

17. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 16 wherein the event handler portion of the application program, when executed by the computing system, further directs the computing system to identify the additional portion from remaining portions of the application program yet to be downloaded that corresponds to an access restricted page.

18. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 16 wherein the first additional portion of the application program comprises executable code and wherein the second additional portion of the application program comprises non-executable data to be processed by the initial portion of the application program.

19. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 15 having stored thereon the initial portion of the application program that, when executed by the computing system, directs the computing system to map the event handler portion, the initial portion, and the additional portion of the application program within a range of the memory allocated to the application program.