Synchronizing history data across a virtualized web browser

• US 9,734,131 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bromium Inc (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bondalapati, Kiran, Kapoor, Vikram, Buddhiraja, Prakash, Banga, Gaurav, Pratt, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roy, Sanchita
• Application Number:
  US13/526,403
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Approaches for synchronizing history data across a virtualized web browser. When a user instructs a virtualized web browser, executing on a host operating system, to display a web page, a host module executing on the host operating system may instruct a guest module executing within a particular virtual machine to retrieve the web page. The host module may provide to the guest module history data for the virtualized web browser. History data describes browsing history for the virtualized web browser, either in the current instance or for previous instances. The guest module performs operations in accordance with the history data. When the host module receives the screen data content from the guest module, the host module instructs the virtualized web browser to display the web page using the screen data content.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums storing one or more sequences of instructions for synchronizing history data across a virtualized web browser, which when executed by one or more processors, cause:

upon a user instructing a virtualized web browser, executing on a host operating system, to display a web page, a host module executing on the host operating system instantiating one or more virtual machines and determining a composition of history data for said user to be injected into each of said one or more virtual machines based on a policy, wherein said policy specifies what types of history data should be transferred into each of said one or more virtual machines for said user without receiving a request from said one or more virtual machines to do so, and wherein each of said one or more virtual machines comprises a guest module;

after a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, of said one or more virtual machines, has been instantiated, the host module (a) instructing a first guest module executing within the first virtual machine to retrieve at least a first portion of the web page and (b) instructing a second guest module executing within the second virtual machine, of said one or more virtual machines, to retrieve at least a second portion of the web page;

upon the host module receiving rendered screen data content from at least the first guest module and the second guest module, the host module instructing the virtualized web browser to display the web page using the rendered screen data content received from at least the first guest module and the second guest module;

after the second guest module determines that a set of history data created by web browsing activity performed within said second virtual machine should be persisted, the second guest module sending a request to the host module to persistently store said set of history data; and

upon the host module determining, in consultation with said policy, the first virtual machine should retrieve web pages while possessing said set of history data, the host module providing to the first guest module, executing within the first virtual machine, said set of history data without receiving any request from the first guest module to do so, wherein the set of history data describes said web browsing activity performed by said user within said second virtual machine.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein the host module, upon receiving the set of history data, persistently stores the set of history data within a file server or a database.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein the history data describes one or more bookmarks of the user.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein the history data describes one or more URLs that were visited by the user.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein the history data describes one or more titles of web pages.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein the history data identifies one or more actions that were performed with respect to a particular tab of the virtualized web browser.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

the first guest module issuing a second request to the host module to determine if the first virtual machine may retrieve a requested web page.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 7, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

the host module consulting policy data that identifies one or more policies to determine how to respond to the second request from the first guest module.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

a web browser, executing within the first virtual machine, performing a back navigation operation or a forward navigation operation based on the set of history data received from the host module.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

a web browser, executing within the first virtual machine, displaying a set of links to visited web pages using the history data,

wherein the visited web pages includes a set of web pages which the web browser did not retrieve.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums of claim 1, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

updating the visual appearance of navigation controls of the virtualized web browser based on the availability of history data to service operations associated with the navigation controls.

12. An apparatus configured to synchronize history data across a virtualized web browser, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable mediums storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause;

upon a user instructing a virtualized web browser, executing on a host operating system, to display a web page, a host module executing on the host operating system instantiating one or more virtual machines and determining a composition of history data for said user to be injected into each of said one or more virtual machines based on a policy, wherein said policy specifies what types of history data should be transferred into each of said one or more virtual machines for said user without receiving a request from said one or more virtual machines to do so, and wherein each of said one or more virtual machines comprises a guest module;

after a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, of said one or more virtual machines, has been instantiated, the host module (a) instructing a first guest module executing within the first virtual machine to retrieve at least a first portion of the web page, and (b) instructing a second guest module executing within the second virtual machines, of said one or more virtual machines, to retrieve at least a second portion of the web page;

upon the host module receiving rendered screen data content from at least the first guest module and the second guest module, the host module instructing the virtualized web browser to display the web page using the rendered screen data content received from at least the first guest module and the second guest module;

after the second guest module determines that a set of history data created by web browsing activity performed within said second virtual machine should be persisted, the second guest module sending a request to the host module to persistently store said set of history data; and

upon the host module determining, in consultation with said policy, the first virtual machine should retrieve web pages while possessing said set of history data, the host module providing to the first guest module, executing within the first virtual machine, said set of history data without receiving a request from the first guest module to do so, wherein the set of history data describes said web browsing activity performed by said user within said second virtual machine.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

a web browser, executing within the particular virtual machine, performing a back navigation operation or a forward navigation operation based on the history data received from the host module.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

a web browser, executing within the particular virtual machine, displaying a set of links to visited web pages using the history data,

wherein the visited web pages includes a set of web pages which the web browser did not retrieve.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further causes:

updating the visual appearance of navigation controls of the virtualized web browser based on the availability of history data to service operations associated with the navigation controls.

16. A method for synchronizing history data across a virtualized web browser, comprising:

upon a virtualized web browser, executing on a host operating system, receiving an instruction to display a web page, a host module, executing on the host operating system, instantiating one or more virtual machines and determining a composition of history data for said user to be injected into each of said one or more virtual machines based on a policy, wherein said policy specifies what types of history data should be transferred into each of said one or more virtual machines for said user without receiving a request from said one or more virtual machines to do so, and wherein each of said one or more virtual machines comprises a guest module;

after a first virtual machine, of said one or more virtual machines, has been instantiated, the host module (a) instructing a first guest module executing within the first virtual machine to retrieve at least of first portion of the web page, and (b) instructing a second guest module executing within a second virtual machine, of said one or more virtual machines, to retrieve at least a second portion of the web page;

upon the host module receiving rendered screen data content from at least the first guest module and the second guest module, the host module instructing the virtualized web browser to display the web page using the rendered screen data content received from at least the first guest module and the second guest module;

after the second guest module determines that a set of history data created by web browsing activity performed within said second virtual machine should be persisted, the second guest module sending a request to the host module to persistently store said set of history data; and

upon the host module determining, in consultation with said policy, the first virtual machine should retrieve web pages while possessing said set of history data, the host module providing to the first guest module, executing within the first virtual machine, said set of history data without receiving a request from the first guest module to do so, wherein the set of history data describes said web browsing activity performed by said user within said second virtual machine.