ON-DEMAND DISPOSABLE VIRTUAL WORK SYSTEM

• US 20090125902A1
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: George Mason Research Foundation Inc.
• Original Assignee: George Mason Research Foundation Inc.
• Inventors: Jajodia, Sushil, Huang, Yih, Wang, Jiang, Ghosh, Anup K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,856,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

An on-demand disposable virtual work system that includes: a virtual machine monitor to host virtual machines, a virtual machine pool manager, a host operating system, a host program permissions list, and a request handler module. The virtual machine pool manager manages virtual machine resources. The host operating system interfaces with a user and virtual machines created with an image of a reference operating system. The host program permissions list may be a black list and/or a white list used to indicate allowable programs. The request handler module allows execution of the program if the program is allowable. If the program is not allowable, the host request handler module: denies program execution and urges a virtual machine specified by the virtual machine pool manager to execute the program. The virtual machine is terminated when the program closes.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium containing a series of instructions that when executed by one or more processors in a computing machine causes the one or more processors to implement a method for an on-demand disposable virtual work system, the method comprising:

a. receiving a program execution request to run a program;

b. permitting the program execution request to execute if a host program permissions list gives the program permission to execute; and

c. if the host program permissions list does not give the program permission to execute;

i. denying program execution on the host operating system; and

ii. urging a guest virtual machine specified by a designated application-to-virtual-machine table to execute the program by sending the program execution request to the guest virtual machine designated by the application-to-virtual-machine table.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the host program permissions list at least one of the following:

a. a white list that gives permission for all listed programs to execute on the host operating system; and

b. a black list that does not give permission for all listed programs to execute on the host operating system and designates the listed programs to execute on guest virtual machines;

or

c. a combination of the above.

3. The method according to claim 1, further including terminating the guest virtual machine after at least one of the following events:

a. the program is closed;

b. a user request;

c. a preset time has expired;

or

d. a combination of the above.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including creating the guest virtual machine when there is no available guest virtual machine, the guest virtual machine having a pristine operating system that is at least one of the following:

a. an image of a unspoiled reference operating system;

b. a snapshot of a unspoiled operating system that is running; and

c. a snapshot of a unspoiled operating system that is running with an application;

or

d. a combination of the above.

5. The method according to claim 1, further including creating a guest virtual machine associated with a program in anticipation of a program execution request to run the program.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the guest virtual machine is configured to only execute one program at a time.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a. the guest virtual machine is configured to execute multiple programs at a time; and

b. the guest virtual machine is only terminated after all of the multiple programs are closed.

8. The method according to claim 1, further including the program on the guest virtual machine saving data to a limited access persistent file server external to the guest virtual machine.

9. The method according to claim 1, further including urging a second guest virtual machine associated with a second program to execute the second program by sending the second program execution request to the second guest virtual machine.

10. The method according to claim 9, further including the guest virtual machine:

a. receiving the program execution request to run the program;

b. permitting the program execution request to execute if a second host program permissions list gives the program permission to execute; and

c. denying program execution if the second host program permissions list does not give the program permission to execute.

11. The method according to claim 9, further including terminating the second guest virtual machine after at least one of the following events:

a. the program is closed;

b. a user request;

c. a preset time has expired;

or

d. a combination of the above.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the urging of a guest virtual machine to execute the program by sending the program execution request to the guest virtual machine includes urging a guest virtual machine associated with the program to execute the program by sending the program execution request to the guest virtual machine associated with the program.

13. The method according to claim 12, further including creating the guest virtual machine associated with the program when there is no guest virtual machine associated with the program, the guest virtual machine associated with the program having a pristine operating system.

14. An on-demand disposable virtual work system, comprising:

a. a virtual machine monitor configured to host a multitude of virtual machines on a physical computing machine, the multitude of virtual machines including at least one guest virtual machine;

b. a virtual machine pool manager, the virtual machine pool manager configured to manage virtual machine resources;

c. a host operating system, the host operating system configured to interface with a user and at least one guest virtual machine;

d. at least one image of a reference operating system accessible by the host operating system;

e. a host program permissions list configured to store a list programs;

f. a request handler module configured to;

i. receive a program execution request to run a program;

ii. permitting the program execution request to execute if the host program permissions list gives the program permission to execute; and

iii. if the host program permissions list does not give the program permission to execute;

1. denying program execution; and

2. urging a guest virtual machine to execute the program by sending the program execution request to a guest virtual machine if specified by the virtual machine pool manager.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the host program permissions list at least one of the following:

a. a white list that gives permission for all listed programs to execute on the host operating system; and

b. a black list that does not give permission for all listed programs to execute and designates the listed programs to execute on guest virtual machines;

or

c. a combination of the above.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein the request handler module is further configured to:

a. receive a file access request;

b. if the file access request is directed to local storage, directing the file access request to the local storage;

c. if the file access request is directed to persistent storage, forwarding the file access request to the persistent storage if there is authorization to interact with the persistent storage.

17. A system according to claim 14, wherein the host operating system runs on at least one of the following:

a. a virtual machine; and

b. on the computing machine;

or

c. a combination of the above.

18. A system according to claim 14, wherein the virtual monitor runs on at least one of the following:

a. a virtual machine; and

b. on the computing machine;

or

c. a combination of the above.

19. A system according to claim 14, wherein the request handler module is:

a. configured to intercept system calls; and

b. allows execution of the program by forwarding program execution requests to the host operating system.

20. A system according to claim 14, further including a persistent file server module configured to allow controlled access to persistent file storage remote to at least one guest virtual machine.

21. A system according to claim 14, wherein the image of the reference operating system is one of the following:

a. an image of a pristine reference operating system;

b. a snapshot of a pristine operating system that is running;

or

c. a snapshot of a pristine operating system that is running with an application.

22. A system according to claim 14, wherein the virtual machine pool manager is configured to manage virtual machine resources by performing at least one of the following:

a. creating at least one virtual machine;

b. putting at least one virtual machines to sleep;

c. associating at least one virtual machines with a program;

d. assigning a program execution request to at least one virtual machine;

e. terminating at least one virtual machine;

f. waking-up at least one virtual machine;

g. receiving program execution requests from the host request handler module;

h. responding to a program execution request from the host request handler module;

i. receiving a program execution request from at least one virtual machine; and

j. responding to a program execution request from a guest request handler module.

23. A system according to claim 14, wherein at least one guest virtual machine includes:

a. a guest program permissions list configured to store a second list programs;

b. a guest request handler module configured to;

i. receive the program execution request to run a program;

ii. allowing execution of the program if the guest program permissions list gives the program permission to execute; and

iii. denying program execution if the host program permissions list does not give the program permission to execute.

24. A system according to claim 14, further including terminating the at least one guest virtual machines when at least one of the following events occurs:

a. the program is closed;

b. a user request;

c. a preset time has expired;

or

d. a combination of the above.