SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF MULTIPLE COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20090328033A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kidaro (Israel) Ltd.
• Inventors: Oelgiesser, Ran, Kohavi, Ran, Levy, Yizhak
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/508 Monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals

Abstract

A unification system for integrating multiple computing environments, which are available for simultaneous use by a single user, into a base environment includes a unification supervisor and a plurality of agents, where each agent is associated with a respective computing environment. The unification supervisor monitors information received from the agents regarding the multiple computing environments, and performs centralized direction of the computing environments in accordance with the received information. The centralized direction serves to incorporate the other computing environments into the base environment, and may be guided by policies designed to provide the user with a unified environment. The unification supervisor also issues instructions to the various agents. Each of the agents provides information regarding a respective computing environment to the unification supervisor, and may also manage the respective computing environment as directed by the unification supervisor. The base environment is typically the user'"'"'s endpoint work environment.

Claims

1. A unification system for integrating a plurality of computing environments, wherein said plurality of computing environments are available for simultaneous use by a single user, and wherein one of said plurality of environments comprises a user base environment, comprising:

a plurality of agents, wherein each of said agents is associated with a respective computing environment and is configured for providing information regarding said respective computing environment; and

a unification supervisor in communication with said plurality of agents, configured for receiving said information from said plurality of agents, for performing centralized direction of said plurality of computing environments in accordance with said received information and so as to incorporate computing environments other than said base environment into said base environment, and for issuing instructions to said plurality of agents to carry out said direction,

thereby to provide said user with a unified work environment.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said computing environments comprises a virtual environment.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said base environment comprises a user host environment and at least one of said plurality of computing environments comprises a virtual environment running on top of said user host environment.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said computing environments comprises a remote desktop.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least two of said computing environments operate with different operating systems.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein an agent is resident upon said respective computing environment.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor is resident upon one of said computing environments.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor is resident upon said base environment.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said unification supervisor and said agents is further operable to tag data by addition of metadata.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor comprises a file system unifier, and wherein said file system unifier is configured for incorporating the respective file systems of said computing environments other than said base environment into a file system of said base environment, and for enabling access to said file system of said base environment from said computing environments other than said base environment, thereby providing said user with unified access to a respective file system of each of said plurality of computing environments.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said file system unifier is operable to enforce a permissions policy for file access by each of said plurality of computing environments.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said file system unifier comprises a file transformer, configured for transforming files being transferred between said file system of said base environment and a file system of another of said plurality of computing environments.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein said permissions policy is in accordance with file access parameters comprising at least one of a group consisting of:

a file type, a folder, a drive type, a path, user, an environment the file was created in, an environment the file was last modified in, and a tag.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor comprises an access delegation manager configured for delegating operations to a suitable one of said plurality of computing environments.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said access delegation manger is further configured to monitor user operations on said computing environments, and to select a suitable environment for a current user operation in accordance with an access policy.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein said access delegation manger is further configured to block a processing task from being performed upon an unsuitable computing environment.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein said access delegation manger is configured to select a suitable environment for a current file-processing operation in accordance with parameters comprising at least one of a group consisting of:

file name, file extension, file content, file owner, drive type, file type, permissions and a tag.

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein said access delegation manger is configured to select a suitable environment for a current web access operation in accordance with environment selection parameters comprising at least one of a group consisting of:

domain, address format, protocol, access permissions, a tag, and communication characteristics.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor comprises a data transfer filter configured for controlling data transfer operations between said plurality of computing environments in accordance with a data transfer policy.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein said data transfer filter is operable to block a data transfer operation.

23. A system according to claim 21, wherein said data transfer filter comprises a data transformer, configured for transforming data being transferred between said plurality of computing environments.

24. A system according to claim 21, wherein a data transfer operation comprises one of a group consisting of:

file transfer between said plurality of computing environments, copy operation, paste operation, drag and drop operation, printing operations, data transfer to a device, data transfer from a device, data transfer to or from a resource, and user settings synchronization.

25. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor comprises a user settings synchronizer configured for maintaining user settings consistency between said base environment and said computing environments other than said base environment.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein said maintaining is applied on a per-environment basis.

27. A system according to claim 25, wherein said maintaining is applied on a per-setting basis.

28. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor comprises an application execution manager configured for enabling execution of an application of a computing environment other than said base environment from said base environment.

29. A system according to claim 28, wherein said application execution manager is operable to establish an execution command to run said application within said computing environments other than said base environment, such that said application is executed when said execution command is triggered from said base environment.

30. A system according to claim 1, wherein said unification supervisor comprises a desktop unifier configured for incorporating respective desktops of computing environments other than said base environment into a desktop of said base environment.

31. A system according to claim 30, wherein said desktop unifier is configured to combine active windows of said computing environments into an integrated visual image.

32. A system according to claim 31, wherein said desktop unifier is configured to perform said combining out of band.

33. A system according to claim 30, wherein said desktop unifier is configured to incorporate taskbars of said computing environments into a taskbar of said base system.

34. A system according to claim 30, wherein said desktop unifier is configured to provide unified user input and controls for said unified desktop.

35. A system according to claim 30 wherein said desktop unifier is configured to combine tray icons of said multiple computing environments into a tray icons area of said base desktop environment.

36. A system according to claim 30, wherein said desktop unifier is further configured to synchronize desktop parameters on said computing environments other than said base environment with respective parameters of said desktop of said base environment.

2-3. -3. (canceled)

37. A method for integrating a plurality of computing environments into a single unified environment, wherein said plurality of computing environments are available for simultaneous use by a single user, and wherein one of said plurality of environments comprises a user base environment, comprising:

monitoring information received from each of said computing environments regarding an ongoing status of the respective computing environment; and

performing centralized direction of said plurality of computing environments in accordance with said received information so as to incorporate computing environments other than said base environment into said base environment, thereby to provide said user with a unified work environment.

39. A method according to claim 37, wherein at least one of said computing environments comprises a virtual environment.

40. A method according the claim 39, wherein one of said plurality of computing environments comprises a hosting physical computing environment supporting said virtual environment.

41. A method according to claim 37, wherein said information is provided by an agent associated with a respective computing environment.

42. A method according to claim 37, further comprising incorporating the respective file systems of said computing environments other than said base environment into a file system of said base environment in accordance with a permissions policy, thereby providing said user with unified access to a respective file system of each of said plurality of computing environments.

43. A method according to claim 37, further comprising delegating operations to a suitable one of said plurality of computing environments, wherein said suitable computing environment is selected.

44. A method according to claim 37, further comprising controlling data transfer between said plurality of computing environments.

45. A method according to claim 44, further comprising transforming data being transferred between said plurality of computing environments.

46. A method according to claim 37, further comprising maintaining user settings consistency between said base environment and computing environments other than said base environment.

47. A method according to claim 37, further comprising enabling execution of an application of a computing environment other than said base environment from said base environment.

48. A method according to claim 37, further comprising integrating respective desktops of said plurality of computing environments into a desktop of said base environment.

38. (canceled)

49. A computer readable medium carrying a software agent for placing in a computing environment, the software agent comprising:

an information gatherer, configured for gathering information regarding an ongoing status of said computing environment; and

an information provider associated with said information gatherer, configured for outputting said gathered information, so as to allow said computing environment to interact with a unification system for incorporating multiple computing environments into a user base environment.