APPLICATION CONTEXT TRANSFER FOR DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING RESOURCES

• US 20130212212A1
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Addepalli, Sateesh K., Sudhaakar, Raghuram S., Vasseur, Jean-Philippe, Bonomi, Flavio
• Granted Patent: US 9,507,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4862 the task being a mobile agent, i.e. specifically designed to migrate

Abstract

In one embodiment, a universal programming module on a first device collects context and state information from a local application executing on the first device, and provides the context and state information to a context mobility agent on the first device. The context mobility agent establishes a peer-to-peer connection with a second device, and transfers the context and state information to the second device, such that a remote application may be configured to execute according to the transferred context and state information from the first device. In another embodiment, the context mobility agent receives remote context and remote state information from the second device, wherein the remote application had been executing according to the remote context and remote state information, and provides the remote context and remote state information to the universal programming module to configure the local application to execute according to the remote context and remote state information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting, by a universal programming module on a first device, context and state information from a local application executing on the first device;

providing the context and state information from the universal programming module to a context mobility agent on the first device;

establishing a peer-to-peer connection between the first device and a second device by the context mobility agent; and

transferring the context and state information from the first device to the second device over the connection, wherein a remote application is configured to execute according to the transferred context and state information from the first device.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the context mobility agent, remote context and remote state information from the second device, wherein the remote application had been executing according to the remote context and remote state information;

providing the remote context and remote state information from the context mobility agent to the universal programming module; and

configuring the local application to execute according to the remote context and remote state information.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

converting the context and state information from a platform specific format for the local application into a generic format prior to transferring the context and state information.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

approving transferring the context and state information from the first device to the second device over the connection prior to the transferring.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

discovering at least one of either the second device or the remote application through a registration protocol.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

ceasing execution of the local application in response to transferring the context and state information from the first device to the second device over the connection.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

ceasing execution of the local application in response to confirmation that the remote application is executing according to the transferred context and state information from the first device.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the second device is an intermediate device between the first device and a remote device on which the remote application is configured to execute.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the second device is configured to transfer the context and state information from the first device to the remote device in response to a trigger.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the context mobility agent is configured to transfer the context and state information to the second device in response to a trigger.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the trigger is selected from a group consisting of:

a user input on the first device;

a user input on the second device;

a user input on a remote device on which the remote application is configured to execute;

a user input on a third device on which the remote application is not configured to execute;

activation of the remote application; and

detection of the second device by the first device.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein context and state information are selected from a group consisting of:

device location;

user credentials;

current application execution state;

data;

cookies;

cursor location; and

visual head-end data.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first and second devices are selected independently from a group consisting of:

a personal computer;

a mobile phone;

a gaming system;

a portable personal computer;

a set-top box;

a television; and

a vehicle.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a context mobility agent on a first device, remote context and remote state information from a second device, wherein the remote application had been executing according to the remote context and remote state information;

providing the remote context and remote state information from the context mobility agent to a universal programming module on the first device; and

configuring a local application executing on the first device to execute according to the remote context and remote state information.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein configuring comprises:

converting the remote context and remote state information from a generic format into a platform specific format for the local application.

16. The method as in claim 14, further comprising:

approving the remote context and remote state information prior to configuring the local application to execute according to the remote context and remote state information.

17. The method as in claim 14, further comprising:

confirming to the remote application that the local application is executing according to the received remote context and remote state information from the second device.

18. A method, comprising:

providing, by an intermediate device, network access for a first device and a second device, wherein a first application is configured to execute on the first device and a second application is configured to execute on the second device;

receiving, at the intermediate device from the first device, context and state information of the first application executing on the first device;

transferring the context and state information from the first device to the second device by the intermediate device, wherein the second application is configured to execute according to the transferred context and state information from the first device.

19. The method as in claim 18, further comprising:

storing updated received context and state information from the first device; and

transferring the context and state information of the first device to the second device by the intermediate device in response to a trigger.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate with a computer network;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes;

a memory configured to store a local application executable by the processor, the application when executed having associated context and state information;

a universal programming module configured to collect the context and state information from the local application and to provide the context and state information; and

a context mobility agent configured to receive the context and state information from the universal programming module, to establish a peer-to-peer connection with a remote device, and to transfer the context and state information to the remote device over the connection, wherein a remote application is configured to execute according to the transferred context and state information.

21. The apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the context mobility agent is further configured to receive remote context and remote state information from the remote device, wherein the remote application had been executing according to the remote context and remote state information, and also configured to provide the remote context and remote state information to the universal programming module, and wherein the universal programming module is further configured to configure the local application to execute according to the remote context and remote state information.

22. The apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the context mobility agent is further configured to convert context and state information between a platform specific format for the local application and a generic format.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate with a computer network and to provide network access for a first device and a second device, wherein a first application is configured to execute on the first device and a second application is configured to execute on the second device;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

receive context and state information of the first application executing on the first device; and

transfer the context and state information from the first device to the second device, wherein the second application is configured to execute according to the transferred context and state information from the first device.

24. The apparatus as in claim 23, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

store updated received context and state information from the first device; and

transfer the context and state information of the first device to the second device in response to a trigger.