METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR BUILDING AND DISTRIBUTING APPLICATION PROFILES VIA THE INTERNET

• US 20160373526A1
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Code Systems Incorporated (VOXX International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Code Systems Incorporated (VOXX International Corporation)
• Inventors: Obata, Kenji C., Pollentier, Jason, Zeller, Mark Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 10,114,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/152 Virtualized environment, e.g. logically partitioned system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections

Abstract

A method for collecting transcripts each storing an order in which portions of an application file were accessed by the file when the file was executed on one of a plurality of computing devices. The method includes receiving requests to download the file from directing processes each executing on a different one of the computing devices, and in response to those requests, downloading the file to the computing devices and instructing the directing processes to profile usage of the file. Then, transcripts created by the directing processes are received therefrom. A streaming model may be created based on the transcripts received. The file may be divided into a plurality of smaller files based on the streaming model. The streaming model may be used to download the file by downloading at least a portion of the smaller files using a conventional download protocol without using a specialized streaming protocol.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a server computing device coupled to a network connected to a plurality of client computing devices, the method comprising:

receiving an application file and an instruction from a first client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices over the network, the instruction instructing the server computing device to instruct a directing process executing on each one of the plurality of client computing devices that downloads the application file from the server computing device to record one or more transcripts profiling usage of the application file;

receiving a request from a directing process executing on a second client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices to download the application file to the second client computing device over the network, the directing process being configured to profile usage of the application file when the application file is executed on the second client computing device and to upload one or more transcripts to the server computing device, the one or more transcripts having been created by the directing process when the directing process profiled usage of the application file on the second client computing device, each of the one or more transcripts storing at least one order in which portions of the application file were accessed when the application file was executed on the second client computing device;

in response to the request, downloading the application file to the second client computing device over the network and instructing the directing process to profile usage of the application file on the second client computing device; and

receiving one or more transcripts uploaded to the server computing device by the directing process executing on the second client computing device over the network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application file is a virtual application file that when executed implements a virtual application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an application identifier associated with the application file;

based on the application identifier, determining for which application and version of the application the one or more transcripts were created,

saving the one or more transcripts in a predetermined storage location accessible by a build computing device; and

sending a build request to the build computing device to requesting the creation of a streaming model for the version of the application based on the one or more transcripts.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a streaming model based on the at least one order stored in each of the one or more transcripts;

storing the streaming model in a data structure; and

dividing the application file into a plurality of files each smaller than the application file based on the streaming model stored in the data structure, the plurality of files comprising one or more initial execution files to be downloaded first and one or more other files to be downloaded after the one or more initial execution files have been downloaded; and

sending a model build request to a model build computing device, the model build computing device creating the data structure storing the streaming model and dividing the application file into the plurality of files.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a streaming model based on the at least one order stored in each of the one or more transcripts;

storing the streaming model in a data structure; and

dividing the application file into a plurality of files each smaller than the application file based on the streaming model stored in the data structure, the plurality of files comprising one or more initial execution files to be downloaded first and one or more other files to be downloaded after the one or more initial execution files have been downloaded; and

recording the creation of the streaming model in a database, the database associating the streaming model with the application file and identifying a location whereat the streaming model file and the plurality of files are stored.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a new download request for the application file from a directing process executing on a third client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices;

querying the database for the application file to identify the streaming model; and

downloading the streaming model file and the one or more initial execution files to the third client computing device using a conventional download protocol.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a previously identified application file is associated with the one or more transcripts;

if a previously identified application file is associated with the one or more transcripts, determining whether a streaming model is associated with the previously identified application file; and

if a streaming model is not associated with the previously identified application file, sending a request to a model builder to build a streaming model.

4-5. -5. (canceled)

15-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method comprising:

sending a request to one or more server computing devices to download and execute an application file that when executed implements an application;

downloading the application file and receiving therewith an instruction to create a transcript file each time the application file is executed, the transcript storing at least one order in which portions of the application file were accessed by the application file when the application file was executed;

executing the application file;

creating a transcript file as the application file is executed; and

when execution of the application file has terminated, uploading the transcript file to the one or more server computing devices.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the application file is a virtual application file that when executed implements a virtual application.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising:

sending a new request to the one or more server computing devices to download and execute the application file;

fully downloading one or more files comprising a portion of the application file using a conventional download protocol, the downloaded portion of the application file being less than the entire application file; and

before the application file is fully downloaded, executing the portion of the application file downloaded by downloading the one or more files.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the conventional download protocol comprises Hypertext Transfer Protocol, File Transfer Protocol, or Server Message Block Protocol.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising:

downloading a streaming model file with the one or more files, the streaming model file indentifying one or more additional files each storing a portion of the application file not stored in the one or more files;

requesting to download the one or more additional files as the application file is executing; and

downloading the one or more additional files.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the application file is executed by a runtime engine, the application file comprises a plurality of data blocks, and creating the transcript file as the application file is executed comprises:

each time the executing application requests access to one of the plurality of data blocks, receiving an access request message from the runtime engine indicating the application has requested access to the one of the plurality of data blocks; and

recording that the application requested access to the one of the plurality of data blocks in the transcript.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein recording that the application requested access to the one of the plurality of data blocks in the transcript further comprises recording an identifier of a thread that requested the access.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein recording that the application requested access to the one of the plurality of data blocks in the transcript further comprises recording an identifier of a process that requested the access.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein recording that the application requested access to the one of the plurality of data blocks in the transcript further comprises recording a time value corresponding to a time at which access was requested.

30. A computer-implemented method performed by a plurality of server computing devices connected together by at least one network, each server computing device storing one or more streaming models, each streaming model being associated with an application, each streaming model comprising a streaming model file and a plurality of application files, each of the plurality of application files comprising only a portion of the application associated with the streaming model, each streaming model file comprising information for downloading the plurality of application files using a conventional download protocol without the use of specialized streaming protocol such that the application is executable after a first portion of the plurality of application files have been downloaded, the first portion of the plurality of application files storing less than the entire application, which of the one or more streaming models are stored on each of the plurality of server computing devices being recorded in a data storage accessible by the plurality of server computing devices, the method comprising each of the plurality of server computing devices:

querying the data storage to determine whether another of the plurality of server computing devices is storing a streaming model not stored by the querying server computing device;

if another of the plurality of server computing devices is storing a streaming model not stored by the querying server computing device, the querying server computing device copying the streaming model from the another server computing device; and

recording the copying of the streaming model to the querying server computing device in the data storage.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 30, wherein the application file is a virtual application file that when executed implements a virtual application.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 30, wherein the data storage is a database, and querying the data storage to determine whether another of the plurality of server computing devices is storing a streaming model not stored by the querying server computing device comprises:

polling the database to determine whether another of the plurality of server computing devices is storing a streaming model not stored by the querying server computing device.

33. A computer-implemented method performed by a plurality of server computing devices connected together by at least one network, the method comprising:

storing one or more streaming models on each of the plurality of server computing devices, each streaming model being associated with an application, each streaming model comprising a streaming model file and a plurality of application files, each of the plurality of application files comprising only a portion of the application associated with the streaming model, each streaming model file comprising information for downloading the plurality of application files using a conventional download protocol without the use of specialized streaming protocol such that the application is executable after a first portion of the plurality of application files have been downloaded, the first portion of the plurality of application files storing less than the entire application;

recording information in a data storage accessible by the plurality of server computing devices indicating on which of the plurality of server computing devices the one or more streaming models are each stored;

each of the plurality of server computing devices, querying the data storage to determine whether another of the plurality of server computing devices is storing a streaming model not stored by the querying server computing device;

if another of the plurality of server computing devices is storing a streaming model not stored by the querying server computing device, the querying server computing device copying the streaming model from the another server computing device; and

recording the copying of the streaming model to the querying server computing device in the data storage.

34. The computer-implemented method of claim 33, wherein the application file is a virtual application file that when executed implements a virtual application.