Cloud-based virtual machines and offices

• US 8,954,544 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eFolder, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Axcient
• Inventors: Edwards, William Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Yohannes, Tesfay
• Application Number:
  US13/570,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/226, 707/649
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/203 using migration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/85 Active fault masking without idle spares active fault masking without idle spare hardware where processing functionality is redundant G06F11/2035
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Cloud-based virtual machines and offices are provided herein. Methods may include establishing a cloud-based virtual office, by providing selections, corresponding to backups of servers of a computing network, to a user interface, establishing a cloud gateway for the virtual office, virtualizing a backup for each server using a virtualization program to create the cloud-based virtual office that includes virtual server machines networked with one another via the cloud gateway, and providing a workload to the cloud-based virtual office.

Claims

1. A method for managing a cloud-based virtual machine, the method comprising:

providing one or more selections corresponding to one or more backups of a computing device via a user interface;

receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more backups;

receiving configuration details for the computing device, the configuration details comprising computing resources that are to be dedicated to a cloud-based virtual office that corresponds to the computing device;

virtualizing the at least one of the one or more backups using a virtualization program to create a cloud-based virtual office having the configuration details;

establishing dynamic host configuration protocol settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving one or more domain names and one or more DNS server Internet protocol address associated with the domain names via a DHCP user interface;

applying the dynamic host configuration protocol settings to the cloud-based virtual office; and

providing access to the cloud-based virtual office to a remote user.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing a cloud gateway for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving gateway information and netmask information for the cloud-based virtual office.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing access to the cloud-based virtual office to a remote user comprises establishing at least one client Internet protocol address and at least one set of VPN access credentials.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving network settings for the cloud-based virtual office that comprise any of VPN information, DHCP information, port forwarding information, or any combinations thereof.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the network settings are received via a user interface that allows an end user to any of enable VPN access to the cloud-based virtual office, enable port forwarding for the cloud-based virtual office, enable inbound/outbound connections for the cloud-based virtual office, enable DHCP for the cloud-based virtual office, or combinations thereof.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

updating the network settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving updated gateway and netmask information for the cloud-based virtual office; and

applying the updated gateway and netmask information to the cloud-based virtual office.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising managing Internet connectivity of the cloud-based virtual office by enabling or disabling inbound or outbound data transfer relative to the cloud-based virtual office.

8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising establishing virtual network computing (VNC) access to the cloud-based virtual office by specifying one or more Internet protocol addresses that are to be used when an Internet protocol address of the cloud gateway is unavailable.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing port forwarding settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving an external port number, an internal Internet protocol address, and an internal port address from an end user via a port forwarding user interface;

and applying at least a portion of the port forwarding settings to the cloud-based virtual office.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising assigning at least one of the one or more DNS server Internet protocol address of the cloud-based virtual office to a virtual machine by associating a media access control address of the virtual machine with the at least one of the one or more DNS server Internet protocol address.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing site-to-site virtual private network settings for the cloud-based virtual office by:

establishing a local machine that will execute a VPN endpoint image;

defining an endpoint name for the local machine within the cloud-based virtual office;

establishing network settings for the local machine;

downloading the VPN endpoint image to the local machine;

executing the VPN endpoint image using a virtualization program to create a virtual machine; and

adding the virtual machine to a network routing table of the cloud-based virtual office.

12. The method according claim 1, further comprising executing a virtual machine for each server in the cloud-based virtual office by:

receiving a selection of a backup for the virtual machine;

receiving a selection of CPU core settings for the virtual machine;

receiving memory allocation settings for the virtual machine; and

rendering the virtual machine.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a virtual office user interface to an end user that comprises any of selectable network configuration tabs for the cloud-based virtual office, virtual machine information for the each virtual machine within the cloud-based virtual office, a current status for the cloud-based virtual office, or combinations thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the selectable network configuration tabs comprise any of VPN information, DHCP information, port forwarding information, or combinations thereof.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating backups for the cloud-based virtual office; and

populating a failover appliance with data included in the backups.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user interface that allows an end user to control any of a cloud-based virtual machine, a non-cloud-based virtual machine, and combinations thereof.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the user interface comprises representations of a backup status for each computing device, a current status for a cloud-based virtual machine that corresponds to the computing device, a visual representation of a status for the cloud-based virtual office, and any combinations thereof.

18. A system for providing a cloud-based virtual office, the cloud-based virtual office executing within the system, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory for storing executable instructions, the processor executing the instructions to provide the cloud-based virtual office by;

establishing dynamic host configuration protocol settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving one or more domain names and one or more DNS server Internet protocol address associated with the domain names via a DHCP user interface; and

applying the dynamic host configuration protocol settings to the cloud-based virtual office; and

the cloud-based virtual office comprising virtual server machines that correspond to servers of a physical network, each virtual server machine being virtualized by a virtualization program from a backup of a physical server, the backup of the physical server being stored within memory of the system, the virtualization program being executed by the processor of the system upon an occurrence of a failover event, the processor further establishing a cloud gateway that networks the virtual server machines together.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the system comprises an intermediary node between the physical network and a backup node that stores backups for at least a portion of the servers of the physical network.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the system comprises a failover appliance that is disposed locally to the physical network.