Session transfer and suspension in a remote access application framework

• US 9,294,572 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calgary Scientific Inc.
• Original Assignee: Calgary Scientific Inc.
• Inventors: Thomas, Monroe M., Claydon, David Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh, Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US13/672,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

Systems and method for providing for suspension and transfer of remote access sessions. In accordance with the methods, a request to suspend a session may be received at a server tier. The server tier prepares a URL that may be used at a later time by a client to resume the session. The URL is communicated to a client tier from which the request was received and, thereafter, a connection between the client tier and the server tier is closed. At a subsequent time, a request may be received to resume the session at the URL. After receipt of the request to resume the session, a connection with the requesting client tier is established by the server tier, and the session is resumed.

Claims

1. A method of suspending and resuming a remote access session in a tiered framework, comprising:

receiving a request to suspend the session at a server tier;

preparing, at the server tier, a URL to resume the session, the URL being a data structure representing the session, and the URL being used by the server tier to associate a client to the remote access session;

communicating the URL to the client in a client tier;

closing a connection at the client tier with the server tier; and

at a subsequent time, receiving a request to resume the session at the URL.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving application state information with the request.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising suspending an application being accessed within the remote access session.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising saving application-related information associated with the remote access session.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising resuming the session using the application state information.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising maintaining the application in a running state in the server tier for a predetermined period of time after receiving the request.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising suspending a virtual machine in which an application being accessed is executing.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising migrating the application from a first server to a second server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising migrating a virtual machine associated with the application from a first server to a second server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a password with the request to suspend; and

authenticating the request to resume the session at the URL using the password.

11. The method of claim 1, the receiving the request to resume the session at the URL further comprising:

connecting the client tier with the server tier; and

resuming the session.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising accessing a saved state model and application-related information to place the application associated with the session into a running state.

13. A method of suspending and resuming a remote access session in a tiered framework, comprising:

suspending an application associated with the remote access session at a server tier;

saving at least one of an application state model and application-related information associated with the application;

preparing, at the server tier, a URL to resume the session, the URL being a data structure representing the session, and the URL being used by the server tier to associate a client to the remote access session;

mapping the URL to the application;

and communicating the URL to the client a client tier.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a request to resume the session at the URL.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising resuming the session using the at least one of the application state information and application-related information.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising suspending a virtual machine in which the application is executing.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising migrating the application from a first server to a second server.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising migrating the virtual machine associated from a first server to a second server.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a password to resume the session; and

authenticating the request to resume the session at the URL using the password.

20. A tangible computer readable media containing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computing device perform a method comprising:

receiving a request from a client tier to suspend an application executing on in a server tier;

suspending the application at a server tier by saving at least one of an application state model and application-related information associated with the application;

preparing a URL to resume a session that is mapped to the application, the URL further representing the session as a data structure used by the server tier to associate a client to the session; and

communicating the URL to the client tier to enable the client tier to resume the application.