Watermarking and scalability techniques for a virtual desktop planning tool

• US 9,471,951 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Banit, Bidarkar, Rishi N., Satnur, Sunil, Makhija, Vikram
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US14/963,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20160098810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 713/176, 382/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/005 Image watermarking

Abstract

A method for measuring performance of virtual desktop services offered by a server including a processor is described. A first encoded watermark is embedded into user interface display generated by a virtual desktop when initiating an operation. The first encoded watermark includes pixels identifying the operation and indicating its initiation. A second encoded watermark is embedded into the user interface upon completion of the operation indicating completion of the operation. An action performance time is then computed and stored in a memory. Multiple performance times may be compiled from multiple operations of multiple virtual desktops to assess the performance of the system as a whole.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user initiated action from a remote desktop provided on a client computer, wherein the remote desktop provides a display for a corresponding virtual machine;

in response to receiving the user action, encoding a first watermark into image data of a first updated display that is communicated to the client when initiating an operation based on the received action, wherein the first watermark is encoded with first pixels indicative of a start time of the operation and second pixels identifying the first watermark;

providing the updated display to the client for presentation in the remote desktop;

completing the operation;

in response to completing the operation, encoding a second watermark into image data of a second updated display that is communicated to the client, wherein the second watermark is encoded with third pixels indicative of an end of the operation and fourth pixels identifying the second watermark; and

receiving data based on detection of the first watermark and the second watermark by the client computer, wherein the received data indicates an operation performance time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first watermark includes additional pixels identifying the operation and a sub-operation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a screen resolution for the remote desktop on the client computer; and

determining a location for the first watermark and the second watermark based on the determined screen resolution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received data includes timestamps corresponding to detection of each watermark by the client computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the respective pixels correspond to binary encoded pixels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first pixels include a first set of binary encoded pixels indicative of the start time and the second pixels include a second set of binary encoded pixels for an identification value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating statistical performance metrics based at least in part on the received data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein first watermark is encoded in a particular location of the remote desktop that does not interfere with applications or other functionality of the remote desktop.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation is associated with a particular application executed by the virtual machine.

10. A system comprising:

one or more computers configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving a user initiated action from a remote desktop provided on a client computer, wherein the remote desktop provides a display for a corresponding virtual machine;

in response to receiving the user action, encoding a first watermark into image data of an first updated display that is communicated to the client when initiating an operation based on the received action, wherein the watermark is encoded with first pixels indicative of a start time of the operation and second pixels identifying the first watermark;

providing the updated display to the client for presentation in the remote desktop;

completing the operation;

in response to completing the operation, encoding a second watermark into image data of a second updated display that is communicated to the client, wherein the second watermark is encoded with third pixels indicative of an end time of the operation and fourth pixels identifying the second watermark; and

receiving data based on detection of the first watermark and the second watermark by the client computer, wherein the received data indicates an operation performance time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first watermark incudes additional pixels identifying the operation and a sub-operation.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more computers are further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining a screen resolution for the remote desktop on the client computer; and

determining a location for the first watermark and the second watermark based on the determined screen resolution.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the received data includes timestamps corresponding to detection of each watermark by the client computer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the respective pixels correspond to binary encoded pixels.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first pixels include a first set of binary encoded pixels indicative of the start time and the second pixels include a second set of binary encoded pixels for an identification value.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more computers are further configured to perform operations comprising:

generating statistical performance metrics based at least in part on the received data.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein first watermark is encoded in a particular location of the remote desktop that does not interfere with applications or other functionality of the remote desktop.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the operation is associated with a particular application executed by the virtual machine.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer code that when executed performs operations comprising:

receiving a user initiated action from a remote desktop provided on a client computer, wherein the remote desktop provides a display for a corresponding virtual machine;

in response to receiving the user action, encoding a first watermark into image data of an first updated display that is communicated to the client when initiating an operation based on the received action, wherein the watermark is encoded with first pixels indicative of a start time of the operation and second pixels identifying the first watermark;

providing the updated display to the client for presentation in the remote desktop;

completing the operation;

in response to completing the operation, encoding a second watermark into image data of a second updated display that is communicated to the client, wherein the second watermark is encoded with third pixels indicative of an end time of the operation and fourth pixels identifying the second watermark; and

receiving data based on detection of the first watermark and the second watermark by the client computer, wherein the received data indicates an operation performance time.