General client engine with load balancing for client-server communication

• US 9,705,729 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products BV (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Fausak, Andrew T., Rombakh, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHITAYEWOLDETADIK, BERHANU
• Application Number:
  US13/918,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709226, 709204, 709224, 709225, 709227, 709217, 709229, 709219, 709232, 709245, 715234, 719316
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• 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 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168

Abstract

In particular embodiments, a computing device receives a connection from an HTTP-compatible client. The device may assign the client a unique socket, launch a transcoding remote desktop client, receive a termination of the connection by the client, and update load-balancing information.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by a computing device:

generating remote desktop protocol connection information based in part on load balancing information and a load-balancing policy, wherein the load-balancing policy balances loads between a plurality of transcoding hosts;

sending the remote desktop protocol connection information to an HTTP-compatible client;

providing the HTML-compatible client a script with the remote desktop protocol connection information, wherein the script specifies encoding for one or more output streams by the HTML-compatible client;

receiving a remote desktop protocol connection from the HTTP-compatible client;

assigning the remote desktop protocol connection a unique socket to create a reference that defines the remote desktop protocol connection information;

receiving one or more connection arguments;

providing one or more connection services, wherein the one or more connections services comprise at least an error correction service;

launching a transcoding remote desktop client at one of the transcoding hosts with a specification of the unique socket, wherein the specification defines an input data handler and an output data handler;

beginning a transcoding operation;

interfacing by one or more transcoding services a web browser of the HTTP-compatible client with a remote desktop extension protocol;

receiving a termination of the remote desktop protocol connection by the HTTP-compatible client;

ending the transcoding operation; and

updating the load-balancing information, wherein the updating comprises tallying one or more connections.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the remote desktop protocol connection from the HTTP-compatible client comprises receiving connection information from the HTTP-compatible client comprising credentials.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the remote desktop protocol connection information is input by a user via a dialog menu.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein launching the transcoding remote desktop client is performed based at least in part on load-balancing information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein launching the transcoding remote desktop client occurs based at least in part on the assigned socket.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the HTTP-compatible client is a thin client comprising a browser.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transcoding remote desktop client comprises a generic transcoding service.

8. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

generate remote desktop protocol connection information based in part on load balancing information and a load-balancing policy, wherein the load-balancing policy balances loads between a plurality of transcoding hosts;

send the remote desktop protocol connection information to an HTTP-compatible client;

provide a script to the HTML-compatible client with the remote desktop protocol connection information, wherein the script specifies encoding for one or more output streams by the HTML-compatible client;

receive a remote desktop protocol connection from the HTTP-compatible client;

assign the remote desktop protocol connection a unique socket to create a reference that defines the remote desktop protocol connection information;

receive one or more connection arguments;

provide one or more connection services, wherein the one or more connection services comprises at least an error correction service;

launch a transcoding remote desktop client at one of the transcoding hosts with a specification of the unique socket, wherein the specification defines an input data handler and an output data handler;

begin a transcoding operation;

interface by one or more transcoding services a web browser of the HTTP-compatible client with a remote desktop extension protocol;

receive a termination of the remote desktop protocol connection by the HTTP-compatible client;

end the transcoding operation; and

update the load-balancing information, wherein the update comprises tallying one or more connections.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein receiving the remote desktop protocol connection from the HTTP-compatible client comprises receiving remote desktop protocol connection information from the HTTP-compatible client comprising credentials.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the remote desktop protocol connection information is input by a user via a dialog menu.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein launching the transcoding remote desktop client is performed based at least in part on load-balancing information.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein launching the transcoding remote desktop client occurs based at least in part on the assigned socket.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the HTTP-compatible client is a thin client comprising a browser.

14. The media of claim 8, wherein the transcoding remote desktop client comprises a generic transcoding service.

15. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

generate remote desktop protocol connection information based in part on load balancing information and a load-balancing policy, wherein the load-balancing policy balances loads between a plurality of transcoding hosts;

send the remote desktop protocol connection information to an HTTP-compatible client;

provide the HTML-compatible client a script with the remote desktop protocol connection information, wherein the script specifies encoding for one or more output streams by the HTML-compatible client;

receive a remote desktop protocol connection from the HTTP-compatible client;

assign the remote desktop protocol connection a unique socket to create a reference that defines the remote desktop protocol connection information;

receive one or more connection arguments;

provide one or more connection services, wherein the one or more connection services comprises at least an error correction service;

launch a transcoding remote desktop client at one of the transcoding hosts with a specification of the unique socket, and wherein the specification defines an input data handler and an output data handler;

begin a transcoding operation;

interface by one or more transcoding services a web browser of the HTTP-compatible client with a remote desktop extension protocol;

receive a termination of the remote desktop protocol connection by the HTTP-compatible client;

end the transcoding operation; and

update load-balancing information, wherein the update comprises tallying one or more connections.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein receiving the remote desktop protocol connection from the HTTP-compatible client comprises receiving remote desktop protocol connection information from the HTTP-compatible client comprising credentials.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the remote desktop protocol connection information is input by a user via a dialog menu.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein launching the transcoding remote desktop client is performed based at least in part on load-balancing information.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein launching the transcoding remote desktop client occurs based at least in part on the assigned socket.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the HTTP-compatible client is a thin client comprising a browser.