Client Drive Redirection Accelerator for Virtual Desktop Directory Enumeration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The performance of directory enumeration and data copy operations in client drive redirection (CDR) for virtual desktops is hindered by network latency and inefficient processing, particularly when dealing with large directories and files, as existing systems rely on sequential requests and responses over the network, limiting the utilization of multiple processors and cores.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a CDR accelerator on the virtual desktop that intercepts requests, caches directory enumeration information from the client device via a fast side channel, and uses parallel processing for data copy operations to reduce network dependencies and enhance performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If directory enumeration is performed using sequential requests and responses over the network in client drive redirection, then the system can access shared directories on client devices, but the performance is significantly delayed due to network latency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by caching directory enumeration information locally on the virtual desktop before actual file access operations. The CDR accelerator pre-fetches and stores directory structures, file names, and metadata when directories are first accessed, so that subsequent file operations can proceed without repeated network requests. This preliminary caching significantly reduces the impact of network latency on directory enumeration performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a CDR accelerator component as an intermediary between the virtual desktop and the client device. This accelerator intercepts I/O requests, manages the caching of directory enumeration information, and handles the coordination between local cache and remote file system. By placing this intelligent intermediary layer, the system can serve directory enumeration requests from the local cache rather than requiring direct network communication for each enumeration operation.
2Device complexity
If data copy operations use single-threaded sequential processing in the file manager, then the system maintains simplicity in implementation, but the processing capacity of multiple processors and cores cannot be fully utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the data copy operation into multiple independent parallel tasks. Instead of copying files sequentially through a single thread, the system segments the directory tree into multiple sub-trees or file groups that can be copied simultaneously by different threads. The CDR accelerator manages these parallel copy operations, distributing them across available processors and cores to maximize utilization while maintaining a relatively simple file manager structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the data copy process adaptive and flexible. The system dynamically adjusts the degree of parallelization based on available system resources, directory structure characteristics, and network conditions. The CDR accelerator can dynamically spawn additional copy threads when resources are available and consolidate them when resources are constrained, allowing the system to optimize copy performance without requiring complex static configuration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the CDR component forwards I/O requests from the virtual desktop to the shared directory on the client device over the network, then client drive redirection functionality is enabled, but performance is significantly delayed due to network latency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a localized cache of directory enumeration information specifically for the virtual desktop environment. Rather than requiring all I/O operations to traverse the network, the system maintains local copies of directory structures, file metadata, and enumeration data that are frequently accessed. This allows the virtual desktop to perform I/O operations with reduced network dependency, improving speed while maintaining the adaptability of client drive redirection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-caching directory enumeration information and file metadata before actual I/O operations occur. The CDR accelerator proactively fetches and stores directory structures, file names, sizes, and other metadata locally, so that when applications in the virtual desktop need to access files, the enumeration phase completes quickly using local cache rather than requiring network requests for each enumeration operation.
Data Source
AI summary
System and methods are provided for improved directory enumeration and data copy with shared client directories in virtual desktops by quickly and efficiently retrieving shared directory entries from the client device over a separate fast channel and caching them on the virtual desktop, where the directory entries can be available locally to applications in the virtual desktop for performing directory enumeration. The fast channel can further be utilized for efficiently transferring data in data copy operations between the client device and the virtual desktop.