Client Hypervisor vAgent for OS-Independent Device Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Server-hosted virtualization technologies are expensive, suffer from latency and network issues, and are not well-suited for mobile computers, lacking robust system management capabilities and user control.
Innovation Solution
A client hypervisor that runs outside the operating system, providing a virtual agent (vAgent) for centralized management of devices, enabling features like OS deployment, disk management, and snapshot/rollback, while maintaining visibility and control independent of the OS or user interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If server-hosted virtualization technologies are used, then virtualization capabilities are provided, but costs increase and latency issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional server-hosted virtualization model by implementing client-hosted virtualization. Instead of centralizing virtualization resources on servers, each client device hosts its own virtualization environment locally, reversing the client-server relationship and eliminating network-dependent latency while maintaining virtualization capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the centralized server-hosted virtualization system into distributed client-hosted virtualization instances. Each client device becomes an independent virtualization host, dividing the monolithic server infrastructure into multiple autonomous units that operate locally without network dependency.
2Ease of operation
If management agents run inside the operating system, then management functions are provided, but user access control issues and malware vulnerability increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts management agents from the operating system environment and places them in a separate hypervisor layer. This extraction removes agents from the vulnerable OS context where users have administrative access, positioning them in a more secure, persistent layer that cannot be easily disabled or compromised by user actions or malware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the hypervisor as an intermediary layer between the operating system and management functions. This intermediary provides a secure boundary that allows management operations to occur without direct OS involvement, protecting against user interference and malware while maintaining management capabilities.
3Reliability
If client hypervisor runs outside the operating system, then system management control is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal hypervisor architecture that consolidates multiple management functions (virtualization, security, persistence, device management) into a single multi-functional layer. This universal approach manages complexity by providing diverse capabilities through one integrated system rather than multiple separate components.
Data Source
AI summary
A client hypervisor comprises a virtual agent that runs outside of a system OS and that allows device management independent of the OS and user. The virtual agent is tied to a device and not a specific instance of the OS. Such client hypervisors expose new functionality to ease managing systems. Some of these capabilities come from the persistence and privileges outside the OS. In some embodiments of the invention, this new management functionality is exposed to allow device management via new virtualization concepts, such as multiple VMs per system, VM replacement, snapshot/rollback, etc.