Virtual Disk Content Access Without Running Desktop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtual desktop solutions face challenges in providing uniform access to remote virtual desktop content across different devices and network conditions, particularly when the virtual desktop is not running or is offline, leading to inefficiencies in data access and management.
Innovation Solution
The Enhanced Virtual Desktop Management Server employs a Content Abstraction Layer and a Control VM to abstract data access, allowing users to access their data and applications from various devices without needing a running virtual desktop, by mounting or accessing data disks on the fly and utilizing network storage, even when the desktop is not running.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a virtual desktop is running on a server system and accessed remotely, then centralized management of computing resources is improved, but the user must remain connected to the network continuously
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual disk is segmented into a system partition (containing virtual machine images) and a user partition (containing user data and applications). This allows the system to maintain centralized management of the system partition while enabling offline access to the user partition, resolving the contradiction between centralized management and network connectivity requirements.
2Ease of operation
If client-side computing is used to access virtual desktop offline, then network connectivity requirement is reduced, but enterprise management inefficiencies increase
Solution Approach 1:
The user partition is extracted from the server-based virtual desktop and stored locally on the client device. This extraction enables offline access to user data and applications while the system partition remains managed centrally on the server, allowing enterprise management to remain efficient while providing offline capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-loads the user partition onto the client device during network connectivity, enabling offline access before the user needs it. This preliminary action ensures that user data and applications are available locally without requiring continuous network connection, while maintaining server-based management for system updates and security.
3Ease of operation
If a complete virtual desktop is copied to client machine for offline access, then offline access capability is improved, but device resources are consumed excessively
Solution Approach 1:
Only the user partition containing user-specific data and applications is extracted and stored locally, rather than copying the entire virtual desktop including system images. This selective extraction significantly reduces the resources consumed on the client device while maintaining offline access capability for user needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual disk is divided into system and user partitions, allowing the system to load only the necessary user partition onto the client device for offline access. This segmentation ensures that minimal resources are consumed on client devices with limited storage and processing capabilities.
4Use of energy by moving object
If virtual desktop is not running, then resource consumption is reduced, but data access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The user partition is pre-loaded onto the client device when network connectivity is available, so that data and applications are accessible locally even when the virtual desktop is not running. This preliminary loading of user data enables easy access without requiring the virtual desktop to be running.
Solution Approach 2:
The user partition acts as an intermediary layer between the server-based virtual desktop and the client device. It stores user data and applications locally, serving as a mediator that enables data access even when the main virtual desktop system is not running, thus resolving the contradiction between resource consumption and data accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and techniques for facilitating access to content stored remotely, for example, as part of a virtual machine infrastructure or elsewhere in a networked environment, using a uniform mechanism are provided. Example embodiments provide an Enhanced Virtual Desktop Management Server/System with a Content Abstraction Layer which enables users to access their data stored as part of a virtual machine environment, or replicated otherwise on a network, using a generic API. The API can be incorporated into a web browser or other third party interface to provide access to the users' data without needing to remote a bitmap representation of a virtual desktop display. Accordingly, users can access their data, applications, and settings regardless of the type of access device and regardless of whether the corresponding virtual desktop is running in the data center, provisioned in the datacenter but running on a client device, or not running at all.