Virtualizing Device Management Services on Multi-Session Platforms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing device management services designed for single-session environments face compatibility issues and conflicts when used in multi-session virtual environments, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the need for separate virtual machines and resource allocation.
Innovation Solution
A redirection and virtualization layer is created for each session to manage global database redirection, object name translation, and file system translation, ensuring session boundaries are maintained and preventing conflicts by redirecting communications to session-specific resources and renaming global object names.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single operating system services multiple sessions in a virtual environment, then resource utilization is improved, but device management services cannot access computing devices to control or manage them in specific sessions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic operating system into multiple session-specific virtual instances, allowing each session to have its own isolated environment while sharing underlying hardware resources. This enables device management services to access computing devices within specific session boundaries without compromising overall resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a session management intermediary layer that mediates between the operating system and device management services. This intermediary enables controlled access to computing devices by routing management requests through the appropriate session context, resolving the conflict between shared resource access and session-specific device control.
2Reliability
If device management services are able to access computing devices in a multi-session environment, then device control capability is improved, but conflicts arise between different sessions writing to and reading from the same system resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments shared system resources into session-specific resource instances, ensuring that each session writes to and reads from its own isolated resource copies. This eliminates conflicts between sessions while maintaining full device control capability within each session boundary.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making system resources session-specific rather than globally shared. Each session receives tailored resource instances with appropriate access permissions, enabling reliable device control within the session while preventing harmful interference from other sessions.
3Reliability
If a virtual machine is created for each session with separate operating system image and resources, then session isolation is improved, but disk space usage and maintenance costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple session instances into a single operating system environment, allowing sessions to share common system resources while maintaining logical isolation through session boundaries. This approach achieves session isolation without the prohibitive disk space requirements of separate virtual machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the operating system universal by enabling it to service multiple sessions simultaneously through a session management framework. This multi-functionality allows a single OS instance to provide isolated environments for multiple sessions, reducing resource duplication while maintaining session boundaries.
4Ease of manufacture
If device management services are designed for single-session environment, then service simplicity is improved, but compatibility with multi-session virtual environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances device management services with multi-functionality, enabling them to operate in both single-session and multi-session environments. The session management framework allows these services to automatically adapt to the appropriate session context, maintaining simplicity while achieving multi-session compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic session context management that allows device management services to adapt their behavior based on the active session. This dynamic approach enables services designed for single-session environments to function correctly in multi-session virtual environments by automatically adjusting to session-specific requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses may provide virtualization of device management services (e.g., device drivers) dedicated managing a particular device and designed under for or under the assumption the particular device and the device management service will be utilized in a single session/user environment, so that virtual instances of the device management services may be used in a multi-session environment. Further, a redirection and/or virtualization layer may be created for each session in the multi-session environment to perform global database redirection, object name translation, and file system translation to ensure session boundaries are maintained and global/shared resources are not inappropriately altered by a session. As an example, the redirection / virtualization layer may redirect communications associated with a session and for a global resource to access a virtual instance of the resource specific to the session.