FR3077906A1 - METHOD FOR BROADCASTING USER SESSIONS, HOST COMPUTER FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD, AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SERVICE TO A USER - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of simultaneous interaction with a user session (3) from a plurality of remote subscribers (4, 4 ', 4' '), each remote subscriber providing subscriber information to the user session (3), said method comprising the step of: - receiving subscriber information from each remote subscriber (4, 4 ', 4' ') at respective receiving ports (54) a flat fo rme of diff u sion (5); - aggregating, at the level of the broadcasting platform (5), the subscriber information in order to constitute a control flow - to provide, from a transmission port (52) of the broadcasting platform (5), the control flow to the user session (3).

Description

The documents US2017228851 and FR3047576 describe a configuration of a computer system, in which user interface devices (display, keyboard, etc.) are separated from the processing part of the application. The so-called client and computer storage are hosted remotely (devices often have access to a machine, often the Internet), the IT resources required. The host computer hosts it by clients, which limits processing resources on the client side. The user interface devices therefore depend heavily on the host computer which performs the computer functions for the clients.

It is common for the host computer to consist of a plurality of physical computer systems (servers), each hosting a plurality of virtual machines. Each virtual machine is connected to a client, and provides a dedicated virtual environment to emulate the functions of a physical personal computer, including processing of graphics data, and to provide user session display information on the screen client. The data to be displayed is transferred to the client via the network. The customer has sufficient IT resources to receive the data flow and display it. The client also has input / output devices (keyboard, mouse, etc.) for exchanging information or instructions with the virtual machine, via the network.

isolated that i em ul them computers personal physical of 1'utili sateur) are all in the same host or dispatch ies on a number limited of hosts. This configuration allows to the

users to have access to services that are not available in a classic network configuration computer science physical.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is therefore to propose methods activating these services. More particularly, the invention proposes a method for managing user sessions, such that a user or a group of users can broadcast their IT environment for the benefit of remote subscribers. Broadcast sessions may be processed to provide services to the user.

Invention also provides.

a method allowing a plurality of remote subscribers to interact simultaneously with a user session.

Fil? ¹ T?

To do this, interacting with a user session to subscribers to the session receiving subscribers by a method comprising the step of subscriber information from respective reception ports of a broadcast platform;

aggregate, at the broadcasting platform, subscriber information in order to constitute an order flow;

- provide, from a transmission port of the broadcasting platform, the control flow to the user session.

According to other non-limiting characteristics of the invention, taken either individually or in any technically possible combination:

the subscriber information is received in the form of data packets, and the step of aggregating the control information comprises storing the data packets in a FIFO memory structure;

the user session is associated with one and the method includes transmitting information from between the associated session;

user and client s ion in which the subscriber information comprises information supplied by at least one input device chosen from the list consisting of: a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen , a controller, a virtual reality mask;

at least two remote subscribers are different from each other.

According to another aspect, the invention relates to a host computer comprising:

- a plurality of servers, each configured to run a plurality of user sessions;

- a broadcasting platform in communication with the servers and configured to:

i. receiving subscriber information provided by remote subscribers, each remote subscriber being associated with a user session;

ii. aggregating subscriber information received which is provided by remote subscribers associated with the same user session to form a plurality of control streams;

iii. providing order flows to the respective user sessions.

FIGURES

Many other advantages and functions of the present invention will become more apparent after reading the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, among which:

FIG. 1 represents a computer architecture making it possible to implement the present invention;

FIGS. 2a to 2c schematically represent a broadcasting platform of a host computer;

FIG. 3 represents a computer architecture comprising a plurality of host computers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF

L ^f INVENTION

In the following description, detailed descriptions of known functions and elements, which could unnecessarily obscure the essence of the present invention, will be omitted.

Ar c h i t e c tu r e i n. t o rmat i gu e

In FIG. 1, a computer architecture comprises a host computer 1 which has a plurality of servers 2. As is well known, the servers 2 can be configured to host one or more virtual machine (s) 3, at the same time as its / their operating system and / / their applications. Virtualization allows a plurality of virtual machines 3 to be hosted in each server 2 while providing a plurality of totally isolated virtual environments in a single server 2. We can cite, among the well-known virtualization technologies Citrix

XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, Oracle Virtual box, Quick Emulator under GNU open license (QEMU), etc.

Each of the virtual machines 3 in the host computer can be dedicated to a specific user. The user interacts with his dedicated virtual machine 3 from the remote client 4, 4 ’connected to the host computer 1 via a network such as the Internet. Since most, if not all, of the processing is done at the host computer 1, the remote clients 4, 4 'can be kept very simple, and can include, for example, a simple terminal, a network connector and basic input / output devices (keyboard, mouse, etc.) as shown by the remote client 4 in FIG. 1. The remote client 4, 4 ′ can also be a tablet or a Smartphone. According to another solution, it can be a standard personal computer, with its own Central Unit, its graphics card, its peripherals, etc. as represented by the remote client 4 ′. FIG. 1 also shows a 4 '' computer connected to the network, such as a tablet, a personal computer or a smartphone. The 4 '' computer is equipped with all the necessary operating resources, so that all processing is carried out locally. It therefore does not benefit from the processing resources provided by the servers 2 of the host 1. The 4 '' computer can however interact, that is to say, exchange information, the user sessions being executed on these servers 2.

Each server 2 preferably hosts less than ten virtual machines 3 to provide sufficient computer resources to each virtual machine 3 to execute high performance applications with a sufficient level of service. Each virtual machine 3 is created when the client connects and includes a virtual CPU, a virtual main memory, a virtual or physical graphics card 30 as well as other resources. Each virtual machine 3 provides a high performance virtual personal computer which is controlled by a remote client 4, 4 '. Each virtual machine 3 therefore constitutes, or is the equivalent of, a user session, and a large number of these user sessions h

can be run on 2 servers from 1 host computer

1. The computer architecture may include a plurality of host computers 1, which are located in geographically separate computer data centers.

East

To display the images of the remote system 4 on the terminal, on the sound and control network for: the remote site devices.

Conversely, distant customers 4, 4 'supply

The host computer 1 in control information from the input / output devices located on the remote site (keyboard, mouse), and possibly other forms of data such as display and audio information provided by a USB device or integrated in a camera and a microphone of the remote client 4, 4 ', or network devices, at the remote client, such as printers ...

0

In general

Info rmat i on s exchanged between the session

The host computer 1 and the session client.

This session information from 4,4 'is approved c. we are for

The and / or information communicated before limiting customers in material resources they are

Most commonly used on the client side, or transmitted to the host 1. Information exchanges between a user session 3 and a remote system 4, 4 '(and remote subscribers, as will be examined in detail below) below) can be performed using any protocol, such as TCP or UDF. They generally include, on the transmission side, the preparation of active load data packets, for each type of information (video, audio, command, ...) and header information, and the packet is provided on the communication medium usually by interleaving packets from different sources, and the data packet is decoded on the receiving side using the header to reconstruct the original information. The header usually includes sufficient information, such as identification, of the user session and / or the remote client, so that data packets can be routed correctly from the transmitter to the receiver.

With reference to the description of FIG. 1, the host computer 1 also includes a broadcasting platform 5. The broadcasting platform 5 is in communication with the servers 2 of the host 1, and collects session information coming from at least some of the user sessions that run on the servers 2. Simultaneously with the transmission of session information between each user session, and their associated remote clients 4, 4 ', session information from certain sessions the selected users are transmitted to the broadcasting platform 5. The broadcasting platform 5 is also configured to selectively transmit the information from. user session to remote subscribers 4, Δ>' ^c s'

A remote subscriber to a particular user session can correspond to a 4,4 'remote client (associated with another user session) or to a 4' 'computing device, which has connected to host 1 and who subscribed to receive session information from the session of ut i1i sat eur cu1i ere party.

Session information received by the remote subscriber

example to be displayed on a screen at a remote location or processed to provide other services to user session 3, to the user himself, or, more generally, to communicate service information to any 4 'IT device ^! on the network or any user session 3 from host 1.

Broadcast program session between a broadcast 5 can

3. Each user of the architecture

Computer key can order its and

4 'can configure the broadcast program to authorize the broadcast of its session 3 the broadcast program from (display and / or session control information) to broadcast 5. The broadcast program executed parame res' , 4 ^ff or not, and under what conditions. The conficuration of a user session can include offices or eCIdllS can indicate to which should also be authorized or block the transmission of sound and / or command information, independently of the authorization or blocking pure display data. The configuration can also establish the list of authorized or blocked remote subscribers, ie remote subscribers who are individually authorized or prohibited from subscribing to the display information of the user session.

The broadcast program can also keep track of broadcast status of user session 3 to host JL _f in such a way that it is possible to consult, at the host ±? the list of available broadcast user sessions. This

tracing can contain, for example, a user identification, a user session reference, the reception port of the broadcasting platform in which the corresponding session information is collected, a list of remote subscribers who are authorized to subscribe to user session ...

Remote subscribers

As explained in general in a previous passage of the present description, a remote subscriber consists of computer resources 4, 4 ^f , 4 '' which subscribe to host 1 to receive session information at least one user session.

The remote subscriber 4, 4 ', 4' 'to a determined user session 3 can correspond to a remote client 4, 4' associated with another user session of an IT architecture represented in FIG. 1. It can also be a 4 '' computer device, such as a tablet, PC, server or Smartphone, connected to the host via a network, and not associated with one any of the user sessions of the IT architecture. In a particular example, a remote subscriber can be a server

HTTP which can give the free access Has data display of one of his dion (s) of user to d ^! other devices i nf o rmatic connected to the network. .i-j c s other d i s p o s i tives 5 i n forma t i s can then display s st trsi ter them i n f o rm a t i ο n s

session (s) through an Internet browser.

To obtain session information from a specific user session 3, a remote subscriber 4, 4 ', 4' 'connects first to host 1 and subscribes to receive session information from the user session understand access to, and even 11th.

has updated the status of tracing of elect i onner, among the or more session (s) available for broadcasting. The selection on

The user identification. This can include verifying that the 4,4 ', 4 ’remote subscriber is authorized to subscribe to the selected user session. This step may also include receiving an identification of the transmission port of the broadcasting platform 5, so that the remote subscriber can connect and receive, during a subsequent step, the determined session information.

The remote subscriber then connects to the broadcasting platform 5 and receives the session information coming from the determined user session.

As mentioned, generally above, a 4,4 ', 4' 'remote subscriber can then process the session information. In its simplest form, the processing corresponds to the decompression and / or decoding of the session data so that it can be displayed on a screen at the site of the remote subscriber.

Instead of being displayed, the raw information can be communicated to other computing devices, as is the case when the remote subscriber is an HTTP server.

Advantageously, the remote subscriber 4, 4 ′, 4 ″ performs advanced processing of the user information to give service information. The image processing routine can process the session information to give additional (service) information to the user session, to a plurality of user sessions, or to the user himself.

For example, the image processing routine can be run at a remote subscriber to assign a classification to images corresponding to the information displayed, for parental monitoring purposes. The detected classification (which defines the service information provided by the remote subscriber) can then be communicated back to the user session, for example to interrupt the session, if the classification exceeds one another, threshold a brief message or an email can be sent to a phone number or to an associated predetermined email address

In another example, the image processing routine executed at the remote subscriber can analyze the session information to identify the error message that opens on the desktop of the user session.

As soon as such a message appears, the remote subscriber can generate an alert with a support team that can provide assistance to the user, for example, by contacting the user by email or by phone.

A wide range of services can be provided by one or more remote subscribers. A particular user of the IT architecture can select the services he wishes to use by configuring the broadcasting program, and by authorizing the remote subscribers who provide the selected services to have access to the display information of the user session.

D i f fusion platform

FIG. 2 schematically represents the architecture of the broadcasting platform 5. It comprises a stream receiver 51 which. collects session information in respective receive ports 52. Session information from user sessions 3 is communicated by respective broadcasters to ports 52 and stored in temporary buffers associated with each port.

The broadcasting platform 5 also comprises a stream transmitter 53 provided with a plurality of transmission ports 54 for supplying the respective session information to remote subscribers 4, 4 ', 4' '. When connecting to the broadcast platform, a remote subscriber actually connects

at a send port 54 from 1 transmitter flow 53. The platform Dec broadcast 5 comprises also a stream router 55 perme so many ransférer, so selective, informa ’ Lions session from ports of

reception 52, to the transmission ports 54. Each reception channel 52 is dedicated to the reception of session information originating from a particular user session. Each reception channel 54 is dedicated to the transmission of session information to a particular remote subscriber.

Upon receipt of a data packet in a reception port 52 of the flow receiver 51, the flow router 55 transfers the data packet to the sending ports 54 of the flow transmitter 53, so that the data packet can also be communicated to the appropriate remote subscriber (s). Figure 2b shows a detailed view of the implementation of a flow router 55, in the form of a message queuing system. Each reception port 52 of the stream receiver 51 is in communication with a FIFO memory structure 55a. A data packet received by the receive port 52 is pushed up from the FIFO memory structure 55b. The flow router 55 also includes a

fi: L of distribution 55b allowing of η y θ the data packet ΘΠ low of the memory structure F I FO 55a and the push towards a or several transmitting port (s) 54 from 1 'emitted ? flow 53. The wire 55b distribution can have? i .r a ccess to follow-up broadcast

which is located with the host in order to determine to which sending port (s) 54 (i.e. the remote subscribers) a data packet received at a receiving port 52 (this is ie a determined user session) and stored in the FIFO memory structure must be routed. It can also have access to the header of the data packet to identify, if necessary, the user session at the origin of the data packet.

It should be noted that the display information received in a receive port 52 can be copied to multiple send ports 54 to be transmitted to multiple remote subscribers. This is the case when multiple remote subscribers have subscribed to receive session information from the same user session. Likewise, multiple user session sessions are information received in multiple receive ports 52 and can be routed to a single transmit port 54 for transmission to a single remote subscriber. This is particularly the case when the remote subscriber is an HTTP server, which redistributes session information from a plurality of user sessions to other computers connected to the network.

As mentioned above and shown on

the figure 3 1'architecture i n f o .r ma t i que c omp a t i b 1 e with 1'invention can understand a plurality of hosts 1, l ^z , each host including u p e a t e f o r me 5, 5 'diffusion. A subscriber remote 4 '' can to log in on the stream transmitter 53 of a

first broadcasting platform 5 which is located at a first host 1, to receive session information from a user session 3 'hosted on a server 2' from a second host 1 ', and provide session information to the stream transmitter 51 'of a second broadcasting platform 5' of the second host 1 '. In a configuration such as this, it is advantageous to provide a high-speed link between the flow router 55 of the first broadcasting platform 5 and the second flow transmitter 55 'of the second broadcasting platform 5'. Thanks to this high-speed link, the flow routers 55, 55 ′ can copy the reception port of one of the broadcasting platforms 5, 5 ′ into the transmission port of the other of the broadcasting platforms 5, 5 '.

Subscriber interaction with a user session.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present description, a remote subscriber 4, 4 ′, 4 ^ΛΛ can also communicate subscriber information to the user session 3 to which he. is connected via the broadcasting platform 5. The subscriber information can include all kinds of data or control information, for example control information supplied by one or more of each can be a 'remote subscriber 4 subscriber information can be processed by

1e si nfo rmat i οn s infor ma ti ο ns subscriber information, as well as session, are provided in the form of a data, and include a header of 'remote subscriber to which it has been

CL · active load inputs, t / or data

Service information, ...)

If a plurality of remote subscribers 4, 4 ', 4' 'receive session information from one of the selected user sessions 3, the plurality of remote subscribers 4, 4', 4 '' can provide their respective subscriber information for that particular user session 3. This allows a plurality of remote subscribers to interact simultaneously with the selected user session 3. For example, a first remote subscriber can be a standard computer and interact with the user session using their keyboard and mouse as input devices, while a second remote subscriber can be a smartphone and interact with the session User 3 using a touch screen or RV mask. An advantageous feature of the present description is that heterogeneous remote subscribers are able to interact simultaneously with the same user session.

Subscriber information may be received by the broadcast program of user session 3, or by other processes that are running in user session 3. The broadcast program may also be used to authorize or block the reception of subscriber information, generally for particular remote subscribers or for a particular type of input device. For example, a user can configure the broadcasting program in such a way that subscribers can interact with the user session 3 only by using their keyboard, any other type of input device being rendered inoperative. More generally, the broadcasting program can configure all the parameters which relate to the information supplied by the remote subscribers.

In this particular embodiment, the broadcasting platform 5 is configured to allow bidirectional transfer of information between the stream receiver 51 and the stream transmitter 53. For this purpose, the ports 52, 54 are configured to be ports bidirectional, that is, send-receive ports. Stream router 55 selectively transfers session information from the port

transceiver 52 ! of the receiver flux 51 to the port transceiver 54 of the transmitter flux 53 and transfers also so selective informed to! subscriber ons from the ports of transceiver 54 from J - transmitter of flow 53 to ports Issue No. Receive- .on 5: 2 of r e c e p t e r r e

stream 51

To interact simultaneously with a user session 3 from a plurality of remote subscribers 4, 4 ', 4' ', the subscriber information of each remote subscriber is received at a plurality of ports. transmission-reception 54 of a flow transmitter 53 and aggregated in order to form a control flow. The control flow is transferred to the transmit-receive port 52 of the flow receiver 51 and supplied to the user session

As shown in FIG. 3c, the flow router 55 can be implemented as a two-way message waiting system. The flow router 55 comprises, for each transmit-receive port 52 of the flow receiver 51, a first FIFO memory structure 55a and a first distribution wire 55b, similar to that which is presented in connection with the description of the Figure 2b. The flow router 55 also includes, for each transceiver port 52 of a flow receiver 51, a second FIFO memory structure 55a 'and a second distribution wire 55b'. The subscriber information received, in the form of data packets, at the transmit-receive ports 54 of the stream transmitter 53 is stored at the top of the second FIFO memory structure. The header information of each data packet can be decoded to identify the transmit-receive port 52 of the stream receiver 51 to which it is to be routed for temporary storage in the associated FIFO memory structure. A blocking and releasing mechanism of the second FIGO memory structure makes it possible to coordinate the asynchronous reception of the data packets coming from each transmit-receive port 54, so that they can all be stored efficiently.

The second FIFO structure 55a ′ in fact aggregates the subscriber information into a control flow, which is then pushed, packet by packet, to the transceiver port 52 of the stream receiver 51 by the second distribution wire 55b .

As explained in the description of this embodiment, the broadcasting platform 5 is in communication with the servers which host the user sessions. The broadcasting platform 5 is configured for:

receive subscriber information provided by remote subscribers 4, 4 ’, 4 '', each remote subscriber being associated with a user session 3:

its same / -1 £ 2 X-TO X.

command flow, each command flow being associated with a particular user session;

respectively providing the control flows to the associated user sessions 3.

H

Order information can be decoded upon receipt and processed by the user session depending on its nature. In this way, a plurality of subscribers to a user session interact simultaneously with the user session.

Many variations of the described embodiment can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the description, and the appended claims.

In particular, it is possible to take advantage of the existence of the broadcasting platform 5, in particular when it is configured according to the advantageous embodiment which has just been presented, for communicating display and display information. control of each user session 3 from host 1 to its corresponding remote client 4, 4 ′. In this case, each remote client 4, 4 ′ connects to a transmit-receive port 53 of the broadcast platform 5 exactly as a remote subscriber would connect. In this configuration, it is not necessary to provide directly (that is to say without passing through the broadcasting platform 5) session information of each user session 30 to his associated remote client.

Claims (4)

Method of simultaneously interacting with a user session (3) from a plurality of remote subscribers (4, 4 ' _f 4''), each remote subscriber providing subscriber information to the user session (3), said method comprising the step consisting in: - receiving subscriber information from each remote subscriber (4.4% 4 '') at respective reception ports (54) of a broadcasting platform (5); - aggregate, at the broadcasting platform (5), the subscriber information in order to constitute a command flow; - supply, from a transmission port (52) of the broadcasting platform (5), the control flow to the user session (3). 2. Method according to claim 1, in which the subscriber information is received in the form of data packets, and the step of aggregating the control information comprises storing the data packets in a FIFO memory structure ( 55a '). 3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the user session (3) is associated with a remote client (4, 4 ^f ), and the method comprises the transmission of session information between the session d 'user (3) and his associated client (4, 4'). 4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the subscriber information comprises information supplied by at least one input device chosen from the list consisting of: a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, one including user sessions enc omm unica t. i ο n a v e ces s e r v e u rs (2) e c cο n f i g u r e receive information for subscriber subscriber aggregate subscriber information received and which L1 20 at the same s? ession of uti form a fold iralité from fl iii. provide the flux from here u t i 1 i s a t u u (3) re specti ves order. order ux;