Automatic application layer capture

A computing device, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform the operations of:
• in a server configured to centrally manage a plurality of client devices on a network, each client device being assigned to a user, capturing from the plurality of client devices a plurality of official application layers and storing the plurality of official application layers in a library, each official application layer being captured from a group of two or more client devices in the plurality of client devices based on installations of a corresponding application on each client device in the group by capturing a first snapshot of a first client device in the group before the application is installed on the first client device;
• detecting that the installation has completed on the first client device and, in response to the detecting that the first installation has completed, capturing a second snapshot of the first client device;
• creating a first application layer draft based on the first snapshot and the second snapshot, the first application layer draft containing differences between the first snapshot and the second snapshot;
• capturing a third snapshot of a second client device in the group before the application is installed on the second client device;
• detecting that the installation has completed on the second client device and, in response to the detecting that the second installation has completed, capturing a fourth snapshot of the second client device;
• creating a second application layer draft based on the third snapshot and the fourth snapshot, the second application layer draft containing differences between the third snapshot and the fourth snapshot;
• and
• creating an official application layer for the application based on commonalities between the first application layer draft and the second application layer draft, the official application layer configured to install the application onto a target client device when merged onto said target client device;
• detecting a request from a client device not containing the application in the same plurality of client devices but not in the group of client devices from which the official application layer is captured to install the application;
• determining that the official application layer for the requested application is available in the library of official application layers captured from the plurality of client devices;
• retrieving the official application layer for the requested application from the library;
• and
• merging the retrieved official application layer for the requested application onto the requesting client device to install the requested application.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more processors causing the one or more processors to execute the operations of:

• in a server configured to centrally manage a plurality of client devices on a network, each client device being assigned to a user, capturing from the plurality of client devices a plurality of official application layers and storing the plurality of official application layers in a library, each official application layer being captured from a group of two or more client devices in the plurality of client devices based on installations of a corresponding application on each client device in the group by
• capturing a first snapshot of a first client device in the group before the application is installed on the first client device;
• detecting that the installation has completed on the first client device and, in response to the detecting that the installation has completed, capturing a second snapshot of the first client device;
• creating a first application layer draft based on the first snapshot and the second snapshot, the first application layer draft containing differences between the first snapshot and the second snapshot;
• capturing a third snapshot of a second client device in the group before the application is installed on the second client device;
• detecting that the installation has completed on the second client device and, in response to the detecting that the installation has completed, capturing a fourth snapshot of the second client device;
• creating a second application layer draft based on the third snapshot and the fourth snapshot, the second application layer draft containing differences between the third snapshot and the fourth snapshot;
• and
• creating an official application layer for the application based at least in part on commonalities between the first application layer draft and the second application layer draft, the official application layer configured to install the application onto a target client device when merged onto said target client device;
• detecting a request from a client device not containing the application in the same plurality of client devices but not in the group of client devices from which the official application layer is captured to install the application;
• determining that the official application layer for the requested application is available in the library of official application layers captured from the plurality of client devices;
• retrieving the official application layer for the requested application from the library;
• and
• merging the retrieved official application layer for the requested application onto the requesting client device to install the requested application.