Virtual Device Hub
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDavid F. Bantz, Thomas E. Chefalas, Steven J. Mastrianni, Clifford Alan Pickover
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A virtual device hub, into which local devices are plugged, enables those devices to be virtualized locally and with a remote virtual machine. Those devices then appear as available to the remote application, and can be used, for example, to print a report being processed on the remote host to a printer located at the user's physical location. The user's virtual device hub is a small computer device with network capability that is able to access the remote virtual machine. When the user runs an application, the application is actually being run in the remote virtual machine.
Claims20
A method for virtualizing devices on a remote virtual machine and extending those devices to a user's physical location, comprising the steps of:
- detecting that a device is available to a local client of a remote virtual machine;
- sending information to the remote virtual machine that a device is available;
- and
- making available locally the device.
A signal bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform operations to virtualize devices on a remote virtual machine and extending those devices to a user's physical location, the operations comprising:
- detecting that a device is available to a local client of a remote virtual machine;
- sending information to the remote virtual machine that a device is available;
- and
- making available locally the device.
A signal bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform operations to virtualize devices on a remote virtual machine and extending those devices to a user's physical location, the operations comprising:
- detecting that a device is available to a local client of a remote virtual machine;
- sending information to the remote virtual machine that a device is available;
- and
- making available locally the device by the remote virtual machine selecting and making available for download, software permitting the local client access and control of the device.
A signal bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform operations to virtualize devices on a remote virtual machine and extending those devices to a user's physical location, the operations comprising:
- detecting that a device is available to a local client of a remote virtual machine;
- sending information to the remote virtual machine that a device is available;
- making available locally the device by the remote virtual machine selecting and making available for download, software permitting the local client access and control of the device;
- and
- copying, downloading and installing the software.
A system for virtualizing devices on a remote virtual machine and extending those devices to a user's physical location, comprising:
- means for detecting that a device is available to a local client of a remote virtual machine;
- means for sending information to the remote virtual machine that a device is available;
- and
- means for making available locally the device.
A system for virtualizing devices on a remote virtual machine and extending those devices to a user's physical location, comprising:
- a server running one or more remote virtual machines;
- a communications network;
- and
- a virtual device hub capable of having a device plugged locally therein coupled to said server by means of said communications network.
A system for virtualizing devices on a remote machine and extending those devices to a user's physical location, comprising:
- means for detecting that a device is available to a local client of a remote machine;
- means for sending information to the remote machine that a device is available;
- a device virtualization layer between said means for sending information and the remote machine;
- and
- means for making available locally the device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.