Autonomous network streaming

A computing system comprising the following:

• one or more processors;
• system memory;
• one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing system to perform a method for allocating application data between local and network data stores, the method comprising:
• an act of receiving from an administrative user an indication of which specified portions of a virtual application are to be stored in a local data store and which portions are to be stored in a network data store;
• an act of generating one or more portions of metadata describing which specified portions of the virtual application are stored on the local data store;
• an act of receiving a data file request from a virtual application requesting the data of a specified data file;
• an act of determining, based on the generated metadata, whether the specified data file is stored on the local data store or the remote data store;
• and
• an act of selectively sending the data file request to either the local data store or the remote data store, by sending the data file request to the local data store when it is determined that the specified data file is stored at the local data store and sending the data file request to the remote data store when it is determined that the specified data file is stored at the remote data store.

A computing system comprising the following:

• one or more processors;
• system memory;
• one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing system to perform a method for dynamically delivering virtual software applications, the method comprising:
• an act of establishing a data input/output (I/O) filter configured to intercept data file requests being sent from a virtual software application to a file system;
• an act of I/O filter intercepting a data file read request that is configured to a retrieve a requested data file from the file system;
• an act of indicating to the virtual software application that the requested data file exists, the indication including the requested data file's file name and size;
• an act of receiving a request from the virtual software application for the actual data content of the requested data file;
• an act of forwarding the intercepted read request to a user-mode service that forwards the data request to a network-accessible data store configured to return the requested data file;
• and
• upon receiving the requested data file from the network data store at the user-mode service, an act of the user-mode service forwarding the data file content to the I/O filter which sends the requested data file content to the virtual software application, such that the requested data file is usable by the virtual application in response to its read request.