Maintaining session states within virtual machine environments

A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, where execution of the computer program by a connection broker implemented at least in hardware causes a method to be performed, the method comprising:

• receiving a message, command, or an internal decision in relation to a first state of a session encompassing a guest operating system (OS) hosted by a virtual machine (VM) environment and one or more application programs capable of running on the guest OS, the VM environment implemented at least in hardware;
• and,
• in response transitioning the session from the first state to a second state, the first state and the second state selected from a plurality of states consisting of:
• an offline state, an online-down state, an online-up state, a suspended state, an active state, an idle state, a disconnected state, and a failed state, wherein during transition from the first state to the second state, the session is within an interim, pending state,
• wherein the offline state indicates that a session is unavailable for allocation, the online-down state and the online-up state directly transitionable to the offline state without having to pass through any intervening state, the offline state directly transitionable to the online-down state and the online-up state without having to pass through any intervening state, and when the session is initially added or created, the offline state is exited upon removal or destruction of the session,
• wherein the online-down state indicates that a session is virtually powered down but available for allocation, the offline state, the online-up state, and the failed state directly transitionable to the online-down state without having to pass through any intervening state, and the online-down state directly transitionable to the offline state and the online-up state without having to pass through any intervening state, and
• wherein the online-up state indicates that a session is virtually powered up and available for allocation, the offline state, the online-down state, and the suspended state directly transitionable to the online-up state without having to pass through any intervening state, and the online-up state directly transitionable to the offline state, the online-down state, the suspended state, and the failed state without having to pass through any intervening state.