Managing access to a limited number of computerized sessions

A client device, comprising:

• a communications interface constructed and arranged to connect to a communications network;
• a user interface;
• and
• a controller coupled to the communications interface and the user interface, the controller being constructed and arranged to:
• receive a command to obtain access to a computerized session to be run on a server in a trusted network for interacting with an untrusted node outside the trusted network from a user through the user interface,
• after receiving the command, queue a session request in a wait queue on a server through the communications interface in response to all of a limited number of computerized sessions being currently assigned to other users, the controller accumulating credit points for the waiting user for time spent by the waiting user waiting in the wait queue, the controller allowing the waiting user to spend the accumulating credit points to un-assign a computerized session which is currently assigned to another user if the waiting user has a sufficient number of credit points;
• and
• while the session request is queued in the wait queue, presenting permission to the waiting user through the user interface to un-assign a computerized session which is currently assigned to another user;
• wherein the controller is constructed and arranged to provide the permission to the waiting user to un-assign the computerized session which is currently assigned to another user includes generating a list of idle computerized sessions and prompt the waiting user to terminate an idle computerized session on the list of idle computerized sessions, and
• wherein the server runs a virtual machine platform that provides, as the limited number of computerized sessions, a limited number of virtual web interfaces running on virtual machines through which users are capable of accessing web sites outside a trusted network, the virtual machines operating on the server to provide destructible interfaces between the trusted network and nodes outside the trusted network and to protect user devices of the waiting users from malware arriving from outside the trusted network;
• and
• wherein generating the list of idle computerized sessions includes identifying particular virtual web interfaces which have gone unused by users assigned to the particular virtual web interfaces for a predefined amount of time.

A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions for managing access to a limited number of computerized sessions, the set of instructions causing a client device to perform a method of:

• receiving a command to obtain access to a computerized session to be run on a server in a trusted network for interacting with an untrusted node outside the trusted network from a user;
• after receiving the command, queuing a session request in a wait queue on a server in response to all of a limited number of computerized sessions being currently assigned to other users, the waiting user accumulating credit points for time spent waiting in the wait queue;
• and
• while the session request is queued in the wait queue, presenting permission to the waiting user to un-assign a computerized session which is currently assigned to another user;
• wherein further providing the permission to the waiting user to un-assign the computerized session which is currently assigned to another user includes generating a list of idle computerized sessions including a number of credit points needed to un-assign each idle computerized session, and prompting the waiting user to terminate an idle computerized session on the list of idle computerized sessions, and
• wherein the server runs a virtual machine platform that provides, as the limited number of computerized sessions, a limited number of virtual web interfaces running on virtual machines through which users are capable of accessing web sites outside a trusted network, the virtual machines operating on the server to provide destructible interfaces between the trusted network and nodes outside the trusted network and to protect user devices of the waiting users from malware arriving from outside the trusted network;
• and
• wherein generating the list of idle computerized sessions includes identifying particular virtual web interfaces which have gone unused by users assigned to the particular virtual web interfaces for a predefined amount of time.

A server device, comprising:

• a communications interface constructed and arranged to connect to a communications network;
• a wait queue;
• and
• a control circuit coupled to the communications interface and the wait queue, the control circuit being constructed and arranged to:
• receive, from a waiting user, a session request for a computerized session,
• queuing the session request in the wait queue in response to all of the limited number of computerized sessions being currently assigned to other users, and
• while the session request is queued in the wait queue, providing permission to the waiting user to un-assign a computerized session which is currently assigned to another user;
• wherein further providing the permission to the waiting user to un-assign the computerized session which is currently assigned to another user further includes generating a list of idle computerized sessions and prompting the waiting user to terminate an idle computerized session on the list of idle computerized sessions based upon the waiting user having accumulating sufficient credit points for time spent waiting in the wait queue, both for time spent waiting for the current computerized session and for time spent waiting for any previous computerized sessions, to un-assign a computerized session which is currently assigned to another user, and
• wherein the server runs a virtual machine platform that provides, as the limited number of computerized sessions, a limited number of virtual web interfaces running on virtual machines through which users are capable of accessing web sites outside a trusted network, the virtual machines operating on the server to provide destructible interfaces between the trusted network and nodes outside the trusted network and to protect user devices of the waiting users from malware arriving from outside the trusted network;
• and
• wherein generating the list of idle computerized sessions includes identifying particular virtual web interfaces which have gone unused by users assigned to the particular virtual web interfaces for a predefined amount of time.

A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions for managing access to a limited number of computerized sessions, the set of instructions causing a sever device to perform a method of:

• receiving, from a waiting user, a session request for a computerized session to be run on the server in a trusted network for interacting with an untrusted node outside the trusted network;
• queuing the session request in a wait queue in response to all of the limited number of computerized sessions being currently assigned to other users, the method accumulating credit points for the waiting user for time spent by the waiting user in the wait queue, the method allowing the waiting user to spend the waiting user's credit points to un-assign a computerized session which is currently assigned to another user if the waiting user has a sufficient number of credit points for that specific idle computerized session;
• and
• while the session request is queued in the wait queue, providing permission to the waiting user to un-assign a computerized session which is currently assigned to another user;
• wherein providing permission to the waiting user to un-assign the computerized session which is currently assigned to another user includes generating a list of idle computerized sessions and prompting the waiting user to terminate an idle computerized session on the list of idle computerized sessions, and
• between the trusted network and nodes outside the trusted network and to protect user devices of the waiting users from malware arriving from outside the trusted network;
• and
• wherein generating the list of idle computerized sessions includes identifying particular virtual web interfaces which have gone unused by users assigned to the particular virtual web interfaces for a predefined amount of time.