Sharing internet capability of a mobile computing device with a client computing device using a virtual machine
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsSyed Azam, Chi W. So
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Example embodiments relate to use of a virtual machine image for sharing Internet access available to a mobile computing device. In example embodiments, a virtual machine image maintained on a storage device of a mobile computing device is received in a client computing device. A guest operating system (OS) contained in the virtual machine image may then be executed on the client computing device. Network data may then be exchanged between the guest OS and the mobile computing device over an interface between the client computing device and the mobile computing device.
Claims14
A client computing device for sharing Internet access available to a mobile computing device, the client computing device comprising:
- an interface for communication with the mobile computing device;
- and
- a processor to:
- receive a virtual machine image maintained on a storage device of the mobile computing device over the interface,
- execute a guest operating system (OS) contained in the virtual machine image, the guest OS providing requests to a hypervisor loaded in the client computing device, and
- exchange network data between the guest OS and the mobile computing device over the interface to enable the client computing device to utilize the Internet access available to the mobile computing device, wherein:
- the guest OS exchanges the network data with a virtual network driver that virtualizes network hardware contained in the mobile computing device;
- and
- the virtual network driver controls transmission of the network data to and from the mobile computing device over the interface.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor of a client computing device for sharing Internet access available to a mobile computing device, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:
- instructions for loading a hypervisor on the client computing device;
- instructions for receiving, in the hypervisor, a virtual machine image maintained on a storage device of the mobile computing device;
- instructions for loading a guest operating system (OS) contained in the virtual machine image, the guest OS communicating with the hypervisor;
- and
- instructions for initializing a virtual network driver to virtualize network hardware in the mobile computing device, the initialized driver exchanging network data between the guest OS and the network hardware of the mobile computing device to enable the client computing device to utilize the Internet access available to the mobile computing device.
A method for sharing Internet access available to a mobile computing device with a client computing device, the method comprising:
- receiving a virtual machine image maintained on a storage device of the mobile computing device over an interface between the client computing device and the mobile computing device;
- executing a guest operating system (OS) contained in the virtual machine image, the guest OS communicating with a hypervisor loaded in the client computing device;
- and
- utilizing the Internet access available to the mobile computing device by transferring network data between the guest OS and the mobile computing device over the interface, wherein utilizing includes using a virtual network driver that virtualizes network hardware contained in the mobile computing device to transmit network data to and from the guest OS.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.