Connection management system, and a method for linking connection management server in thin client system

Abstract

An exemplary object of the present invention is to suppress the load on each server and network traffic. To achieve this, a plurality of connection management servers are installed so that any of the connection management servers executes acceptance of a connection request from a thin client terminal. Further, the connection management servers manage the states of clients in order to hold the states of the respective clients, and each of the connection management servers searches a client that can be connected by the thin client terminal according to a connection request from this thin client terminal, and replies with the search result to the thin client terminal, and a range of the connection management servers for executing the search of the client is limited for each connection request from the thin client terminal to the thin client server.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A connection management system comprising:
 a plurality of virtual machine servers running a plurality of clients which execute applications; and   a plurality of connection management servers each managing a connection from a thin client terminal to one of the plurality of clients, wherein
 the connection management servers store information related to states of the plurality of clients; 
 in response to a connection request from the thin client terminal, at least some of the plurality of connection management servers execute a search for a client available for the thin client terminal, wherein the search is performed across a range of virtual machine servers among the plurality of virtual machine servers; and 
 the thin client terminal receives a result of the search. 
   
     
     
         2 . A connection management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the connection management servers are grouped; and a group of the connection management servers is selected, based on a policy, to perform the search. 
     
     
         3 . A connection management system according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the connection management servers refers to the policy on each of the connection management servers. 
     
     
         4 . A connection management system according to  claim 1 , wherein clients are grouped; and each of the connection management servers refers to a connection destination setting information table and responds to the search by selecting a connectable client from among client groups searchable for each of the connection management servers. 
     
     
         5 . A method of managing connections in a connection management system having a plurality of virtual machine servers running a plurality of clients which execute applications, and
 a plurality of connection management servers each managing a connection from a thin client terminal to one of the plurality of clients, the method comprising:
 storing, in the plurality of connection management servers, information related to states of the plurality of clients; 
 executing a search for a client available for the thin client terminal in response to a connection request from the thin client terminal, the search performed by at least some of the plurality of connection management servers, across a range of virtual machine servers among the plurality of virtual machine servers; and 
 sending a result of the search to the thin client terminal. 
   
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein the connection management servers are grouped, and selecting a group of the connection management servers based on a policy to perform the search. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein each of the connection management servers refers to the policy on each of the connection management servers. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein clients are grouped; and each of the connection management servers refers to a connection destination setting information table and responds to the search by selecting a connectable client from among client groups searchable for each of the connection management servers. 
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising program instructions that when executed by a computer perform a method of managing connections in a connection management system having a plurality of virtual machine servers running a plurality of clients which execute applications, and a plurality of connection management servers each managing a connection from a thin client terminal to one of the plurality of clients, the method comprising:
 storing, in the plurality of connection management servers, information related to states of the plurality of clients; and   executing a search for a client available for the thin client terminal in response to a connection request from the thin client terminal, the search performed by at least some of the plurality of connection management servers, across a range of virtual machine servers among the plurality of virtual machine servers; and   sending a result of the search to the thin client terminal.   
     
     
         10 . A non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 9 , wherein the connection management servers are grouped, and selecting a group of the connection management servers based on a policy to perform the search. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 9 , wherein each of the connection management servers refers to the policy on each of the connection management servers. 
     
     
         12 . A non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 9 , wherein clients are grouped; and each of the connection management servers refers to a connection destination setting information table and responds to the search by selecting a connectable client from among client groups searchable for each of the connection management servers.