System and method for providing virtual desktop extensions on a client desktop

Abstract

The system and method described herein may identify one or more virtual desktop extensions available in a cloud computing environment and launch virtual machine instances to host the available virtual desktop extensions in the cloud. For example, a virtual desktop extension manager may receive a virtual desktop extension request from a client desktop and determine whether authentication credentials for the client desktop indicate that the client desktop has access to the requested virtual desktop extension. In response to authenticating the client desktop, the virtual desktop extension manager may then launch a virtual machine instance to host the virtual desktop extension in the cloud and provide the client desktop with information for locally controlling the virtual desktop extension remotely hosted in the cloud.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method, comprising:
 presenting available virtual machines (VMs) as extensions to a client;   receiving a selection for one or more of the VMs;   authenticating the client for access to the selection of the one or more VMs; and   enabling the client access to the selection of the one or more VMs as an extension of a local processing environment of the client   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein presenting further includes identifying within each VM available services and available applications for that VM. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein identifying further includes providing descriptions of each available service and each available application. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein identifying further includes identifying for each VM whether that VM's available services and available applications are located in a private cloud or a public cloud processing environment over a network connection to the client. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein enabling further includes enabling a personal disk as a virtual disk for storage of data by the client while accessing the selection as the extension. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein enabling further includes enabling a converter for converting files of a file type accessible from the selection to one or more client file types supported by the client while the client access the selection as the extension. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein enabling further includes enabling one or more interfaces for connecting, communicating, and interacting between services provided in the selection and local services of the client. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein enabling further includes enabling a policy engine with enablement of the selection for enforcing access rights of the client with respect to services and applications provided in the selection. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein enabling further includes obtaining client credentials in a client credential cache for selectively enabling services and applications in the selection. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein enabling further includes provisioning and loading a new instance of the selection while enabling the selection. 
     
     
         31 . A method, comprising:
 downloading a selection application to a client;   initiating the selection application on the client;   presenting, by the selection application on the client, selections of Virtual Machines (VMs) accessible to the client as an extension of a local processing environment of the client; and   enabling, by the selection application, a selection received from a user operating the client as a particular VM that extends the local processing environment of the client to services and applications provided in the particular VM.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein downloading further includes presenting an icon within the local processing environment for selecting the selection application for execution within the local processing environment. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein initiating further includes identifying activation of the icon within the local processing environment when the user selects the icon. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein initiating further includes initiating, by the selection application, a background process that executes on the client for authenticating the client when the selection is identified. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein enabling further includes authenticating, by the background process, the client for access to the selection. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein authenticating further includes obtaining, by the background process, client credentials residing in the local processing environment and processing the client credentials for authenticating the client. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein obtaining further includes obtaining, by the background process, user credentials provided by the user operating the client and comparing, by the background process, the client credentials against the user credentials for authenticating the client. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein presenting further includes identifying specific applications and services with each presented VM based on authentication of the client. 
     
     
         39 . A system, comprising:
 a client; and   a virtual desktop extension manager executing on the client;   wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is configured to: i) present selections of Virtual Machines (VMs) to a user operating the client based on authentication of the client and ii) activate on the client a specific VM in response to a selection of one of the VMs received from the user as a virtual desktop extension of a desktop provided in a local processing environment of the client to the user.   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is further configured to: iii) activate selective services and application within the selection based on authentication of the client.