Patents Assigned to VMware
  • Publication number: 20130014265
    Abstract: A universal patching machine is used to provide security for a computer system. A conversion function is generated for the patching machine that modifies input data to the computer system so that the computer system has an output and state that match the output and state that would be produced by a vendor-patched version of the computer system. The universal patching machine detects security vulnerabilities in intercepted data traffic. If a vulnerability violation is detected, the universal patching machine modifies the data traffic to remove the violation. Fixing the data traffic in this way ensures that the vulnerability cannot be exploited in an attack against the data network. The universal patching machine is formed from patch processors and a packet controller. The patch processors are formed from network patches. In operation, the patch processors detect vulnerabilities and issue modification commands that direct the packet controller to fix the data traffic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventor: Dileep Kumar Panjwani
  • Patent number: 8352240
    Abstract: Dynamic program analysis is decoupled from execution in virtual computer environments so that program analysis can be performed on a running computer program without affecting or perturbing the workload of the system on which the program is executing. Decoupled dynamic program analysis is enabled by separating execution and analysis into two tasks: (1) recording, where system execution is recorded with minimal interference, and (2) analysis, where the execution is replayed and analyzed. Recording and analysis are carried out on heterogeneous systems so that they can be separately optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventors: James Chow, Tal Garfinkel, Peter M. Chen
  • Patent number: 8352944
    Abstract: Guests, such as virtual machines, that are running on a host hardware platform are selectively descheduled when an idling condition is detected. An example of the idling condition is that the guest has been executing instructions in an idle loop for more than a threshold period. Guest instructions may be evaluated for the idling condition in conjunction with binary translation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventors: Boris Weissman, Dmitriy Budko
  • Patent number: 8352705
    Abstract: A computer system that is programmed with virtual memory accesses to physical memory employs multi-bit counters associated with its page table entries. When a page walker visits a page table entry, the multi-bit counter associated with that page table entry is incremented by one. The computer operating system uses the counts in the multi-bit counters of different page table entries to determine where large pages can be deployed effectively. In a virtualized computer system having a nested paging system, multi-bit counters associated with both its primary page table entries and its nested page table entries are used. These multi-bit counters are incremented during nested page walks. Subsequently, the guest operating systems and the virtual machine monitors use the counts in the appropriate multi-bit counters to determine where large pages can be deployed effectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Ole Agesen
  • Patent number: 8352490
    Abstract: A two dimensional bit array is maintained to keep track of the location of data records in a log file that is organized as a plurality of log segments, each comprising a plurality of data records. The data records are indexed in the log file according to randomized unique ids. Each column of the two dimensional bit array represents a Bloom filter corresponding to a log segment of the log file such that, given a particular randomized unique id, log segments that may contain the data record corresponding to the particular randomized unique id can be efficiently identified by utilizing Bloom filter techniques to analyze the columns of the two dimensional bit array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Jacob Gorm Hansen
  • Patent number: 8352482
    Abstract: A replicated decentralized storage system comprises a plurality of servers that locally store disk images for locally running virtual machines as well as disk images, for failover purposes, for remotely running virtual machines. To ensure that disk images stored for failover purposes are properly replicated upon an update of the disk image on the server running the virtual machine, a hash of a unique value known only to the server running the virtual machine is used to verify the origin of update operations that have been transmitted by the server to the other servers storing replications of the disk image for failover purposes. If verified, the update operations are added to such failover disk images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Jacob Gorm Hansen
  • Patent number: 8347263
    Abstract: Systems and methods of executing and/or provisioning an application in an application specific runtime environment are disclosed. The application specific runtime environment is defined by an application environment specification to include a minimal or reduced set of software resources required for execution of the application. These software resources are optionally stored in a resource repository that includes resources associated with a plurality of operating systems and/or executable applications. Various embodiments of the invention include the development of hierarchical resource metadata configured to characterize the various files, packages and file families included in the resource repository. In some embodiments this metadata is used to select between files and different versions of files when provisioning an application specific runtime environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Offer
  • Patent number: 8347344
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs for measuring performance of remote video delivery are presented. The method embeds at a server computer a marker in selected frames of a video stream. The marker includes a preconfigured sequence of pixels and is followed by a frame number encoded in the pixel data. The method then finds a first marker at a client computer to determine the location of the markers in a display. Once the location of the markers is determined, markers in following frames are detected with their corresponding frame numbers. The method stores the arrival times and frame numbers for each detected marker. The stored arrival times and frame numbers can be used for statistical performance analysis of remote video delivery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventors: Vikram M. Makhija, Rishi N. Bidarkar, Sunil Satnur, Srinivas Krishnan, Banit Agrawal
  • Publication number: 20120331250
    Abstract: A method for conveying a data packet received from a network to a virtual machine instantiated on a computer system coupled to the network, and a medium and system for carrying out the method, is described. In the method, a guest receive pointer queue of a component executing in the virtual machine is inspected in order to identify a location in a guest receive packet data buffer that is available to receive packet data. Data from the data packet received from the network is copied into the guest receive packet data buffer at the identified location. A standard receive interrupt is raised in the virtual machine. Thus, the kernel places the data packet received from the network into a memory space accessible to the virtual machine without any intervention by a virtual machine monitor component of the virtualization software.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael NELSON
  • Publication number: 20120331488
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives configuration information for a set of components of an extensible application. A component in the set of components includes extending information if the component is an extension of another component and hosting information if the component is hosting a set of extension points. A computing device dynamically generates an extension structure at runtime of the application from the configuration information. The extension structure is generated by connecting components together based on the extending information and the hosting information of the set of components. A navigation request to a target component is received and a path of components to the target component is determined using the extension structure. The path of components is traversed until the target component is loaded and the target component is displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Shraddha Vijay MARATHE, Imran Q. SAYED
  • Publication number: 20120331242
    Abstract: Free storage blocks previously allocated to a logical block device are released back to an underlying storage system supporting the logical block device in a manner that does not conflict with write operations that may be issued to the free storage blocks at about the same time. According to a first technique, write operations on the same storage blocks to be released are paused until the underlying storage system has completed the releasing operation or, if the write operations are issued earlier than when the underlying storage system actually performs the releasing operation, such storage blocks are not released. According to a second technique, a special file is allocated the free storage blocks, which are then made available for safe releasing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Faraz SHAIKH, Murali VILAYANNUR, Satyam B. VAGHANI, Kiran JOSHI
  • Patent number: 8341749
    Abstract: One embodiment is a method of preventing malware attacks in a virtualized mobile device including virtualization software that supports one or more virtual machines, the method including: (a) collecting information related to the status of physical device drivers; and (b) sending the information to virus protection software; wherein the virus protection software includes a set of rules that trigger one or more actions based on the information it receives concerning the physical device drivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Lawrence S. Rogel
  • Patent number: 8340287
    Abstract: Techniques for securing an asymmetric crypto-key having a public key and a split private key with multiple private portions are provided. A first one of multiple factors is stored. All of the factors are under the control of a user and all are required to generate a first private portion of the split private key. The first private portion not stored in a persistent state. A second private portion of the split private key under control of an entity other than the user is also stored. The first private portion and the second private portion are combinable to form a complete private portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventors: Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu, Brett Jason Schoppert, Ravi Ganesan, Mihir Bellare, Colin Joseph deSa
  • Publication number: 20120324441
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a technique for effectively managing virtualized computing systems with an unlimited number of hardware resources. Host systems included in a virtualized computer system are organized into a scalable, peer-to-peer (P2P) network in which host systems arrange themselves into a network overlay to communicate with one another. The network overlay enables the host systems to perform a variety of operations, which include dividing computing resources of the host systems among a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), load balancing VMs across the host systems, and performing an initial placement of a VM in one of the host systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Ajay GULATI, Irfan AHMAD, Ganesha SHANMUGANATHAN, Carl A. WALDSPURGER
  • Publication number: 20120324071
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a method for performing initial placement and load balancing of a data objects in a distributed system. The distributed system includes hardware resources, e.g., host systems and storage arrays, which are configured to execute and/or store data objects. A data object is initially placed into the distributed system by creating a virtual cluster of hardware resources that are compatible to execute and/or host the data object, and then selecting from the virtual cluster a hardware resource that is optimal for executing and/or hosting the data object. The data object is placed into the selected hardware resource, whereupon a load balancing operation is optionally performed across the virtual cluster. The virtual cluster is subsequently released, and the distributed system is returned to its original state with the data object included therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Ajay GULATI, Ganesha SHANMUGANATHAN
  • Publication number: 20120324358
    Abstract: A method is provided to remotely access an application hosted by a server and having a corresponding application graphical user interface (GUI) represented on the server, the method comprising: a client automatically sending GUI display update requests to the server throughout a duration of the access, the requests being HTTP requests over corresponding HTTP connections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventor: Sarel Kobus JOOSTE
  • Publication number: 20120324212
    Abstract: An image of system software is installed by loading an executable image of the system software using a boot loader, where the executable image includes a kernel and a plurality of files used by the kernel. The kernel of the system software is executed to generate the image of the system software that includes a copy of the kernel. Generating the image of the system software involves the steps of generating a plurality of pointers that each point to a different one of the files, retrieving the files using the pointers, and storing a copy of the kernel and the files in a storage device from which the system software is to be booted as the image of the system software.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Kerry HILTGEN, Olivier Alain CREMEL, Christopher Patrick DEVINE
  • Publication number: 20120324444
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a technique for effectively managing virtualized computing systems with an unlimited number of hardware resources. Host systems included in a virtualized computer system are organized into a scalable, peer-to-peer (P2P) network in which host systems arrange themselves into a network overlay to communicate with one another. The network overlay enables the host systems to perform a variety of operations, which include dividing computing resources of the host systems among a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), load balancing VMs across the host systems, and performing an initial placement of a VM in one of the host systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: VMware, Inc.
    Inventors: Ajay GULATI, Irfan AHMAD, Ganesha SHANMUGANATHAN, Carl A. Waldspurger
  • Patent number: 8336049
    Abstract: An analytics engine receives real-time statistics from a set of virtual machines supporting a line of business (LOB) application. The statistics relate to computing resource utilization and are used by the analytics engine to generate a prediction of demand for the LOB application in order to dynamically control the provisioning of virtual machines to support the LOB application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Medovich
  • Publication number: 20120317491
    Abstract: A method for displaying a graphical user interface for a computing environment including computing resources that are provided to a plurality of organizations over one or more external networks includes displaying representations of the one or more external networks. The method further includes displaying a first node in the graphical user interface that is connected to the representations of at least one of the one or more external networks, where the first node is associated with a first organization; displaying an aggregate node in the graphical user interface that is associated with a plurality of other organizations besides the first organization; receiving a selection to view details of the first organization; and displaying an expanded view of the first organization in the graphical user interface in response to the selection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Karen Natalie WONG, Peter J. SHEPHERD, Alex SMOLEN