Abstract: A single user can be provided multiple user profiles. When a user logs in to a computing device, the user can be given the option of selecting one of the multiple user profiles and/or the option to create a new user profile. The user can therefore select a user profile that is most appropriate for a particular situation. By employing a layering system, these multiple user profiles can be provided in various types of virtualization environments and independently of the operating system version.

Abstract: Access to a redirected smart card can be provided to applications executing within a remote session. To enable this access, a smart card stub can be executed within the remote session and can function to intercept an application's API calls to access a smart card. A corresponding smart card proxy can also be executed within session 0 and can function to receive the intercepted API calls from the smart card stub. The smart card proxy can then execute the API calls. Because the smart card proxy is executing in session 0, the smart card resource manager service will not block access.

Abstract: Mass storage devices of any interface can be redirected to a server. When a mass storage device is connected to a client terminal, a client-side proxy can obtain information about the device including the interface by which the device connects to the client terminal. The proxy can relay this information to a server-side agent which can instruct a VMiniport enumerator to enumerate the mass storage device using the interface specified in the information. When the VMiniport driver is loaded, the agent can also use the information to cause the VMiniport driver and the storport driver to be initialized in accordance with the specified interface. The VMiniport driver and storport driver will therefore be configured to communicate IO requests targeting the mass storage device in a format appropriate for the interface.

Abstract: A directory that resides on a layered volume can be renamed. A hooking module can be employed to intercept rename requests. The hooking module can query a layering file system filter driver to determine the volume of the source and target of the rename request. If the source and target are on different volumes, thereby indicating that the source is a directory of a layered volume, the hooking module can append a signature to the target which identifies the actual volume of the source. The modified rename request can then be passed to the operating system which will perform its normal operations including verifying that the source and target are on the same volume. During this verification, the layering file system filter driver can detect the appended signature in the target and can inform the operating system that the target is on the volume identified in the signature.

Abstract: Multiple clipboard items are supported in a VDI environment. A client clipboard service can monitor the system clipboard to detect when a clipboard item is added to the system clipboard. The client clipboard service can copy any item added to the system clipboard to a client clipboard buffer. The client clipboard service can also interface with a client virtual channel endpoint to send items in the client clipboard buffer to a server virtual channel endpoint. A server clipboard service can then copy the received items to a server clipboard buffer to thereby synchronize the client and server clipboard buffers. The server clipboard service can function in a similar manner to copy items added to the server's system clipboard to the server clipboard buffer and then interface with the server virtual channel endpoint to cause such items to be synchronized back to the client clipboard buffer.

Abstract: In a desktop virtualization environment, a server-side agent can be employed on the server to function as a cast device. Applications executing on a remote desktop will therefore see the agent as a cast device and can direct cast requests to the agent. When the agent receives a cast request, it can forward the cast request to a client-side proxy. The proxy can then transmit the cast request to an actual cast device that is part of the same subnet as the client. In this way, an application executing on the server will be able to seamlessly cast content to a cast device that is not part of the same subnet.

Abstract: A generic client engine can associate a transcoder process with a requested server-side application so that the transcoder process can act as an intermediary between the browser-based application and the server-side application. The transcoder process can be configured to communicate with the browser-based application using a browser-supported protocol. The transcoder process can be further configured to transcode between the browser-supported protocol and a protocol employed by the server-side application. In cases where a gateway service provides access to the server-side application, the transcoder process can also act as an intermediary between the browser-based application and the gateway service to transcode between the browser-supported protocol and a gateway protocol. In some cases, the transcoder process, and possibly the gateway service, can alternatively be located on the client device that hosts the browser-based application.

Abstract: A write filter can be configured to employ a dynamically expandable overlay. The size of the overlay could initially be small and could then grow and shrink during the current session based on demand. The overlay can span both RAM and disk to thereby allow the size of the overlay to be relatively large. When sufficient RAM is available, the overlay can be allowed to grow in RAM. In contrast, if RAM is low, the overlay can grow on disk. Also, artifacts in the overlay can be moved from the RAM portion to the disk portion to reduce the amount of RAM consumed by the overlay. Because the overlay is dynamically expandable, it will typically not become full and will therefore not force a reboot.

Abstract: Applications and users can be restricted from making persistent changes to artifacts on a protected volume. In Windows-based systems that include a file-based write filter, a policy-based write filter can be positioned below the file-based write filter and can examine any write requests that target artifacts of a protected volume and are not redirected by the file-based write filter. The policy-based write filter can examine the write requests against any applicable policies to determine whether the write requests should be allowed to proceed. If the policy-based write filter determines that a write request is not allowed by policy, it can fail the write request to thereby prevent the targeted artifact from being updated in the protected volume.

Abstract: An auxiliary device can be employed to implement USB device redirection. By employing an auxiliary device, a USB device may be redirected to a server for use by a client terminal within a remote session even if the client terminal alone is not capable of redirecting the USB device. The remoting components tasked with establishing remote sessions can include a client-side or server-side session notifier. This session notifier can be configured to notify a proxy on the auxiliary device when the client terminal establishes a remote session with the server. In response to this notification, the proxy on the auxiliary device can commence redirecting an appropriate USB device to the server. Then, when the remote session is terminated, the session notifier can notify the proxy to allow the proxy to cease redirecting the USB device.

Abstract: VDI sessions and virtualized devices can be prioritized in Software-Defined Networks. A server-side agent can communicate with a management server to provide VDI session details indicative of how the VDI session is being employed. The management server can then update a flow table in a Software-Defined Network based on the VDI session details. In this way, the network traffic pertaining to a VDI session can be prioritized based on how the VDI session is being used. A flow table can also be updated in conjunction with commencing or completing an imaging process.

Abstract: A shortcut to a file in a cloud desktop can be virtualized. A file shortcut virtualizer can be executed on a server and a client terminal that establishes remote sessions with the server. Server-side components of the file shortcut virtualizer can be configured to identify when a file shortcut has been created on a user's cloud desktop and to send information about each created shortcut to client-side components of the file shortcut virtualizer. The client-side components can then employ this information to create a virtual shortcut for each file shortcut on the user's cloud desktop. A virtual shortcut corresponding to a particular file can be configured to invoke a remote application launcher and can include information identifying a connection file that the remote application launcher should use to directly open the particular file using an associated remote application.

Abstract: Cloud based Wake-on-LAN (WoL) for thin clients can be performed to allow a cloud based management server to wake up a thin client prior to an update command (or other communication) being transmitted to the thin client to ensure that the thin client will receive the update command. Cloud based WoL can therefore facilitate the deployment of updates to thin clients by providing a way for the administrator to wake up the thin clients from the cloud.

Abstract: Source devices can be secured using a display device filter. When a display device is connected to a source device, a display device filter can identify the display device and determine whether it is a trusted display device. If the display device filter determines that the display device is not trusted, it can take a number of actions to minimize the likelihood of harm to the source device. These actions may include preventing the source device from booting, shutting down the source device, locking the source device, blocking access to other devices, and/or notifying an administrator. In this way, a malicious user can be prevented from gaining access to the source device.

Abstract: Examples of methods, systems, apparatus, and machine-readable storage media are provided to facilitate access and control of a remote desktop of a remote machine by a windows web browser of a client device through a web server without installing proprietary plug-ins or protocols on the client device. A web server may translate user input requests from a web browser into input calls compatible with a remote desktop display protocol. The web server may receive remote desktop drawing commands from the remote machine and translate the remote desktop drawing commands into web browser drawing updates compatible with the windows web browser. A web server may communicate with the windows web browser via HTTP and communicate with the remote machine via a remote desktop display protocol.

Abstract: Data transfer can be optimized for redirected UASP devices. When a UASP device is connected to a client terminal that has established a remote session on a server, the VDI can use a network optimal transfer length in place of the actual MAXIMUM TRANSFER LENGTH and OPTIMAL TRANSFER LENGTH of the UASP device. As a result, the server will use the specified network optimal transfer length for requests sent to the redirected UASP device. These requests can therefore be sent to the client in an optimal manner. Then, to optimize the performance of the UASP device, the requests can be split on the client into multiple requests having the OPTIMAL TRANSFER LENGTH and then submitted to the UASP device. In this way, the VDI can optimize the transfer of requests over the network as well as the servicing of requests by the UASP device.

Abstract: Session level restrictions can be implemented for devices having disjoint stacks. When a filter driver is loaded onto a device stack, it can traverse the device stack to locate the root driver in the stack. If the root driver is a redirection virtual bus driver, the filter driver can obtain a session identifier associated with the device. Otherwise, if the root driver is not a redirection virtual bus driver, the filter driver can obtain the container ID for the device. The filter driver can then obtain a list of the devices that are enumerated by the redirection virtual bus driver and determine whether any of the devices in the list have a container ID matching the container ID of the device. If a match is found, the session ID of the matching device can be obtained and employed to implement session level restrictions.

Abstract: Examples of methods, systems, apparatus, and machine-readable storage media are provided to facilitate access and control of a remote desktop of a remote machine by a web browser of a client device through a web server without installing proprietary plug-ins or protocols on the client device. A web server may translate user input requests from a web browser into input calls compatible with a remote desktop display protocol. The web server may receive remote desktop drawing commands from the remote machine and translate the remote desktop drawing commands into web browser drawing updates compatible with the web browser. A web server may communicate with the web browser and the remote machine via HTTP and a remote desk top display protocol, respectively.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods are provided for communication and for forwarding display data related to a remote session between a client device and a remote server to a host device. The system may facilitate establishing the remote session with the remote server. The system may facilitate establishing a trusted relationship between the client device and the host device. The system may filter out data related to local graphical user interface (GUI) and selectively forward from the client device to the host device display data related to the remote session established between the client device and the remote server.

Abstract: Application configurations can be merged to enhance multi-layer performance. When a layering system is employed, a layering registry filter driver can create a merged registry hive that includes the contents of each operating system registry hive as well as the contents of each registry hive of a mounted layer. The merged registry hive will therefore form a single location that the layering registry filter driver can access to complete a registry operation.