Installation and management of client extensions

Application extension management may be provided. Upon logging into a user device by a user, a list of a plurality of extensions associated with the user may be retrieved from a central repository. Access to each of the plurality of extensions associated with the user on the user device may then be provided to the user device.

BACKGROUND

Client extension management may be provided. In conventional systems, client application extensions are installed and managed on a per user and/or per desktop basis. For managed environments, this does not scale well as it requires administrators to install and manage extensions per user individually. Some software distribution solutions may push out installations for each user. In some situations, this technique may be prone to error and may suffer from poor performance on large scales. Furthermore, Information Technology (IT) management may want to ensure that a group of users always have a given client add-on installed and running. As employees join and leave that group, however, typical per user management may result in different versions running for different members of that group.

SUMMARY

Application extension management may be provided. Upon logging into a user device by a user, a list of a plurality of extensions associated with the user may be retrieved from a central repository. Access to each of the plurality of extensions associated with the user on the user device may then be provided to the user device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A management interface may provide administrators with the ability to select extensions, such as through a marketplace style interface, which may be installed on a user, group, departmental, and/or organization-wide basis. The interface may further provide the administrator with additional options, such as configuring whether an extension should be mandatory or optional for users, uninstalling the extension, and/or checking for updates from extension provider sources.

A central repository may list extensions installed for users within an organization. This way, administrators do not have to manage installations for individual users, but may install the extensions to one central location in the organization that may then be accessed by all and/or selected users within the organization. Changes to the organization's installation may immediately be recognized and consumed by all users, without any additional per user provisioning or installation steps. A manifest for each extension may be stored in the repository, which may comprise an organizational mailbox. The manifest may comprise meta-data about the organizational configuration for each extension, such as whether the extension is enabled or disabled, which users are allowed to access the extension, whether operation of the extension is mandatory or optional, etc.

Administrators may be able to identify which extensions may be provided to a particular group or department within the organization, and ensure that users are provided with an approved extension. The may also allow administrators to reliably limit to whom the acquired extension is provided as well as allowing enforcement of policies that require particular extensions to be executed. Such mandatory extensions may execute on targeted users' devices without input from the users, while optional extensions may be enabled and/or disabled by individual users.

An end-user management interface may retrieve a list of extensions to load from the central organization repository, which may be filtered to only those that are enabled and/or provided to the given user. Any end-user specific configurations may be loaded from a mailbox within the repository associated with the user.

FIG. 1is a block diagram of an operating environment100for providing extension management comprising a user device110. User device110may comprise a data processing application115and may be operative to interact with a server120via a network125. Server120may be operative to execute a plurality of applications and/or services, such as an extension management application130. Data processing application115may comprise, for example, a word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, web browser, e-mail and/or other application. User device110may be operative to output application data and/or user interfaces to a display device140, such as a monitor and/or touchscreen. User device110may comprise, for example, an electronic communications device such as a computer, laptop, cellular and/or IP phone, tablet, game console and/or other device. Data processing application115may be operative to communicate with server120and receive provisioned access to a plurality of extensions as configured in an extension repository150. Extension management application130may be operative to provide information technology (IT) administrators with a centralized interface for managing extension settings and access permissions on a per-user, user group, and/or organization wide basis.

FIG. 2is a flow chart setting forth the general stages involved in a method200consistent with an embodiment of the invention for providing application extension management. Method200may be implemented using a computing device300as described in more detail below with respect toFIG. 3. Ways to implement the stages of method200will be described in greater detail below. Method200may begin at starting block205and proceed to stage210where computing device300may provide an extension management interface. For example, the extension management interface may be integrated into an e-mail application wherein each of a plurality of mailboxes and/or mail folders may be associated with one of a plurality of application extensions. Manifests comprising configuration information for the extensions may be stored in the mail structure, such as in a plurality of messages associated with the mailbox and/or folder.

Method200may then advance to stage215where computing device300may configure an access setting for at least one of the plurality of application extensions. For example, some extensions may be configured as mandatory for an individual user, a group of users, and/or all users associated with an organization. A given extension may comprise different access settings for different users, such as where a software development bug list extension may be mandatory for users in a quality assurance user group, optional for users in a management user group, and prohibited for users in an accounting user group. Other configuration options may also be modified, such as display settings, external data sources, access to user-configurable options, extension metadata, etc.

Method200may then advance to stage220where computing device300may store the access setting for the application extension in a manifest. For example, the manifest may be stored in a mailbox associated with the application extensions. The manifest may comprise other configuration details, such as login information for the extension, window and/or user interface placement settings, etc.

Method200may then advance to stage225where computing device300may install a new application extension via the extension management interface. For example, an administrator may select a new application extension from a list of available extensions such as an app store and/or marketplace. A new mailbox/folder may be created within the extension management interface for the new extension and a new manifest comprising configured access settings for the new extension may be created. Consistent with embodiments of the invention, users who are configured with access to the new extension may be notified of the extension's availability and/or the extension may be provided automatically to such users.

Method200may then advance to stage230where computing device300may receive a login request from at least one user on a remote device. For example, a user may log in to device110, which may transmit an authentication request to server120over network125.

Method200may then advance to stage235where computing device300may identify at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the at least one user. For example, server120may scan the manifests created and managed by extension management application130to identify those application extensions to which the user logging in has received access. Such access may be mandatory, where the user may not disable the extension, or optional, where the user may enable or disable the extension per their preference.

Method200may then advance to stage240where computing device300may provide access to each of the subset of the plurality of application extensions to the remote device. For example, mandatory and/or optionally enabled extensions for the user may be displayed on display device140. Such extensions may execute locally on user device110and/or may be accessed via a network reference and execute remotely, such as on server120and/or another computing device connected to network125, such as a web server. Method200may then end at stage250

An embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a system for providing application extension management. The system may comprise a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unit may be operative to receive a login to a device from a user, retrieve a list of a plurality of extensions associated with the user from a central repository, and provide access to each of the plurality of extensions associated with the user on the device.

Another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a system for providing application extension management. The system may comprise a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unit may be operative to install a plurality of application extensions to a central repository, receive a login request from a user of a device, identify at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the user, and provide access to at least the subset of the plurality of application extensions to the user's device. The processing may be further operative to receive a selection of at least one application extension of the plurality of application extensions via an extension management interface, identify a plurality of users associated with the selected at least one application extension, and display a status of each of the plurality of users associated with the selected at least one application extension. For example, the extension management interface may show all users that have the selected extension enabled/disabled and/or whether the extension is actively in use by those users.

Yet another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a system for providing application extension management. The system may comprise a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unit may be operative to provide an extension management interface via an e-mail application that displays a plurality of mailboxes each associated with one of a plurality of application extensions, configure an access setting for at least one of the plurality of application extensions for an individual user, a group of users, and/or all users associated with an organization, store the access setting for the at least one of the plurality of application extensions in a manifest in a one of the plurality of mailboxes associated with the at least one of the plurality of application extensions, and install a new application extension via the extension management interface. The processing unit may be further operative to receive a login request from at least one user on a remote user device, identify at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the at least one user wherein at least one first extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises a mandatory access setting on and at least one second extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises an optional access setting, and provide access to each of the subset of the plurality of application extensions to the remote user device.

The embodiments and functionalities described herein may operate via a multitude of computing systems, including wired and wireless computing systems, mobile computing systems (e.g., mobile telephones, tablet or slate type computers, laptop computers, etc.). In addition, the embodiments and functionalities described herein may operate over distributed systems, where application functionality, memory, data storage and retrieval and various processing functions may be operated remotely from each other over a distributed computing network, such as the Internet or an intranet. User interfaces and information of various types may be displayed via on-board computing device displays or via remote display units associated with one or more computing devices. For example user interfaces and information of various types may be displayed and interacted with on a wall surface onto which user interfaces and information of various types are projected. Interaction with the multitude of computing systems with which embodiments of the invention may be practiced include, keystroke entry, touch screen entry, voice or other audio entry, gesture entry where an associated computing device is equipped with detection (e.g., camera) functionality for capturing and interpreting user gestures for controlling the functionality of the computing device, and the like.FIG. 3and the associated descriptions provide a discussion of a variety of operating environments in which embodiments of the invention may be practiced. However, the devices and systems illustrated and discussed with respect toFIG. 3are for purposes of example and illustration and are not limiting of a vast number of computing device configurations that may be utilized for practicing embodiments of the invention, described herein.

With reference toFIG. 3, a system consistent with an embodiment of the invention may include a computing device, such as computing device300. In a basic configuration, computing device300may include at least one processing unit302and a system memory304. Depending on the configuration and type of computing device, system memory304may comprise, but is not limited to, volatile (e.g. random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile (e.g. read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, or any combination. System memory304may include operating system305, one or more programming modules306, and may include extension management application130. Operating system305, for example, may be suitable for controlling computing device300's operation. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other application program and is not limited to any particular application or system. This basic configuration is illustrated inFIG. 3by those components within a dashed line308.

Computing device300may have additional features or functionality. For example, computing device300may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated inFIG. 3by a removable storage309and a non-removable storage310. Computing device300may also contain a communication connection316that may allow device300to communicate with other computing devices318, such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, for example, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection316is one example of communication media.

The term computer readable media as used herein may include computer storage media. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. System memory304, removable storage309, and non-removable storage310are all computer storage media examples (i.e., memory storage.) Computer storage media may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store information and which can be accessed by computing device300. Any such computer storage media may be part of device300. Computing device300may also have input device(s)312such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound input device, a touch input device, a capture device, etc. A capture device may be operative to record a user and capture spoken words, motions and/or gestures made by the user, such as with a camera and/or microphone. The capture device may comprise any speech and/or motion detection device capable of detecting the speech and/or actions of the user. For example, the capture device may comprise a Microsoft® Kinect® motion capture device comprising a plurality of cameras and a plurality of microphones. Output device(s)314such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included. The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used.

As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in system memory304, including operating system305. While executing on processing unit302, programming modules306may perform processes and/or methods as described above. The aforementioned process is an example, and processing unit302may perform other processes. Other programming modules that may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may include electronic mail and contacts applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentation applications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc.

Embodiments of the invention may be practiced via a system-on-a-chip (SOC) where each and/or many of the components illustrated above may be integrated onto a single integrated circuit. Such an SOC device may include one or more processing units, graphics units, communications units, system virtualization units and various application functionalities, all of which may be integrated (or “burned”) onto the chip substrate as a single integrated circuit. When operating via an SOC, the functionality, described herein, with respect to training and/or interacting with any component of operating environment100may operate via application-specific logic integrated with other components of the computing device/system on the single integrated circuit (chip).

All rights including copyrights in the code included herein are vested in and the property of the Applicants. The Applicants retain and reserve all rights in the code included herein, and grant permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.