Exhibit 1

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US007519814B2 

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,519,814 B2 

Rochette et al. (45) Date of Patent: Apr. 14, 2009 

(54) SYSTEM FOR CONTAINERIZATION OF WO WO 2006/039181 A 4/2006 

APPLICATION SETS 

(75) Inventors: Donn Rochette, Fenton, IA (US); Paul OTHER PUBLICATIONS 

Isar Khata (CA); Dean Huffman, Soltesz, S., et al. Container-based Operating System 

anata (CA) Virtualization: A Scalable, High-performance Alternative to 

Hypervisors’, SIGOPS Oper. Syst. Rev., vol. 41, No. 3. (Jun. 2007), 

pp. 275-287, entire article. http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/ - 1280000/1273025/p275-Soltesz.pdf?key1=1273025& 

(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this key2=0279528221&col=GUIDE&dl=GUIDE& 

patent is extended or adjusted under 35 CFID=1309 1697& CFTOKEN=4667. 

U.S.C. 154(b) by 933 days. 

(73) Assignee: Trigence Corp., Ottawa (CA) 

Primary Examiner Kambiz Zand 

(21) Appl. No.: 10/939,903 Assistant Examiner—Ronald Baum 

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Allen, Dyer, Doppelt, 

(22) Filed: Sep. 13, 2004 Milbrath & Gilchrist, PA. 

(65) Prior Publication Data (57) ABSTRACT 

US 2005/OO60722 A1 Mar 17, 2005 

A system is disclosed having servers with operating systems 

Related U.S. Application Data that may differ, operating in disparate computing environ 

(60) Provisional application No. 60/512,103, filed on Oct. ments, wherein each server includes a processor and an oper 20, 2003, provisional application No. 6O75O2,619 ating system including a kernel a set of associated local sys filed on Sep. 15, 2003. tem files compatible with the processor. This invention 

discloses a method of providing at least Some of the servers in 

(51) Int. Cl. the system with secure, executable, applications related to a 

G06F 3/00 (2006.01) service, wherein the applications may be executed in a secure 

(52) U.S. Cl 7131167: 713/164: 709/248: environment, wherein the applications each include an object 709/214: 71.9/319 executable by at least Some of the different operating systems 

58) Field of Classification S h 7 13/167: for performing a task related to the service. The method of this (58) Field of Classification Search ................. 71.9/31 9 invention requires storing in memory accessible to at least 

S lication file f let h hist Some of the servers a plurality of secure containers of appli ee appl1cauon Ille Ior complete searcn n1Story. cation Software. Each container includes one or more of the 

(56) References Cited executable applications and a set of associated system files 

required to execute the one or more applications, for use with 

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS a local kernel residing permanently on one of the servers. The 

set of associated system files are compatible with a local 

kernel of at least some of the plurality of different operating 

systems. The containers of application Software exclude a 

kernel; and some or all of the associated system files within a 

(Continued) container stored in memory are utilized in place of the asso 

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS ciated local system files resident on the server. 

6,381,742 B2 * 4/2002 Forbes et al. ................ 717/176 

WO WOO2,06941 A 1, 2002 34 Claims, 17 Drawing Sheets 

rto Application 

Application 

System 

Files 

121 kame 

13? 

 

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Page 2 

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 2002, 0004854 A1 1/2002 Hartley 

2002/0174215 A1 11/2002 Schaefer ..................... TO9,224 

6,847,970 B2 * 1/2005 Keller et al. ................ 707/100 2003/0101292 A1 5, 2003 Fisher 

7,076,784 B1* 7/2006 Russell et al. .. ... 19,315 

7.287.259 B2 * 10/2007 Grier et al. .................. T19,331 * cited by examiner 

 

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1. 

SYSTEM FOR CONTAINERIZATION OF 

APPLICATION SETS 

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED 

APPLICATIONS 

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent 

Application No. 60/502,619 filed Sep. 15, 2003 and 60/512, 

103 filed Oct. 20, 2003, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 

The invention relates to computer Software. In particular, the invention relates to management and deployment of 

server applications. 

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 

Computer systems are designed in Such a way that appli 

cation programs share common resources. It is traditionally 

the task of an operating system to provide a mechanism to 

safely and effectively control access to shared resources 

required by application programs. This is the foundation of 

multi-tasking systems that allow multiple disparate applica 

tions to co-exist on a single computer system. 

The current state of the art creates an environment where a 

collection of applications, each designed for a distinct func 

tion, must be separated with each application installed on an 

individual computer system. 

In some instances this separation is necessitated by conflict 

over shared resources, such as network port numbers that 

would otherwise occur. In other situations the separation is 

necessitated by the requirement to securely separate data Such 

as files contained on disk-based storage and/or applications 

between disparate users. 

In yet other situations, the separation is driven by the reality that certain applications require a specific version of operat 

ing system facilities and as Such will not co-exist with appli cations that require another version. 

As computer system architecture is applied to Support spe 

cific services, it inevitably requires that separate systems be 

deployed for different sets of applications required to perform 

and or Support specific services. This fact, coupled with 

increased demand for Support of additional application sets, 

results in a significant increase in the number of computer 

systems being deployed. Such deployment makes it quite 

costly to manage the number of systems required to Support 

several applications. 

There are existing Solutions that address the single use 

nature of computer systems. These solutions each have limi 

tations, some of which this invention will address. Virtual 

Machine technology, pioneered by VmWare, offers the ability for multiple application/operating system images to effec 

tively co-exist on a single compute platform. The key differ 

ence between the Virtual Machine approach and the approach 

described herein is that in the former an operating system, including files and a kernel, must be deployed for each appli cation while the latter only requires one operating system 

regardless of the number of application containers deployed. 

The Virtual Machine approach imposes significant perfor 

mance overhead. Moreover, it does nothing to alleviate the 

requirement that an operating system must be licensed, man 

aged and maintained for each application. The invention 

described herein offers the ability for applications to more 

effectively share a common compute platform, and also allow 

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applications to be easily moved between platforms, without 

the requirement for a separate and distinct operating system 

for each application. 

A product offered by Softricity, called SoftGrid R., offers 

what is described as Application Virtualization. This product provides a degree of separation of an application from the 

underlying operating system. Unlike Virtual Machine tech 

nology a separate operating system is not required for each 

application. The SoftGrid R product does not isolate applica 

tions into distinct environments. Applications executing 

withina SoftGridR environment don’t possess a unique iden 

tity. 

This invention provides a solution whereby a plurality of 

services can conveniently be installed on one or more servers 

in a cost effective and secure manner. 

The following definitions are used herein: 

Disparate computing environments: Environments where 

computers are stand-alone or where there are plural 

computers and where they are unrelated. 

Computing platform: A computer system with a single 

instance of a fully functional operating system installed 

is referred to as a computing platform. Container: An aggregate of files required to Successfully 

execute a set of Software applications on a computing 

platform is referred to as a container. A container is not 

a physical container but a grouping of associated files, 

which may be stored in a plurality of different locations 

that is to be accessible to, and for execution on, one or more servers. Each container for use on a server is mutu 

ally exclusive of the other containers, such that read/ 

write files within a container cannot be shared with other 

containers. The term “within a container', used within 

this specification, is to mean “associated with a con 

tainer. A container comprises one or more application 

programs including one or more processes, and associ 

ated system files for use in executing the one or more 

processes; but containers do not comprise a kernel; each 

container has its own execution file associated therewith 

for starting one or more applications. In operation, each 

container utilizes a kernel resident on the server that is 

part of the operating system (OS) the container is run 

ning under to execute its applications. 

Secure application container: An environment where each 

application set appears to have individual control of 

Some critical system resources and/or where data within 

each application set is insulated from effects of other 

application sets is referred to as a secure application 

container. 

Consolidation: The ability to support multiple, possibly 

conflicting, sets of Software applications on a single 

computing platform is referred to as consolidation. 

System files: System files are files provided within an 

operating system and which are available to applications 

as shared libraries and configuration files. 

By way of example, Linux Apache uses the following 

shared libraries, supplied by the OS distribution, which are 

“system files. 

fusr/lib/libZ.so.1 

flib/libSSlso.2 

/lib/libcrypto.so.2 

/usr/lib/libaprutil.so.0 

/usr/lib/libgdbm.so.2 

flib/libdb-4.O.So 

/usr/lib/libexpat.so.0 

/usr/lib/libapriso.0 

flib/ió86/libm.So.6 

/lib/libcrypt.so.1 

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flib/libns1.so.1 

flib/libdl.so.2 

/lib/i686/libpthread.so.0 

/lib/ld-linux...So.2 

Apache uses the following configuration files, also pro 

vided with the OS distribution: 

fetc/hosts 

/etc/httpd/conf 

/etc/httpd/confid 

/etc/httpd/logs 

/etc/httpd/modules 

/etc/httpd/run 

By way of example, together these shared library files and 

configuration files form system files provided by the operat 

ing system. There may be any number of other files included 

as system files. Additional files might be included, for 

example, to Support maintenance activities or to start other 

network services to be associated with a container. 

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 

In a system having a plurality of servers with operating 

systems that differ, operating in disparate computing environ 

ments, wherein each server includes a processor and an oper ating system including a kernel a set of associated local sys 

tem files compatible with the processor, a method is provided 

for providing at least some of the servers in the system with 

secure, executable, applications related to a service, wherein 

the applications may be executed in a secure environment, 

wherein the applications each include an object executable by 

at least some of the different operating systems for perform 

ing a task related to the service. The method comprises the 

steps of: 

storing in memory accessible to at least some of the servers 

a plurality of secure containers of application Software, each 

container comprising one or more of the executable applica 

tions and a set of associated System files required to execute 

the one or more applications, for use with a local kernel 

residing permanently on one of the servers; wherein the set of 

associated system files are compatible with a local kernel of at 

least Some of the plurality of different operating systems, the 

containers of application Software excluding a kernel, and 

wherein some or all of the associated system files within a 

container stored in memory are utilized in place of the asso 

ciated local system files resident on the server prior to said 

storing step. 

In accordance with another aspect of the invention a com 

puter system is provided for performing a plurality of tasks 

each comprising a plurality of processes comprising: 

a plurality of secure stored containers of associated files 

accessible to, and for execution on, one or more servers, each 

container being mutually exclusive of the other, Such that 

read/write files within a container cannot be shared with other 

containers, each container of files having its own unique identity associated therewith, said identity comprising at least 

one of an IP address, a host name, and a MAC address; 

wherein, the plurality of files within each of the plurality of 

containers comprise one or more application programs 

including one or more processes, and associated System files 

for use in executing the one or more processes, each container 

having its own execution file associated therewith for starting 

one or more applications, in operation, each container utiliz 

ing a kernel resident on the server and wherein each container 

exclusively uses a kernel in an underlying operation system in 

which it is running and is absent its own kernel; and, a run 

time module for monitoring system calls from applications 

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associated with one or more containers and for providing control of the one or more applications. 

In accordance with a broad aspect, the invention provides a 

method of establishing a secure environment for executing, 

on a computer system, a plurality of applications that require 

shared resources. The method involves, associating one or 

more respective software applications and required system 

files with a container. A plurality of containers have these 

containerized files within. 

Containers residing on or associated with a respective server each have a resource allocation associated therewith to 

allow the at least one respective application or a plurality of 

applications residing in the container to be executed on the 

computer system according to the respective resource alloca 

tion without conflict with other applications in other contain 

ers which have their given set of resources and settings. 

Containers, and therefore the applications within contain 

ers, are provided with a secure environment from which to 

execute. In some embodiments of the invention, each group of 

applications is provided with a secure storage medium. 

In some embodiments of the invention the method involves 

containerizing the at least one respective application associ 

ated respective secure application container, the respective 

secure application container being storable in a storage 

medium. 

In some embodiments of the invention, groups of applica tions are containerized into a single container for creating a 

single service. By way of example applications such as 

Apache, MySq1 and PHP may all be grouped in a single 

container for Supporting a single service, such as a web based 

human resource or customer management type of service. 

In some embodiments of the invention, the method 

involves exporting one or more of the respective secure appli cation containers to a remote computer system. 

In an embodiment of the invention, each respective secure 

application-container has data files for the at least one appli 

cation within the respective secure application container. 

The method involves making the data files within one of the 

respective secure application containers inaccessible to any respective applications within another one of the secure appli 

cation containers. 

In embodiments of the invention, all applications within a 

given container have their own common root file system 

exclusive thereto and unique from other containers and from 

the operating system's root file system. 

In embodiments of the invention, a group of applications 

within a single container share a same IP address, unique to 

that container. 

Hence in some embodiments of the invention a method is 

provided for associating a respective IP address for a group of 

applications within a container. 

In some embodiments of the invention, for each container 

of applications, the method involves associating resource lim 

its for all applications within the container. 

In some embodiments of the invention, for each group of 

the plurality of groups of applications, for example, for each 

container of applications and system files, the method 

involves associating resource limits comprising any one or 

more of limits on memory, CPU bandwidth, Disk size and 

bandwidth and Network bandwidth for the at least one respec tive application associated with the group. 

For each secure application container, the method involves 

determining whether resources available on the computer 

system can accommodate the respective resource allocation 

associated with the group of applications comprising the 

secure application container. 

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By way of example, when a container is to be placed on a 

platform comprising a computer and an operating system 

(OS) a check is done to ensure that the computer can accom 

modate the resources required for the container. Care is exer 

cised to ensure that the installation of a container will not 

overload the computer. For example, if the computer is using 

80% of its CPU capacity and installing the container will 

increase its capacity past 90% the container is not installed. 

If the computer system can accommodate the respective 

resource allocation associated with the group of applications forming the secure application container, the secure applica tion container is exported to the computer system. 

Furthermore, in another embodiment, if one or more secure 

application containers are already installed on the computer 

system, the method involves determining whether the com 

puter system has enough resources available to accommodate 

the one or more secure application containers are already 

installed in addition to the secure application container being exported. 

If there are enough resources available, the resources are 

distributed between the one or more secure application con 

tainers and the secure application container being exported to 

provide resource control. 

In some embodiments of the invention, in determining 

whether resources available on the computer system to 

accommodate the respective resource allocation, the method 

involves verifying whether the computer system Supports any specific hardware required by the secure application con 

tainer to be exported. Therefore, a determination can be made 

as whether any specific hardware requirements of the appli 

cations within a container are Supported by the server into 

which the container is being installed. This is somewhat simi 

lar to the abovementioned step wherein a determination is 

made as to whether the server has sufficient resources to 

Support a container to be installed. 

In some embodiments of the invention, for each group of 

applications within a container, in associating a respective 

resource allocation with the group, the method involves asso 

ciating resource limits for the at least one respective applica 

tion associated with the group. 

More particularly, the method also involves, during execu 

tion on the computer system: 

monitoring resource usage of the at least one respective 

application associated with the group; intercepting system calls to kernel mode, made by the at 

least one respective application associated with the group of 

applications from user mode to kernel mode; 

comparing the monitored resource usage of the at least one 

respective application associated with the group with the 

resource limits; 

and forwarding the system calls to a kernel on the basis of 

the comparison between the monitored resource usage and 

the resource limits. 

The above steps define that the resource limit checks are 

done by means of a system call intercept, which is, by defi 

nition, a hardware mechanism where an application in user 

mode transitions to kernel code executing in a protected 

mode, i.e. kernel mode. Therefore, the invention provides a 

mechanism whereby certain, but not all system calls are inter 

cepted; and wherein operations specific to the needs of a 

particular container are performed, for example, checks 

determines if limits may have been exceeded, and then allows 

the original system to proceed. 

Furthermore, in some instances a modification may be 

made to what is returned to the application; for example, 

when a system call is made to retrieve the IP address or 

hostname. The system in accordance with an embodiment of 

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6 

this invention may choose to return a container specific value 

as opposed to the value that would have otherwise been nor 

mally returned by the kernel. This intervention is termed 

“spoofing and will be explained in greater detail within the 

disclosure. 

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 

Exemplary embodiments may be envisaged without 

departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a containerized 

system in accordance with an embodiment of this invention. 

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system wherein 

secure containers of applications and system files are 

installed on a server inaccordance with an embodiment of the 

invention. 

FIG. 3 is a pictorial diagram illustrating the creation of a 

container. 

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how a container is assigned 

a unique identity such as IP address, Hostname, and MAC 

address and introduces the "kernel module” which is used to 

handle system calls. 

FIG. 5 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4, wherein additional 

configuration data is provided. 

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a system wherein the con 

tainers are secure containers. 

FIG. 7 is a diagram introducing the sequencing or order in 

which applications within a container are executed. 

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the 

storage of container system files and container configuration 

data for a plurality of secure containers which may be run on 

a particular computer platform. 

FIG. 9 is a diagram that illustrates the installation of a 

container on a server. 

FIG. 10 is a diagram that illustrates the monitoring of a 

number of applications and state information. 

FIG. 11 is a diagram which shows that the container cre 

ation process includes the steps to install the container and 

validate that applications associated with the container are 

functioning properly. 

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of 

the invention, according to an embodiment of the invention. 

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing software applica 

tion icons collected in a centralized file storage medium and 

a remote computing platform icon, according to another 

embodiment of the invention. 

FIG. 14 is a screen Snapshot of an implementation accord 

ing to the schematic of FIG. 13. 

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a method of initializing icons of 

FIG 14. 

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of a method of installing a software 

application on a computing platform in response to a drag and 

drop operation of FIG. 14; and, 

FIG. 17 is a flow chart of a method of de-installing a 

Software application from a computing platform in response 

to a drag and drop operation of FIG. 13. 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 

Turning now to FIG.1, a system is shown having a plurality 

of servers 10a, 10b. Each server includes a processor and an 

independent operating system. Each operating system 

includes a kernel 12, hardware 13 in the form of a processor 

and a set of associated system files, not shown. Each server 

with an operating system installed is capable of executing a 

number of application programs. Unlike typical systems, 

containerized applications are shown on each server having application programs 11a, 11b and related system files 11c. 

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These system files are used in place of system files such as 

library and configuration files present typically used in con 

junction with the execution of applications. 

FIG. 2 illustrates a system in accordance with the invention 

in which multiple applications 21a, 21b, 21c. 21d. 21e, and 

21f can execute in a secure environment on a single server. 

This is made possible by associating applications with secure 

containers 20a, 20b and 20c. Applications are segregated and 

execute with their own copies of files and with a unique identity. In this manner multiple applications may contend for 

common resources and utilize different versions of system files. Moreover, applications executing within a secure con 

tainer can co-exist with applications that are not associated 

with a container, but which are associated with the underlying operating system. 

Containers are created through the aggregation of applica 

tion specific files. A container contains application and data 

files for applications that provide a specific service. Examples 

of specific services include but are not limited to CRM (Cus 

tomer Relation Management) tools, Accounting, and Inven 

tory. 

The Secure application containers 20a, 20b and 20c are 

shown in FIG. 2 in which each combines un-installed appli cation files on a storage medium or network, application files 

installed on a computer, and system files. The container is an 

aggregate of all files required to Successfully execute a set of 

Software applications on a computing platform. In embodi 

ments of the invention, containers are created by combining application files with system files. 

The containers are output to a file storage medium and 

installed on the computing platforms from the file storage 

medium. Each container contains application and data files 

for applications that together provide a specific service. The 

containers are created using, for example, Linux, Windows 

and Unix Systems and preferably programmed in C and C++. 

however, the invention is not limited to these operating sys 

tems and programming languages and other operating Sys 

tems and programming language may be used. An application 

set is a set of one or more software applications that Support 

a specific service. As shown in the figures, which follow, 

application files are combined with system files to create a 

composite or container of the files required to Support a fully 

functional software application. 

Referring now to FIG. 3 the creation of a container is 

illustrated from the files used by a specific application and 

user defined configuration information. The required files can 

be captured from an existing computer platform 32 where an 

application of interest is currently installed or the files can be 

extracted from install media or package files 30. Two methods 

of container creation will be described hereafter. 

FIG. 4 illustrates a system having two secure containers 

20a 20b, each provided with a unique identity. This allows, 

for example, other applications to locate a containerized ser 

Vice in a consistent manner independent of which computer 

platform the containerized service is located on. Container 

configuration data, collected from a user or user-defined pro 

gram, is passed to services resident on a computer platform 40 

hosting containers. One embodiment shows these services 

implemented in a kernel module 43. The configuration infor 

mation is transferred one time when the container is installed 

on a platform. The type of information required in order to 

provide an application associated with a container a unique 

identity includes items such as an IP address, MAC address 

and hostname. As applications execute within a container 

20a, 20b environment system calls are intercepted, by the 

kernel module 43 passing through services installed as part of 

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8 

this invention, before being passed on to the kernel. This 

system call intercept mechanism allows applications to be 

provided with values that are container specific rather than 

values that would otherwise be returned from the kernel by 'spoofing the system. 

As introduced heretofore, “spoofing is invoked when a 

system call is made. Instead of returning values ordinarily provided by the operating system’s kernel a module in accor 

dance with this invention intervenes and returns container 

specific values to the application making the system call. By 

way of example, when an application makes the uname 

system call, the kernel returns values for hostname, OS ver 

Sion, date, time and processor type. The software module in 

accordance with this invention intercepts the system call and 

causes the application to see kernel defined values for date, 

time and processor type; however, the hostname value is 

purposely changed to one that is container specific. Thus, the 

software has spoofed the uname system call to return a 

container specific hostname value rather than the value the 

kernel would ordinarily return. This same “spoofing mecha 

nism applies to System calls that return values such as MAC 

address, etc. A similar procedure exists for network related 

system calls, such as bind. For other system calls. Such as fork 

and exit (create and delete a new process) the Software does 

not alter what is returned to the application from the kernel; 

however, the system records that an operation has occurred, 

which results in the system call intercept of fork not perform ing any spoofing. The fork call is intercepted for purposes of 

tracking container-associated activity. 

By way of example, if a process within a container creates 

a new process, by making a fork system call, the new process 

would be recorded as a part of the container that created it. 

System calls are intercepted to perform the following ser 

vices: 

tracking applications, for example a tracking of which 

applications are in and out of a specific container; 

spoofing particular values returned by the kernel; 

applying resource checks and imposing resource limits; 

monitoring whether an application is executing as 

expected, retrieving application parameters; and, which 

applications are being used, by who and for how long; and, 

retrieving more complex application information includ 

ing information related to which files have been used, which 

files have been written to, which sockets have been used and 

information related to Socket usage. Such as the amount of 

data transferred through a given Socket connection. 

Container configuration includes the definition of hard 

ware resource usage, as depicted in FIG. 5 including the 

amount of CPU, memory, network bandwidth and disk usage required to Support the applications to be executed in asso 

ciation with the container 20a or 20b. These values can be 

used to determine resource requirements for a given compute 

platform 40. They can also be used to limit the amount of 

hardware resources allocated to applications associated with 

a container. Values for hardware resources can be defined by 

a user 51 when a container is created. They can be modified 

after container creation. It is also possible for container runt 

ime services to detect the amount of resources utilized by applications associated with a container. In the automatic 

detection method values for hardware resources are updated when the container is removed from a compute platform. The 

user-defined values can be combined with auto-detected val 

ues as needed. In this model a user defines values that are then 

modified by measured values and updated upon container 

removal. 

It can be seen from FIG. 6 that each application executing 

associated with a container 20a or 20b, or contained within a 

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container 20a or 20b, is able to accesses files that are dedi 

cated to the container. Applications with a container associa 

tion, that is, applications contained within a container, are not 

able to access the files provided with the underlying operating 

system of the compute platform 40 upon which they execute. 

Moreover, applications with a container 20a association are 

notable to access the files contained in another container 20b. 

When a container 20a or 20b is installed specific applica 

tions are started, as is shown in FIG. 7 and container configu ration information defines how applications 71,72 are started. 

This includes the definition of a first program to start when a 

container is installed on a compute platform 40. The default 

condition, if not customized for a specific container, will start 

a script that in turn runs other scripts. A script associated with 

each application is provided in the container file system. The 

controller script 73, delineating the first application started in 

the container, runs each application specific script in turn. 

This allows for any number of applications to be started with a container association. 

Special handling is required to start the first application 

Such that it is associated with a container. Subsequent appli 

cations and processes created, as a result of the first applica tion, will be automatically associated with the container. The 

automatic association is done through tracking mechanisms 

based on system call intercept. These are contained in a kernel 

module 43 in one embodiment of the invention. For example, 

fork, exit and wait system calls are intercepted Such that 

container association can be applied to applications. 

The first application started when a container is installed, is 

associated with the container by informing the system call 

intercept capabilities, embodied in the kernel module, shown 

in FIG. 7, that the current process is part of the container. 

Then, the application 71 is started by executing the applica 

tion as part of the current process. In this way, the first appli 

cation is started in the context of a process that has been 

associated with the container. 

A container has a physical presence when not installed on 

a compute platform 40. It is described as residing on a net 

work accessible repository. As is shown in FIG. 8, a container 

has a physical presence in two locations 82, 84; or stated 

differently, the files associated with a container have a physi 

cal presence in two locations 82,84. The files used by appli 

cations associated with a container reside on a network file 

server 82. Container configuration is managed by a controller. 

The configuration state is organized in a database 84 used by 

the controller. A container then consists of the files used by applications associated with the container and configuration 

information. Configuration information includes those values 

which provide a container with a unique identity, for example 

a unique IP address, MAC address, name, etc., and which 

describe how a container is installed, starts a first application and shuts down applications when removed. 

In a first embodiment all files are exclusive. That is, each 

container has a separate physical copy of the files required by 

applications associated with the container. In future embodi 

ments any files that is read-only will be shared between con 

tainers. 

When a container is installed on a compute platform the 

files used by applications associated with the container and 

container specific configuration information elements are 

combined. FIG. 9 shows that the files 82a, 84a are either 

copied, physically placed on storage local to the compute 

platform 40, or they are mounted from a network file storage 

server. When container files are mounted no copy is 

employed. 

Configuration information is used to direct how the con 

tainer is installed. This includes operations such as describing 

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the first application to be started, mount the container files, if 

needed, copy files, if needed and create an IP address alias. 

Container information is also used to provide the container 

with a unique identity, such as IP address, MAC address and 

name. Identity information is passed to the system call inter 

cept service, shown as part of a kernel module 43 in FIG. 9. 

As the Software application associated with or contained in 

a container is executed it is monitored through the use of 

system call intercept. FIG. 10 shows that a number of opera 

tions are monitored. State information relative to application behavior is stored in data structures managed by the system call intercept capabilities. The information gathered in this 

manner is used to track which processes are associated with a 

container, their aggregate hardware resource usage and to 

control specific values returned to the application. Hardware 

resource usage includes CPU time, memory, file activity and 

network bandwidth. 

FIG.3 illustrates container creation. The result of container 

creation is the collection of files required by applications 

associated with the container and the assembly of container 

specific configuration information. Container files include 

both those files provided by an operating system distribution 

and those files provided by an application install media or 

package file. 

These files can be obtained by using a compute platform 

upon which the application of interest has been installed. In 

this case the files are copied from the existing platform. Alter 

natively, a process where the files from the relative operating 

system distribution are used as the container files, the con 

tainer is installed on a compute platforman then application 

specific files are applied from applicable install media or 

package file. The result in either case is the collection of all 

files needed by applications associated with the container 

onto a network accessible repository. Container specific configuration information is assembled 

from user input. The input can be obtained from forms in a 

user interface, or programmatically through scripting mecha 

nisms. 

Two methods of container creation are provided and either 

of the two can be utilized, depending upon particular circum 

stances. In a first method of container creation a "skeleton' 

file system is used. This is a copy of the system files provided 

with a given operating system (OS) distribution. The skeleton 

file system is placed on network Storage, accessible to other 

servers. The skeleton file system includes the OS provided 

system files before an application is installed. A container is 

created from this skeleton file system. Subsequently, a user 

logs into the container and installs applications as needed. 

Most installations use a service called ssh to login to the 

system which is used to log into a container. 

Referring once again to FIG. 3, applications may come 

from third party installation media on CDROM, package files 

30, or as downloads from a web site, etc. Once installed in the 

container the applications become unique to the container in 

the manner described way that has been described heretofore. 

The second method employed to create a container file 

system uses an existing server, for example a computer or 

server already installed in a data center. This is also shown in 

FIG. 3. The applications of interest may have been installed 

on an existing server before the introduction of the software 

and data structures in accordance with this invention. Files are 

copied from the existing server 32, including system files and 

application specific files to network storage. Once the files are 

copied from the existing server a container is created from 

those files. 

The description of the two methods above differs in that in 

one instance the container creation begins with the system 

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files only. The container is created from the system files and 

then the applications and required files are added and later 

installed. In the second instance, which is simpler, both sys 

tem and application files are retrieved, together, from an 

existing server, and then the container is created. In this 

manner, the container file system comprises the application 

and system files. 

Once a set of files that are retrieved for creating a container, for example system files only or system and application files, 

a Subset of the system files are modified. The changes made to 

this Subset are quite diverse. Some examples of these changes a. 

modifying the contents a file to add a container specific IP 

address; 

modifying the contents of a directory to define start Scripts 

that should be executed; 

modifying the contents of a file to define which mount 

points will relate to a container; 

removing certain hardware specific files that are not rel 

evant in the container context, etc., dependent upon require 

mentS. 

In some embodiments of the invention, the method 

involves copying the application specific files, and related 

data and configuration information to a file storage medium. 

This may be achieved with the use of a user interface in 

which application programs are displayed and selected for 

copying to a storage medium. In some embodiments of the 

invention, the application specific files, and related data and 

configuration information are made available for installation 

into secure application containers on a remote computer sys 

tem. 

In some embodiments of the invention, the method 

involves installing at least one of the pluralities of applica 

tions in a container's own root file system. 

In Summary, the invention involves combining and install 

ing at least one application along with system files or a root 

file system to create a container file system. A container is 

then created from a container file system and container con figuration parameters. 

A resource allocation is associated with the secure appli cation container for at least one respective application con 

tainerized within the secure application containerto allow the 

at least one respective application containerized within the 

secure application container to be executed on the computer 

system without conflict with other applications containerized 

within other secure application containers. 

Thus, a container has an allocation of resources associated 

with it to allow the application within the container to be 

executed without contention. 

This allocation of resources is made during the container 

configuration as a step in creating the container. An active 

check for resource allocation against resources available is 

performed. Containerized applications may run together 

within a container; and, non-containerized applications may 

run outside of a container context on a same computer plat 

form. 

Drag and Drop Application Management 

Another aspect of this relates to software that manages the 

operation of a data center. 

There has been an unprecedented proliferation of computer 

systems in the business enterprise sector. This has been a 

response to an increase in the number and changing nature of 

Software applications supporting key business processes. 

Management of computer systems required to support these 

applications has become an expensive proposition. This is 

partially due to the fact that each of the software applications 

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are in most cases hosted on an independent computing plat 

form or server. The result is an increase in the number of 

Systems to manage. 

An aspect of this invention provides a method of installing 

a software application on a computing platform. The terms 

computing platform, server and computer are used inter 

changeably throughout this specification. The method in 

accordance with this aspect of the invention includes display ing a software application icon representing the Software 

application and a computing platform icon representing the 

computing platform. 

In operation, a selection of the Software application for 

installation is initiated using the Software application icon; 

and a selection of the computing platform to which the Soft 

ware application is to be installed is initiated using the com 

puting platform icon. Installation of the selected Software 

application is then initiated on the selected computing plat 

form. 

The computing platform may be a remote computing plat 

form. In some embodiments, the selection of the software 

application is received with the use of a graphical user inter 

face in response to the Software application icon being pointed to using a pointing device. 

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pointing 

device is a mouse and the selection of the computing platform is received in response to the software application icon being 

dragged over the computing platform icon and the Software 

application icon being dropped. The installation of the 

selected Software application on the selected computing plat 

form is initiated in response to the Software application icon 

being dropped over the computing platform icon. 

Within this specification reference to drag and drop has a 

conventional meaning of selecting an icon and dragging it 

across the screen to a targeticon; notwithstanding, selecting a 

first icon and then pointing to a target icon, shall have a same 

meaning and effect throughout this specification. Relatively 

moving two icons is meant to mean moving one icon toward 

another. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, the selected 

computing platform is tested to determine whetherit is a valid 

computing platform. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, a user account is 

created for the selected software application. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, files specific to 

the selected application software are installed on the selected 

computing platform. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, file access per missions are set to allow a user to access the application. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, a console on the 

selected computing platform is updated with information 

indicating that the selected Software application is resident on 

the selected computing platform. 

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention 

provides a method of de-installing a software application 

from a computing platform comprising the steps of display 

ing a software application icon representing the Software 

application and a computing platform icon representing the 

computing platform on which the Software application is 

installed. A selection of the software application for de-in 

stallation using the Software application icon is received. A 

selection of the computing platform from which the software 

application is to be de-installed using the computing platform 

icon is also received. De-installation of the selected software 

application from the selected computing platform is then 

initiated. 

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The computing platform may be a remote computing plat 

form. 

In some embodiments, the displaying comprises display 

ing the software application as being installed on the comput ing platform with the use of the Software application icon and 

the computing platform icon. 

In some embodiments, the selection of the software appli cation is received with the use of a graphical user interface in 

response to the Software application icon being pointed to 

using a pointing device. 

In some embodiments, the pointing device is a mouse. 

In Some embodiments, the selection of the computing plat form is in response to the Software application icon being 

dragged away from the computing platform icon and the 

Software application icon being dropped. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, the selected 

computing platform is tested to determine whether it is a valid 

computing platform for de-installation of the software appli 

cation. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, any process associated with the selected Software application is stopped. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, data file 

changes specific to the Software application are copied back 

to a storage medium from which the data file changes origi 

nated prior to installation. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, a user account 

associated with the selected Software application is removed. 

In some embodiments, upon initialization, a console on the 

computing platform is updated with information indicating 

that the selected Software application is no longer resident on 

the selected computing platform. 

The invention provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) 

adapted to perform any of the above method steps for instal 

lation or de-installation. 

The invention provides a GUI adapted to display a software 

application icon representative of a software application 

available for installation and display a computing platform icon representative of a computing platform. 

The GUI is responsive to a selection of the software appli cation icon and the computing platform icon by initiating 

installation of the Software application on the computing platform. The invention provides a GUI adapted to display a 

Software application icon representative of a software appli cation and display a computing platform icon representative 

of a computing platform, the GUI being responsive to a selec 

tion of the software application icon and the computing plat 

form icon by initiating de-installation of the Software appli cation from the computing platform. 

The GUI is adapted to display a software application icon 

representative of a Software application installed on a com 

puting platform, the GUI being responsive to a selection of 

the Software application icon by initiating de-installation of 

the Software application from the computing platform. 

Selection can be made using a drag and drop operation. 

The method of de-installation includes displaying a soft 

ware application icon representing the software application 

installed on a computing platform. A selection of the Software 

application for de-installation from the computing platform is 

received using the Software application icon. The de-instal 

lation of the selected software application from the comput 

ing platform is then initiated. In some embodiments, the 

selection of the application icon is in response to the Software 

application icon being dragged away. In some embodiments, 

the de-installation of the selected software application from 

the computing platform is initiated in response to the Software 

application icon being dropped. 

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Accordingly, the invention relates, in part to methods of 

installing and removing software applications through a 

selection Such as, for example, a graphical drag and drop 

operation. In some embodiments of the invention, functions 

of the GUI support the ability to select an object, move it and 

initiate an operation when the object is placed on a specific destination. This process has supported operations including 

the copy and transfer of files. Some embodiments of the 

invention extend this operation to allow software applica tions, represented by a graphical icon, to be installed in work 

ing order following a drag and drop in a graphical user inter 

face. 

The following definitions are used herein: 

Storage repository: A centralized disk based storage con 

taining application specific files that make up a Software 

application. 

GUI (Graphical User Interface): A computer-based display 

that presents a graphical interface by which a user interacts 

with a computing platform by means of icons, windows, 

menus and a pointing device is referred to as a GUI. 

Icon: An icon is an object supported by a GUI. Normally an 

icon associates an image with an object that can be operated 

on through a GUI. 

Aspects of the invention include: 

GUI supporting drag and drop operations 

Icons 

Storage medium 

Console 

Network connections 

One or more computing platforms 

While Software applications are represented as graphical 

icons, they are physically contained in a storage medium. 

Such a storage medium consists, for example, of disk-based 

file storage on a server accessible through a network connec 

tion. A computing platform is a computer with an installed 

operating system capable of hosting Software applications. 

When a software application icon is “dropped on a com 

puting platform the applications associated with the icon are 

installed in working order on the selected platform. The com 

puting platform is generally remote with respect to either the 

platform hosting the graphical interface or the server hosting 

the storage medium. This topology is not strictly required, but 

rather a likely scenario. 

Referring to FIG. 12, shown is a schematic showing the 

operation of an aspect of the invention, according to an 

embodiment of the invention. 

A graphical icon representing a specific Software applica 

tion is displayed through a graphical user interface. Also 

displayed is an icon representing a remote computing plat 

form upon which a software application can be hosted. Only 

one computing platform icon is shown; however, it is to be 

understood that several computing platform icons each rep resenting a respective remote or local computing platform 

may also be displayed. Similarly, several Software application 

icons may be displayed depending on the number of software 

applications available. The Software application is selected, 

through the use of a graphical user interface, by pointing to its 

Software application icon and using a mouse click (or other 

pointing device). The Software application icon is dragged 

over top of the remote computing platform icon and dropped. 

The drop initiates the operation of installing Software appli 

cations on the remote computing platform. 

Referring to FIG. 13, shown is a schematic diagram illus 

trating software application icons collected in a centralized 

file storage medium and a remote computing platform icon, 

according to another embodiment of the invention. The soft 

ware applications icons collected in the file storage medium, 

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as shown, are graphical icons each representing respective 

Software applications, which are entries in the file storage medium. The computing platform icon represents a comput 

ing platform available to host any one or more of the software 

applications represented by the software icons. When one of 

the Software application icons is selected, dragged, and 

dropped on a computing platform icon the respective soft 

ware applications installed on the remote computing platform corresponding to the computing platform icon. 

Referring to FIG. 14, a screen Snapshot of an implementa 

tion is shown according to the schematic of FIG. 13. The 

screen Snap shot shows, as an example implementation, Soft 

ware application and computing platform icons. Available 

Software applications corresponding to Software application 

icons ClearCase Liserver, ClearCase Registry & 

Samba2 clone are grouped under the heading "OFFLINE'. 

Computing platforms available to host software applications 

are featured under the heading “Data Center and are repre sented by computing platform icons del18XX, dell'9p, pts2 & 

pts6. 

Operations involve selecting a Software application icon, 

dragging it over a candidate computing platform icon and 

releasing, or dropping it on the computing platform icon. The 

selected software application will then be installed in work 

ing order on the selected computing platform. The reverse is 

true for removal of a software application from a selected 

computing platform. De-installation is accomplished by selecting an application installed on a compute platform and 

dragging to the repository. The application in question is 

shown to be associated with a compute platform in graphical 

fashion. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, applica tions are associated with a compute platform in hierarchical 

order, or in a tree view. An application connected to a compute 

platform as root in a tree view is selected and dropped onto the 

repository. This initiates the de-install operation. 

Referring to FIG. 15, shown is a flow chart of a method of 

initializing the icons of FIG. 14. An icon Such as a computing 

platform icon or Software application icon is created as a GUI 

(Graphical User Interface) object. Drop handler operations 

are then associated to the computing platform icon. In par 

ticular, any operation required for installation is associated 

with the icon. 

With reference to FIGS. 12 to 14, the installation process is 

initiated by a drag and drop of a Software application icon, 

from a storage medium, to a top of a computing platformicon. 

An install drop handler implements the installation of the 

software application. The install drop handler performs sev 

eral tasks on the destination computing platform, which: 

Tests whether the computing platform is a valid computing platform; 

Creates a user account for the Software application; Installs application specific files so that they are accessible 

to the remote computing platform; 

Sets file access permissions such that a new user can access 

its applications; 

Starts a first application; and 

Updates a console showing that the selected Software 

application is resident on the selected computing plat 

form. 

These steps will now be described with reference to FIG. 

16 which is a flow chart of a method of installing a software 

application on a computing platform in response to the drag 

and drop operation of FIG. 2. As discussed above, in opera 

tion the installation process is invoked when a software appli cation icon is dropped on a computing platform icon. 

The method steps of FIG. 16 are performed by an install 

drop handler. During installation, Verification is performed to 

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determine whether the selected computing platform is a valid 

candidate for installing a selected Software application. If the 

computing platform is a valid candidate, a user account is 

created for the software application; otherwise, the installa 

tion process ends. Once the user account is created, applica 

tion files associated with the software applications are 

installed on the selected computing platform so that they are 

accessible to the computing platform. File access permissions are then set Such that one or more new users can access the 

application being installed. A first application is then started. 

In some embodiments, an application, for example account 

ing or payroll represent several programs/processes. In order 

to start the accounting/payroll service a first application is 

started that may in turn start other programs/processes. The 

first program is started. It is then up to the specific service, accounting/payroll, to start any other services it requires. 

A console on the selected computing platform on which the 

Software application is being installed is then updated with 

information to show that the selected software application is 

resident on the selected computing platform. The console is 

operational on any desktop computing platform for example, 

Unix, Linux and Windows. 

With reference to FIG. 17, the removal process is initiated 

by a drag and drop operation of a Software application icon 

from a computing platform icon to the repository. For this 

purpose each computing platform icon shows, with the use of 

associated software application icons (not shown in FIG. 15), 

each application software installed on the computing plat 

form. 

The de-installation of application software from a selected 

computing platform is done by a remove drop handler which 

performs the following tasks on the selected computing plat 

form: 

Tests whether the computing platform is a valid computing 

platform; Tests are made to verify whether the comput ing platform is operational. For example, it may have 

been taken off-line due to a problem or routine mainte 

nance. If so, then applications should not be removed or 

installed until this state changes. 

Stops processes associated with the Software application; 

Copies application specific data file changes from the com 

puting platform back to the storage medium; 

Removes user accounts associated with the Software appli 

cation; and 

Updates the console to show that the selected software 

application is resident in the repository. 

These steps will now be described with reference to FIG. 

17 which is a flow chart of a method of de-installing a soft 

ware application from a computing platform in response to a 

drag and drop operation of FIG. 13. The state of the platform 

is verified to determine whether it is valid. The state includes, 

for example, on-line, off-line (a problem state) or mainte 

nance (off-line, but for a scheduled task). If the state of the 

platform is valid and a process or processes associated with a 

Software application selected to be de-installed are stopped; 

otherwise the de-installation process ends. Once the pro 

cesses are stopped, application specific data file changes are 

copied from the computing platform back to the storage 

medium. This is a process of capturing changes that may have 

taken place while the application ran and that need to be saved 

for future instances when the application runs again. For 

example, payroll may be run every other week. Changes 

made to the system, accrued amounts, year to date payments, 

etc. will need to be saved so that when payroll is run the next 

time these values are updated. Depending on how the operator configures a system, it may be required to copy changes made 

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when payroll ran back to the repository so that the next time 

payroll is run these values are installed along with the appli 

cation. 

Any user account associated with the selected Software 

application is removed and a console on the computing plat 

form from which the selected software application is being 

de-installed is updated with information to show that the 

selected Software application is resident in the repository. Using the method steps of FIGS. 16 and 17, software appli cations are therefore installed on a computing platform and 

removed from the computing platform through a graphical 

user interface drag and drop operation. 

A number of programming languages may be used to 

implement programs used in embodiments of the invention. 

Some example programming languages used in embodiments 

of the invention include, but are not limited to, C++, Java and 

a number of Scripting languages including TCL/TK and 

PERL. 

Installation of software applications is preferably per 

formed on computing platforms that are remote from a con 

sole computing platform. However, Some embodiments of the 

invention also have installation of Software applications per formed on a computing platform that is local to a console 

computing platform. Numerous modifications and variations 

of the present invention are possible in light of the above 

teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the 

Scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced 

otherwise than as specifically described herein. 

What is claimed is: 

1. In a system having a plurality of servers with operating 

systems that differ, operating in disparate computing environ 

ments, wherein each server includes a processor and an oper ating system including a kernel a set of associated local sys 

tem files compatible with the processor, a method of 

providing at least some of the servers in the system with 

secure, executable, applications related to a service, wherein 

the applications are executed in a secure environment, 

wherein the applications each include an object executable by 

at least some of the different operating systems for perform 

ing a task related to the service, the method comprising: 

storing in memory accessible to at least some of the servers 

a plurality of secure containers of application Software, 

each container comprising one or more of the executable 

applications and a set of associated system files required 

to execute the one or more applications, for use with a 

local kernel residing permanently on one of the servers; 

wherein the set of associated system files are compatible 

with a local kernel of at least some of the plurality of 

different operating systems, the containers of applica 

tion software excluding a kernel, wherein some or all of 

the associated system files within a container stored in 

memory are utilized in place of the associated local 

system files that remain resident on the server, wherein 

said associated system files utilized in place of the asso 

ciated local system files are copies or modified copies of 

the associated local system files that remain resident on 

the server, and wherein the application Software cannot 

be shared between the plurality of secure containers of 

application Software, and wherein each of the containers 

has a unique root file system that is different from an 

operating system's root file system. 

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each container 

has an execution file associated therewith for starting the one 

or more applications. 

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the execution 

file includes instructions related to an order in which execut 

able applications within will be executed. 

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4. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the 

step of pre-identifying applications and system files required 

for association with the one or more containers prior to said 

storing step. 

5. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising the 

step of modifying at least Some of the associated System files 

in plural containers to provide an association with a container 

specific identity assigned to a particular container. 

6. A method as defined in claim 2, comprising the step of 

assigning a unique associated identity to each of a plurality of 

the containers, wherein the identity includes at least one of IP 

address, host name, and MAC address. 

7. A method as defined in claim 2 further comprising the 

step of modifying at least some of the system files to define 

container specific mount points associated with the container. 

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more 

applications and associated system files are retrieved from a 

computer system having a plurality of secure containers. 

9. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein server informa 

tion related to hardware resource usage including at least one 

of CPU memory, network bandwidth, and disk allocation is 

associated with at least Some of the containers prior to the 

applications within the containers being executed. 

10. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein in operation 

when an application residing within a container is executed, said application has no access to system files or applications 

in other containers or to system files within the operating 

system during execution thereof. 

11. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein containers 

include files stored in network file storage, and parameters forming descriptors of containers stored in a separate loca 

tion. 

12. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising the 

step of merging the files stored in network Storage with the 

parameters to affect the step of storing in claim 1. 

13. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the 

step of associating with a plurality of containers a stored 

history of when processes related to applications within the 

container are executed for at least one of tracking statistics, 

resource allocation, and for monitoring the status of the appli 

cation. 

14. A method as defined in claim 1 comprising the step of 

creating containers prior to said step of storing containers in 

memory, wherein containers are created by: 

a) running an instance of a service on a server; 

b) determining which files are being used; and, 

c) copying applications and associated system files to 

memory without overwriting the associated system files 

So as to provide a second instance of the applications and 

associated system files. 

15. A method as defined in claim 14 comprising the steps 

of: 

assigning an identity to the containers including at least 

one of a unique IP address, a unique Mac address and an 

estimated resource allocation; 

installing the container on a server, and, 

testing the applications and files within the container. 

16. A method as defined in claim 1 comprising the step of 

creating containers prior to said step of storing containers in 

memory, wherein a step of creating containers includes: 

using a skeleton set of system files as a container starting point and installing applications into that set of files. 

17. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising installing a service on a target server selected from one of the 

plurality of servers, wherein installing the service includes: 

using a graphical user interface, associating a unique icon 

representing a service with an unique icon representing 

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a server for hosting applications related to the service 

and for executing the service, so as to cause the applica 

tions to be distributed to, and installed on the target SeVe. 

18. A method as defined in claim 17 wherein the target 

server and the graphical user interface are at remote locations. 

19. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the graphical 

user interface is installed on a computing platform, and 

wherein the computing platform is a different computing 

platform than the target server. 

20. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein the step of 

associating includes the step of relatively moving the unique 

icon representing the service to the unique icon representing a SWC. 

21. A method as defined in claim 20 further comprising starting a distributed Software application. 

22. A method according to anyone of claims 20 further 

comprising updating a console on the selected target server 

with information indicating that the service is resident on the 

selected target server. 

23. A method claim 17, further comprising, the step of 

testing to determine if the selected target server is a valid 

computing platform, prior to causing the applications to be 

distributed to, and installed on the target server. 

24. A method according to claim 17 further comprising 

creating a user account for the service. 

25. A method as defined in claim 17, further comprising the 

step of installing files specific to the selected application on 

the selected server. 

26. A method according to claim 17 further comprising the 

steps of setting file access permissions to allow a user to 

access the one of the applications to be distributed. 

27. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising de-installing a service from a server, comprising: displaying the icon representing the service; 

displaying the icon representing the server on which the 

service is installed; 

and utilizing the icon representing the service and the icon 

representing the server to initiating the de-installation of 

the selected service from the server on which it was 

installed. 

28. A method according to claim 27 further comprising separating icon representing the service from the icon repre 

senting the server. 

29. A method according to claim 27 further comprising 

testing whether the selected server is a valid computing plat 

form for de-installation of the service. 

30. A method according to claim 27 further comprising copying data file changes specific to the service back to a 

storage medium from which the data file changes originated 

prior to installation. 

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31. A computing system for performing a plurality of tasks 

each comprising a plurality of processes comprising: 

a system having a plurality of secure containers of associ 

ated files accessible to, and for execution on, one or more 

servers, each container being mutually exclusive of the 

other, such that read/writefiles withina container cannot 

be shared with other containers, each container offiles is 

said to have its own unique identity associated therewith, 

said identity comprising at least one of an IP address, a 

host name, and a Mac address; wherein, the plurality of 

files within each of the plurality of containers comprise 

one or more application programs including one or more 

processes, and associated system files for use in execut 

ing the one or more processes wherein the associated 

system files are files that are copies of files or modified 

copies of files that remain as part of the operating sys 

tem, each container having its own execution file asso 

ciated therewith for starting one or more applications, in 

operation, each container utilizing a kernel resident on 

the server and wherein each container exclusively uses a 

kernel in an underlying operation system in which it is 

running and is absent its own kernel; and, 

a run time module for monitoring system calls from appli 

cations associated with one or more containers and for 

providing control of the one or more applications. 

32. A computing system as defined in claim 31, further 

comprising a scheduler comprising values related to an allot 

ted time in which processes within a container may utilize 

predetermined resources. 

33. A computing system as defined in claim32, wherein the 

run time module includes an intercepting module associated 

with the plurality of containers for intercepting system calls 

from any of the plurality of containers and for providing 

values alternate to values the kernel would have assigned in 

response to the system calls, so that the containers can run 

independently of one another without contention, in a secure 

manner, the values corresponding to at least one of the IP 

address, the host name and the Mac Address. 

34. A computing systemas defined in claim 31, wherein the 

run time module performs: monitoring resource usage of applications executing; inter 

cepting system calls to kernel mode, made by the at least 

one respective application within a container, from user 

mode to kernel mode; 

comparing the monitored resource usage of the at least one 

respective application with the resource limits; and, 

forwarding the system calls to a kernel on the basis of the 

comparison between the monitored resource usage and 

the resource limits. 

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