Patent ID: 8863122

Claim:
A server computing system operatively coupled to a remote computer via a network, comprising: service processing logic; and a processing logic coupled to the service processing logic and executing a plurality of virtual machines; wherein the service processing logic controls the virtual machines as directed by the remote computer; wherein the service processing logic generates a first graphical user interface (GUI) to be transmitted to the remote computer, the first GUI to display a list of the plurality of virtual machines and to enable a user of the remote computer to select one of the virtual machines from the list and an action to be performed on the selected virtual machine, the selected action to be performed on the selected virtual machine independent of the other of the plurality of virtual machines; wherein the service processing logic generates a second GUI to enable the user of the remote computer to select a virtual machine from the plurality of virtual machines to which a hardware peripheral device accessible to the remote computer is to be mapped; and wherein, in response to a command from the remote computer, the service processing logic causes the selected virtual machine to perform an action selected from the group consisting of starting the virtual machine, stopping the virtual machine, and re-booting the virtual machine.