(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0204013 A1
`Raghunath et al.
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Sep. 15, 2005
`
`US 2005O2O4013A1
`
`(54) PORTABLE PERSONAL COMPUTING
`ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGIES
`(75) Inventors: Mandayam Thondanur Raghunath,
`Fishkill, NY (US); Chandrasekhar
`Narayanaswami, Wilton, CT (US);
`Ramon Caceres, New York, NY (US);
`Stefan Berger, New York, NY (US)
`Correspondence Address:
`MICHAELJ. BUCHENHORNER, ESQ
`HOLLAND & KNIGHT
`701 BRICKELLAVENUE
`MIAMI, FL 33131 (US)
`(73) Assignee: International Business Machines Cor
`poration
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`10/795,153
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Mar. 5, 2004
`Publication Classification
`
`(51) Int. Cl." ..................................................... G06F 15/16
`(52) U.S. Cl. ......................... 709/217; 709/205; 709/246;
`709/219
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A portable personal computing environment Server com
`prises an interface for connecting to a host computer. The
`portable personal computing environment Server also com
`prises a mass Storage device Storing a personal computing
`environment including one or more guest operating Systems
`for restoring the personal computing environment in the host
`System.
`
`Attach Personal Computing Environment
`Server (guest) to host system 902
`
`
`
`
`
`Retrieve suspended state corresponding
`to OS-B and user applications
`running on OS-B 912
`
`Power on host system 904
`
`Restore user's computing environment
`914
`
`Receive an instruction to
`boot host system from guest system 906
`
`Retrieve a first stage operating system
`and boot host system into first stage OS
`based on host system configuration 908
`
`Create a virtual machine environment
`on top of first stage OS that exports a
`Standard virtual machine interface 910
`
`Provide additional data/applications from
`OS-Bas required by user. Also provide
`data/applications from OS-A as required
`by Virtual Machine layer 916
`
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`US 2005/0204013 A1
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`Sep. 15, 2005
`
`PORTABLE PERSONAL COMPUTING
`ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGIES
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`0001. Not Applicable.
`
`STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY
`SPONSORED-RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
`0002) Not Applicable.
`
`INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF
`MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT
`DISC
`
`0003) Not Applicable.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`0004. The invention disclosed broadly relates to the field
`of information processing Systems and more particularly
`relates to the field of portable personal computing devices.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`0005. As computers have become among the most impor
`tant tools in the current business environment, many users
`rely on multiple computing devices to perform varied taskS.
`Some of the current problems that chief information officers
`and users face include: 1) multiplication of the costs of
`managing machines (virus protection, Security patches,
`application upgrades); 2) cost of multiple operating System
`and application licenses; 3) creating disk backups; 4) main
`taining machine and disk passwords; 5) difficulty of restor
`ing machines after disk crashes; 6) Securing against network
`attacks; and 7) user data being Scattered across a collection
`of machines. There have been Several attempts to address
`these concerns. Users are primarily concerned with access to
`information relating to the tasks that they were performing
`using their computers. Since Some of these tasks are long
`running, users desire the ability to Suspend partially com
`pleted tasks and resume working on these tasks at a later
`point in time. For instance, a user may start editing a
`document at the office, and would like to continue working
`on the document at home, or the next day at a different
`location. Currently laptop computers help address this
`requirement. Users routinely Suspend their laptops and
`resume them later. The Suspend-resume cycle preserves the
`computation State on the user's laptop, enabling users to
`quickly Suspend their tasks and resume them later.
`0006. However, laptop computers come with a set of
`disadvantages. Laptop computers are relatively large and
`heavy because they contain everything: CPU, memory, disk
`Storage, as well as the Screen, keyboard and pointing device.
`Laptops also do not operate for a very long duration of time
`when powered solely by internal batteries.
`0007 Given the widespread availability of computers
`and peripherals Such as keyboards, pointing devices, moni
`tors, and the like, it may not be necessary for a user to carry
`all of these items in the form of a laptop computer.
`0008. It would be advantageous to devise a scheme where
`a user can take advantage of a widely-deployed installed
`base of personal computers, to Suspend and resume their
`
`tasks at different locations while carrying Something that is
`much Smaller, lighter and less onerous to maintain than a
`laptop computer.
`0009. The key to suspending and resuming tasks is to find
`a way by which a user's personal computing environment
`can be moved from one location to another. A user's
`personal computing environment consists of the instanta
`neous State of the applications the user is working on, the
`configuration of the applications, the operating System on
`which the applications run and the configuration of the
`operating System. It is all the more important to be able to
`move a user's personal computing environment from one
`place to another in a manner that takes advantage of the
`widely deployed personal computing infrastructure, in a
`manner that uses existing Systems without trying to force
`them to change or attempting to replace them with other
`Systems.
`0010 We first consider existing approaches that attempt
`to transport a user's personal computing environment along
`with the user.
`0011. The IBM Meta Pad is a portable device comprising
`a CPU, memory, disk, a Suspend battery, and a docking
`connector which connects to a docking Station which in turn
`connects to a mouse, keyboard and Screen. Users work on
`their tasks using the MetaPad and Suspend it like they would
`suspend a laptop and eject the Meta Pad from its dock. The
`suspend battery maintains the state in the Meta Pad. The
`Meta Pad eliminates the need to carry the screen, keyboard
`and the pointing device. An inconvenience of this approach
`is that a proprietary Meta Pad docking Station is needed at
`each location where the user needs access and it effectively
`attempts to dislodge the existing installed base of personal
`computers.
`0012. The Intel Personal server is a device comprising a
`CPU, memory, disk and Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 network
`interface. Such a device can communicate with a Standard
`personal computer, but the main problem with this approach
`is the use of wireleSS connections for exchanging all data
`between the personal computer and Intel Personal Server.
`Every communication requires HTTP server/SOAP connec
`tions from an environment to a belt worn server. While this
`concept has Some merit, it requires the environmental per
`Sonal computer to Support Standard interfaces as well as
`applications to deal with the data that is carried on the
`personal Server. The environmental personal computerS Still
`need to be administered and managed, and the battery life of
`the personal server is a serious usability problem. The Intel
`Personal Server does not enable the user to carry their
`personal computing environment with them. It only enables
`them to access Some information that is on their Personal
`Server device at different locations.
`0013 Currently Linux operating system distributions
`exist that contain an entire operating System and applications
`on a bootable CD/DVD (compact disk/digital video disk) or
`other read-only media. Users can boot any PC (personal
`computer) from the CD and create a familiar desktop
`environment on it. Further they may carry read/write USB
`(Universal Serial Bus) flash storage with their personal files.
`In this approach the user's computation State is not pre
`Served as the user moves from one machine to another.
`Further, the user needs to carry two items, the bootable
`read-only CD and a R/W storage device for data that is
`modifiable.
`
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`

`US 2005/0204013 A1
`
`Sep. 15, 2005
`
`0014) The diskless Sun Java Station/IBM Network com
`puter attempted to solve some of the above problems by
`using a thin client connected to a fat Server by fat pipes. This
`approach has the drawback that it relies heavily on a
`browser, the Java OS and Java applications. Slow connec
`tivity, especially from remote locations, remained an issue
`with Such an approach. The approach also took away the
`personalization aspect by disallowing the user to install any
`applications. In addition, this approach tried to dislodge and
`replace the existing personal computer ecosystem.
`0015 Internet Suspend/Resume (ISR) from Intel is a
`technology for transporting personal computing environ
`ments over a network. It relies on Suspending and resuming
`the State of a virtual machine; it stores the Suspended State
`on a distributed file system, from where it can later be
`retrieved and resumed. An important limitation of the ISR
`approach is that it requires network connectivity. It would be
`advantageous to do away with the need for any network
`connectivity by exploiting portable Storage devices. Another
`limitation of ISR is that it requires that end systems be
`pre-configured with ISR software. It would be advantageous
`to have a System that does not require any Software to be
`pre-installed on end Systems because it carries a bootable
`image in the portable Storage device.
`0016. The Microsoft Remote Desktop provides a solution
`that just sends the key strokes and events to the host (server)
`computer. The host computer then sends the graphics over to
`the remote (client) computer. This is similar to what X11 did
`for workstations in the 80s and 90s. The session is not
`resumed where it was left off. This is just a client server
`approach.
`0017 Xmove is another approach (see Ethan Solomita,
`James Kempf, and Dan Duchamp, “XMove: A Pseudoserver
`for X Window Movement.” The X Resource, (1):11, pp.
`143-170, July 1994) This allows an X window on the remote
`machine to be moved to another remote machine. The
`application continues to run on the same Server machine.
`This is done by capturing the State for that particular X
`Window by introducing a pseudo server in the middle.
`0.018. There have been a few implementations of window
`movement using the toolkit approach. Trestle is a toolkit that
`can move shell windows from one display to another. XTk
`is a window toolkit that allows window widgets to move
`from one server to another. XTk introduces an additional
`Step in widget creation: Screen binding. Screen binding
`binds a widget to a Screen without geometrical layout. This
`allows the widget's geometry negotiation to account for
`Screen geometry should it be moved. An additional Step is
`also introduced in widget shutdown, to maintain widget
`Structures in case they should be moved to another Screen.
`0019. In the virtual network computing (VNC) system,
`Server machines Supply not only applications and data but
`also an entire desktop environment that can be accessed
`from any Internet-connected machine using a simple Soft
`ware NC. Whenever and wherever a VNC desktop is
`accessed, its state and configuration (right down to the
`position of the cursor) are exactly the same as when it was
`last accessed. The technology underlying VNC is a simple
`remote display protocol. Unlike other remote display pro
`tocols such as the X Window System and Citrix's ICA, the
`VNC protocol is totally independent of operating System,
`windowing System, and applications. The VNC System is
`
`freely available for download from the ORL Web site at
`http://www.orl.co.uk/Vnc/. It does not require the user to
`carry any hardware. However, it assumes network connec
`tivity. See T. Richardson, Q. Stafford-Fraser, K. R. Wood,
`and A. Hopper, “Virtual Network Computing”, IEEE Inter
`net Computing, Vol. 2 No.1, January/February 1998 pp
`33-38.
`0020. Although the foregoing solutions all have their own
`merits, there is a need for a truly portable Solution that can
`provide a user with his or her work environment in any host
`environmental computer regardless of its configuration or
`location.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`0021. The above problems or shortcomings in portable
`computing environments are Solved by using a portable
`personal computing environment Server according to the
`invention. The portable personal computing environment
`Server can be used in most host computer Systems (e.g.,
`PC-compatibles) regardless of their configurations. The por
`table personal computing environment Server comprises the
`user's most recent computing State for restoration in the host
`System.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`0022 FIG. 1 is a high level block diagram showing an
`embodiment of a personal computing environment Server.
`0023 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another
`embodiment of a personal computing environment Server.
`0024 FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an information
`processing System according to the first embodiment.
`0025 FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an information
`processing System according to the Second embodiment.
`0026 FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the content of
`the Storage device of the personal computing environment
`SCWC.
`0027 FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the runtime
`Software layering on two different hosts.
`0028 FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a suspend
`operation.
`0029 FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are block diagrams showing
`a resume operation.
`0030 FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a start-up and boot method
`according to an embodiment of the invention.
`0031
`FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a suspend method accord
`ing to another embodiment of the invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`0032. We solve the problems discussed above with an
`attachable storage device 100 (hereafter called a portable
`personal computing environment Server or portable server)
`that can be connected to any host personal computer. Refer
`ring to FIG. 1, there is shown a portable server 100
`according to an embodiment of the invention. The portable
`server comprises a mass storage device 102 and a USB
`(universal Serial bus) port 104 for coupling to a host System.
`The storage device 102 with information and software that
`converts the host personal computer in the environment into
`
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`Sep. 15, 2005
`
`a personalized computer, i.e., one that has Software and data
`Selected by the guest user and which resumes its computing
`State from the point it was last Suspended. The portable
`personal computing environment server 100 is preferably a
`guest System that comprises Suitable Software to Suspend
`and resume State, and to boot personal computers from a
`wired connection interface Such as a USB (universal Serial
`bus) or Ethernet interface 204 (discussed with respect to
`FIG. 2). The attached portable personal computing environ
`ment server 100 has a small form factor Such as the size of
`a deck of cards but is expected to become even Smaller as
`technology advances. The portable personal computing
`environment server 100 works with the already deployed
`and pervasive collection of personal computers, attaching to
`them over a fast local connection. Effectively, everything
`from the Standard host personal computer, Such as its central
`processor unit, memory, display, network, except its hard
`disk drive will be exploited. To be successful, the connection
`proceSS should be quick and the portable device should be
`less onerous to maintain than a separate computer System or
`Systems. The ideal Solution should be very easy to use and
`should be able to resume computation at the same State
`where it was Suspended.
`0033 Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a portable
`server 200 according to another embodiment of the inven
`tion. In this embodiment the portable server 200 comprises
`a Storage device 202 Such as a hard disk drive or other
`Suitable Storage media and Ethernet interfaces/ports 204 and
`206. Ethernet interface 204 connects to the host system and
`Ethernet interface 206 connects the portable server 200 to a
`local or wide area network, preferably through a wall port.
`The portable server 200 also comprises a central processor
`unit 208 and a power supply 210 using either a battery 212
`or alternating current connection 214.
`0034) Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown the portable
`server 100 coupled with a host system 302. The host system
`302 also comprises an I/O subsystem 304 that drives a
`Standard Set of peripheral devices Such as a keyboards,
`mouse, and display. The host system 302 comprises a USB
`port coupled to the portable server 100 and an Ethernet port
`coupled to an Ethernet local or wide area network through
`the wall port.
`0035) Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown the portable
`server 200 coupled with a host system 402. The host system
`402 is connected to an I/O subsystem 404 that drives a
`Standard Set of peripheral devices Such as a keyboards,
`mouse, and display. The host system 402 comprises a USB
`port coupled to the portable Server and an Ethernet port
`coupled to an Ethernet local area network.
`0036) Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown the mass
`storage device 102 of the portable server 100 which stores
`all of the information and Software required to restore the
`user's computing State as it existed when a prior Session on
`a different host computer was Suspended. The maSS Storage
`device 102 (see FIG. 1) comprises a first-level guest oper
`ating System OS-A 512, a Second-level guest operating
`system OS-B 514, and a virtual machine layer 502. OS-A
`512 includes a boot loader to boot OS-A and drivers for
`various hardware devices. OS-B 514 is configured for the
`virtual machine layer 502. The storage device also stores
`user data files 504, the user's Suspended computing envi
`ronment 506, applications and libraries 508 for OS-A512 to
`
`support the VM layer 502 and applications and libraries 510
`for OS-B 514 to support the user. The storage device must
`have Sufficient Storage capacity to Store the operating Sys
`tems and the user's computing environment and State.
`0037 Storage of all of the above software and data will
`require ten or more gigabytes of Storage depending on how
`much of the computing environment and State the user
`wishes to capture in the Storage device. The Storage device
`104 is preferably non-volatile so that a battery is not
`required. Even in embodiment 200, the storage device 202
`is preferably non-volatile so that the battery or other power
`Supply is not required when the personal computing envi
`ronment Server is not actively being used. Storage device
`104 or 202 could be a hard disk drive, non-volatile semi
`conductor Storage Such as FLASH memory, a magnetic
`random acceSS memory, optical Storage or other Suitable
`device.
`0038 Referring to FIG. 6 there is shown a block diagram
`illustrating the runtime Software layering on two different
`hosts. The layering is done So that the user applications 610
`interact with the same OS-B layer 608. The Software layer
`ing model 600 corresponds to a first host machine and the
`Software layering model 601 corresponds to a Second host
`machine. The first and second host machines have different
`hardware characteristics 602 and 603, respectively. Each
`layering model has an OS-A 604 that interacts with the
`respective hardware configurations 602 and 603. Therefore
`the OS-A layers 604 represent different environments.
`Therefore, while each OS-A 604 sees and shows different
`environments, each virtual machine layer 606 presents the
`same view to the user applications 610 as well as OS-B 608.
`Each Software layering model also comprises a virtual
`machine layer 606 that interacts with a different OS-A
`environment 604 but presents identical embodiments to the
`OS-B layers 608.
`0039 FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a suspend opera
`tion. Once a user wishes to Suspend a Session on a host
`computer, he or she causes a Suspend instruction to the
`virtual machine layer 706. In response the operation of user
`applications 702 and OS-B 704 are suspended by saving
`their current state in a storage area (e.g., file 712). The virtual
`machine layer 706 manages the user applications 702 and
`OS-B 704 during this process. Upon saving the current state,
`the virtual machine layer 706 and OS-A 708 are shut down
`because their State does not comprise any information of
`interest to the user for a Subsequent Session. The user's
`Suspended computing environment is then Saved in a por
`table server which is removed for coupling with another host
`in the Subsequent Session.
`0040. When the user wishes to resume work at another
`host, he or she connects the portable Server to the Second
`host and commences a resume operation. FIGS. 8A-C show
`such a resume operation. First, in FIG. 8A the OS-A 802 is
`booted by the second host machine hardware 800. Second,
`in FIG. 8B a virtual machine layer 804 is built on top of the
`OS-A 802. This virtual machine layer 804 acts as an
`interface between the host machine hardware 800 and the
`second level operating system OS-B 808 (shown in FIG.
`8C). After the virtual machine layer is created, the host
`system then loads the second operating system OS-B 808
`and the user applications from the portable Server and then
`resumes the user's Suspended computing environment 804.
`
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`
`0041) Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown a flow chart
`illustrating a resume method 900 according to an embodi
`ment of the invention. In step 902 the personal computing
`environment Server (guest) System is attached to the host
`system. In step 904 the host system 302 (or 402) is powered
`on. In step 906 the host system receives an instruction to
`boot the host System from the guest System attached thereto.
`This instruction can take the form of a manual operation
`performed by the user during the boot proceSS or it can be
`read from a bootable diskette or CD or it can be read from
`the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) (provided that the
`BIOS was written to support booting from this type of
`device). In effect by booting from the guest System, the host
`System will come under the control of the guest System and
`bypass its own mass Storage device. If the guest System is
`similar to the embodiment shown in 100, the host system
`302 is instructed to boot from USB. If the guest system is
`similar to the embodiment shown in 200, the host system
`402 is instructed to boot from Ethernet. The guest system
`200 responds to the network boot request (BOOTP request)
`and initiates the boot operation of OS-A512 from storage
`202. The CPU208 is used to manage this process.
`0042. In step 908 the host system retrieves a first stage
`operating system (OS) and boots into the first stage OS
`based on the host system configuration. In step 910 a virtual
`machine environment is created on top of the first Stage OS
`that exports a Standard Virtual machine interface to the host
`system. In step 912 the host system retrieves the suspended
`State corresponding to OS-B and user applications running
`on OS-B. In step 914 the host system restore the user's
`computing environment in the host System. Finally, in Step
`916 the host system provides additional data and applica
`tions from OS-B as required by user. The host system also
`provides data and applications from OS-A as required by the
`Virtual Machine layer. In embodiment 200, the CPU208 is
`used to recognize Such requests and Service them. Other
`network packets that are directed to external network Sites
`are simply forwarded to Ethernet interface 208.
`0043 Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown a flow chart
`illustrating a suspend method 1000 according to an embodi
`ment of the invention. In step 1002 the host system receives
`a suspend instruction from its user. In step 1004 the host
`System initiates a Suspend operation on the virtual machine
`(VM) layer. Then in step 1006 the host saves the environ
`ment that corresponds to OS-B and the user applications. In
`step 1008 the VM layer is shut down. Then in step 1010 the
`OS-A is shut down. Step 1012 powers off the host system.
`In Step 1014 the user is prompted to detach the guest System.
`After the guest System is detached the user can restore the
`physical connections to the host System, if necessary in Step
`1016.
`0044 As mentioned above, not all BIOS versions can
`boot from a USB device. For a system with such a BIOS, a
`user may create a diskette with a USB/Firewire driver. The
`first stage bootloader from the diskette and the rest of the
`boot process commences from the USB/Firewire disk.
`0.045
`Instead of using a wired Ethernet connection it is
`also possible to use a wireless local area network (LAN)
`connection according to IEEE standard 802.11.
`0.046 A system as discussed above can change the entire
`computing paradigm. Consider the case of a hospital where
`electronic access to patient records is becoming more and
`
`more common. Each of the doctors can use a device accord
`ing to the invention to carry his or her own portable personal
`computing environment Server and connect it to different
`personal computers in the hospital (for example, in the
`radiology department, a central nursing Station, etc.) and be
`able to Securely acceSS patient data. In another example, a
`knowledge worker could carry his portable personal com
`puting environment Server home, do Some work at home and
`bring it back to work the next morning and connect to his
`office personal computer and resume where he left off
`without worry about Synchronizing his data. The Savings to
`the user could be significant. Over time, if Some of the user's
`personal computers become diskless because they only
`operate in concert with his portable personal computing
`environment server, then all of the problems such as OS
`licenses, upgrades, Security patches, backups, and the like go
`away.
`0047 Therefore, while there has been described what are
`presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it will
`be understood by those skilled in the art that other modifi
`cations can be made within the Spirit of the invention.
`We claim:
`1. In a host information processing System, a method
`comprising:
`connecting a portable personal computing environment
`Server to the host System using an existing interface on
`the host System;
`requesting the host System to boot from the portable
`personal computing environment Server;
`retrieving a first level operating System;
`performing a first stage boot procedure using the first
`level operating System wherein the host System is
`booted based on its hardware configuration;
`creating a machine-independent Virtual configuration;
`retrieving a Suspended computing environment compris
`ing a Second level operating System from the portable
`personal computing environment Server; and
`performing a restore process with the Suspended comput
`ing environment, wherein the restore proceSS restores
`the Suspended computing environment inside the Vir
`tual configuration.
`2. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving
`one or more applications from the portable personal com
`puting environment Server.
`3. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving
`one or more data files from the portable personal computing
`environment Server.
`4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first level operating
`System is a Linux operating System.
`5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second level
`operating System is a Windows operating System.
`6. The method of claim 1 wherein the instruction to load
`a first level operating System is received from the host basic
`input output System.
`7. The method of claim 1 wherein the instruction to load
`a first level operating System is received from a bootable
`memory device.
`8. The method of claim 1 wherein the instruction to load
`a first level guest operating System is received from a manual
`operation performed by a user.
`
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`US 2005/0204013 A1
`
`Sep. 15, 2005
`
`9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first stage operating
`System is loaded from the portable personal computing
`environment Server.
`10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion the
`first Stage operating System is loaded from a removable
`Storage device.
`11. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a
`request to Suspend the computing State and responsive to
`that request, Storing the most current computing State in the
`portable personal computing environment Server before
`Shutting down the host System.
`12. A portable personal computing environment Server
`comprising:
`a network Subsystem for connecting to a host computer
`comprising a configuration, and
`a mass Storage device, coupled to the network Subsystem,
`the mass Storage device comprising a personal com
`puting environment comprising one or more guest
`operating Systems for restoring the personal computing
`environment.
`13. The portable personal computing environment Server
`of claim 12 wherein the mass Storage device comprises one
`or more applications programs Selected by the user of the
`portable personal computing environment Server.
`14. The portable personal computing environment Server
`of claim 12 wherein the one or more guest operating Systems
`further comprise a first Stage bootloader for booting the host
`computer based on the actual configuration of the host
`computer.
`
`15. The portable personal computing environment Server
`of claim 12 wherein the mass Storage device comprises one
`or more data files selected by the user of the portable
`personal computing environment Server.
`16. The portable personal computing environment Server
`of claim 12 wherein the mass Storage device comprises a
`computation State reflecting the latest State of the personal
`computing environment and wherein the portable personal
`computing environment Server restores the computation
`State for presentation by the host computer upon booting the
`host computer.
`17. A machine readable medium comprising program
`instructions for causing a host System to boot from a portable
`personal computing environment Server coupled to the host
`System via an existing interface wherein the portable per
`Sonal computing environment Server comprises a personal
`computing environment comprising one or more guest oper
`ating Systems for booting the host computer based on the
`personal computing environment.
`18. The machine readable medium of claim 17 comprising
`a bootable removable Storage device.
`19. The machine readable medium of claim 18 comprising
`a bootable diskette.
`20. The machine readable medium of claim 18 comprising
`a bootable CD ROM.
`21. The machine readable medium of claim 18 comprising
`a removable USB storage device.
`
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