Operating system

Abstract

Among other things, a guest operating system is refreshed from a master image of the guest operating system repeatedly in connection with use of one or more electronic devices on which the guest operating system is hosted. A guest operating system is executed on a virtual machine, and, from time to time, while the virtual machine is running, the guest operating system is reloaded from a master image of the guest operating system.

1 . A method of configuring one or more computer devices including a first computer device, the first computer device comprising a first network communication device, the method comprising:
 executing a host operating system on the first computer device, wherein the host operating system is configured to directly operate the network communication device and stores one or more passwords for use with user applications executing on the guest operating system;   executing a guest operating system on one of the one or more computer devices, wherein the guest operating system is configured to use a virtualized network communication device for network communication activities, whereby use of the virtualized network communication device results in direct operation of the first network communication device by the host operating system; and   changing the guest operating system, in response to an instruction generated by the host operating system, from a master image of the guest operating system stored in a first nonvolatile data storage device and user information stored in a second nonvolatile data storage device, wherein communications between the guest and host operating systems is carried out via an Application Programming Interface (API).   
     
     
         2 . A method of configuring one or more computer devices including a first computer device, the first computer device comprising a first network communication device, the method comprising:
 executing a host operating system on the first computer device;   executing a guest operating system on one of the one or more computer devices, wherein the guest operating system is configured to use a virtualized network communication device for network communication activities, whereby use of the virtualized network communication device results in direct operation of the first network communication device by the host operating system;   changing the guest operating system, in response to an instruction generated by the host operating system, from a master image of the guest operating system stored in a first nonvolatile data storage device and user information stored in a second nonvolatile data storage device, wherein communications between the guest and host operating systems is carried out via an Application Programming Interface (API); and   an Overall Management Layer (OML) that performs authentication, user data retrieval, and construction of host/guest pairs using grid and cloud services.   
     
     
         3 . A method of configuring one or more computer devices including a first computer device, the first computer device comprising a first network communication device, the method comprising:
 executing a host operating system on the first computer device;   executing a guest operating system on one of the one or more computer devices, wherein the guest operating system is configured to use a virtualized network communication device for network communication activities, whereby use of the virtualized network communication device results in direct operation of the first network communication device by the host operating system;   changing the guest operating system, in response to an instruction generated by the host operating system, from a master image of the guest operating system stored in a first nonvolatile data storage device and user information stored in a second nonvolatile data storage device, wherein communications between the guest and host operating systems is carried out via an Application Programming Interface (API); and   an Overall Management Layer (OML) that performs authentication, user data retrieval, and construction of host/guest pairs using grid and cloud services, the guest operating system residing within the OML.