Web service for remote application discovery

1. A method comprising:

providing a Web service in an Intranet, the Web service being coupled to a public network;

discovering, by the Web service, application information provided by one or more application information sources, the application information corresponding to at least one application deployed on the Intranet, the discovering comprising querying the one or more application information sources, the at least one application being configured for subsequent terminal server (TS) facilitated access by a user of a remote client computer, the remote client computer being external to the Intranet; and

facilitating, by the Web service, the delivery of the discovered application information to the remote client computer.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet, the multiple information sources comprising a directory service, a Systems Management Server (SMS), and/or an office computer associated with the user.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the remote client computer is not coupled to a public external network over a Virtual Private Network.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein facilitating further comprises:

receiving, by the Web service, a remote application discovery request from the remote client computer, the remote application discovery request comprising identity information of the user, the remote application discovery request being communicated to the Web service across the public network;

responsive to receiving the remote application discovery request, communicating, by the Web service, a get applications request to one or more information sources deployed on the Intranet, the get applications request directing each of the one or more information sources to return the information as a function of the identity information;

responsive to the communicating, receiving the information; and

forwarding the information to the remote client computer for aggregated presentation of user interface objects associated with respective ones of remotely deployed applications that have been configured for subsequent TS-based access by the user.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 , wherein the at least one application is installed on an office computer associated with the user, and wherein communicating the get applications request further comprises:

sending a get network address request to a directory service deployed on the Intranet;

responsive to sending the get network address request, receiving a response identifying a network address of the office computer; and

wherein the get applications request is communicated to the network address of the office computer.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a processor, perform acts for remote application discovery, the acts comprising:

discovering, by a Web service, application information provided by an information source, the application information corresponding to at least one application deployed on the Intranet, the discovering comprising querying one or more application information sources, the at least one application being configured for subsequent terminal server (TS) facilitated access by a user of a remote client computer, the remote client computer being external to the Intranet; and

facilitating, by the Web service, the delivery of discovered information to the remote client computer.

8. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet.

9. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet, the multiple information sources comprising a directory service, a Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS), and a local computer associated with the user.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7 , wherein the remote client computer is not coupled to a public external network over a Virtual Private Network.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7 , wherein the instructions for discovering further comprise instructions for:

receiving, by the Web service, a remote application discovery request from the remote client computer, the remote application discovery request comprising identity information of the user, the remote application discovery request being communicated to the Web service across the public network;

responsive to receiving the remote application discovery request, communicating, by the Web service, a get applications request to one or more information sources deployed on the Intranet, the get applications request directing each of the one or more information sources to return the information as a function of the identity information;

responsive to the communicating, receiving the information; and

forwarding the information to the remote client computer for aggregated presentation of user interface objects associated with respective ones of remotely deployed applications that have been configured for subsequent IS-based access by the user.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 , wherein the instructions for communicating the get applications request to one or more information sources are implemented across respective ones of one or more accessor modules, each accessor module being configured to communicate with a particular one information source of the information sources.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 , wherein the at least one application is installed on an office computer associated with the user, and wherein the instructions for communicating the get applications request further comprise instructions for:

sending a get network address request to a directory service deployed on the Intranet;

responsive to sending the get network address request, receiving a response identifying a network address of the office computer; and

wherein the get applications request is communicated to the network address of the office computer.

14. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-program instructions executable by the processor for remote application discovery, the computer-program instructions, when executed by a computer, performs a method comprising:

providing a Web service in an Intranet, the Web service being coupled to a public external network;

discovering, by the Web service, application information provided by one or more information sources, the application information corresponding to at least one application deployed on the Intranet, the discovering comprising querying all application information sources on the intranet, the at least one application being configured for subsequent terminal server (TS) facilitated access to an application hosting server for a user of a remote client computer, the remote client computer being external to the Intranet; and

facilitating by the Web service, the delivery of discovered information to the remote client computer.

15. A computing device as recited in claim 14 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet.

16. A computing device as recited in claim 14 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet, the multiple information sources comprising a directory service, a Systems Management Server (SMS), and/or an office computer associated with the user.

17. A computing device as recited in claim 14 , wherein the remote client computer is not coupled to the public external network over a Virtual Private Network.

18. A computing device as recited in claim 14 , wherein the instructions for discovering further comprise instructions for:

receiving, by the Web service, a remote application discovery request from the remote client computer, the remote application discovery request comprising identity information of the user, the remote application discovery request being communicated to the Web service across the public network;

responsive to receiving the remote application discovery request, communicating, by the Web service, a get applications request to one or more information sources deployed on the Intranet, the get applications request directing each of the one or more information sources to return the information as a function of the identity information;

responsive to the communicating, receiving the information; and

forwarding the information to the remote client computer for aggregated presentation of user interface objects associated with respective ones of remotely deployed applications that have been configured for subsequent TS-based access by the user.

19. A computing device as recited in claim 18 , wherein the instructions for communicating the get applications request to one or more information sources are implemented by respective ones of one or more accessor modules, each accessor module being configured to communicate with a particular one information source of the information sources.

20. A computing device comprising:

means for providing a Web service in an Intranet, the Web service being coupled to a public network;

means for discovering, by the Web service, information corresponding to at least one application deployed on the Intranet, the application being configured for subsequent terminal server (TS) based access for a user of a remote client computer, the remote client computer being external to the Intranet; and

facilitating by the Web service, the delivery of discovered information to the remote client computer.

21. A computing device as recited in claim 20 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet.

22. A computing device as recited in claim 20 , wherein the at least one application is one of multiple applications, respective ones of the multiple applications having been published by multiple information sources on the Intranet, the multiple information sources comprising a directory service, a Systems Management Server (SMS), and/or an office computer associated with the user.

23. A computing device as recited in claim 20 , wherein the means for discovering further comprise:

means for receiving, by the Web service, a remote application discovery request from the remote client computer, the remote application discovery request comprising identity information of the user, the remote application discovery request being communicated to the Web service across the public network;

responsive to receiving the remote application discovery request, means for communicating, by the Web service, a get applications request to one or more information sources deployed on the Intranet, the get applications request directing each of the one or more information sources to return the information as a function of the identity information;

responsive to the communicating, means for receiving the information; and

means for forwarding the information to the remote client computer for aggregated presentation of user interface objects associated with respective ones of remotely deployed applications that have been configured for subsequent TS-based access by the user.