Method and system for audio device virtualization
View Patent ↗Methods and systems are provided to allow personal computer users to virtualize a local audio device so that they can remotely connect to a server and interact with the server as if the local audio device was physically connected to the server. They connect a remote audio target hardware device to the target system through a physical USB connection, and the device interacts with the local user's computer over a network. The target system is unaware that the audio device is not connected directly to the system through a physical connection, and the target system does not need special software to implement the remote audio device. The audio target hardware device connected to the target computer may be physically connected and disconnected.
1. A data processing system for virtualization of an audio device, comprising:
a target computer configured to send and receive audio device data to a locally connected audio virtualization device;
a client computer comprising an audio device;
the audio virtualization device locally physically connected and physically attached to the target computer such that the target computer interacts with the audio virtualization device as if the audio virtualization device were the audio device plugged in locally physically to the target computer, configured to:
emulate the client audio device locally to the target computer;
receive audio device data from the client audio device over a network;
process the received audio device data; and
send the processed audio device data to the locally connected target computer through a physical USB connection.
2. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the audio virtualization device is further configured to:
receive audio device commands from the locally connected target computer;
process the commands to be transmitted over the network; and
send the processed audio device commands to the client computer over the network.
3. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the target computer interacts with the audio virtualization device in the same way the client computer interacts with a locally connected USB audio device.
4. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein all software for remote audio device interaction is on the audio virtualization device and the client computer.
5. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the client computer is a KVM client that controls the target computer.
6. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the client computer comprises a program configured to interact with the locally connected audio device and the audio virtualization device.
7. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein communications over the network are TC/PIP communications.
8. An audio virtualization device, comprising:
a network interface configured to interact with a client computer to send audio device data and receive audio device data over a network from an audio device connected to the client computer;
a USB input/output interface configured to physically connect and physically attached to a target computer in a USB port, and to receive USB data from the target computer and send USB device data to the target computer, such that the target computer interacts with the audio virtualization device as if the audio virtualization device were the audio device plugged in locally physically to the target computer; and
a processor configured to:
translate the received USB device data from the physical USB input/output interface for output to the network interface; and
translate the received USB device data from the network interface for output to the physical USB input/output interface.
9. The audio virtualization device of claim 8 , wherein the target computer interacts with the audio virtualization device in the same way the client computer interacts with a locally connected USB audio device.
10. The audio virtualization device of claim 8 , wherein the client computer is a KVM client that controls the target computer.
11. The audio virtualization device of claim 8 , wherein the client computer comprises a program configured to interact with the audio device and the audio virtualization device.
12. The audio virtualization device of claim 8 , wherein the network interface communicates using TCP/IP.
13. The audio virtualization device of claim 8 , wherein the audio virtualization device is a hardware device.
14. A method in a data processing system for virtualization of an audio device, comprising:
receiving audio device data from the audio device included in a client computer;
sending the received audio device data over a network;
receiving audio device data by an audio virtualization device from the client computer over the network;
processing the received audio device data; and
sending the processed audio device data to a target computer locally connected to the audio virtualization device through a physical USB connection such that the target computer interacts with the audio virtualization device as if the audio virtualization device were the audio device plugged in locally physically to the target computer.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the audio virtualization device interacts with the target computer in the same way as a locally connected USB audio device.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein all software for remote audio device interaction is on the audio virtualization device and the client computer.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the client computer is a KVM client that controls the target computer.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the client computer comprises a program configured to interact with the audio device and the audio virtualization device.