Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Adam C DePue

Leszek Mazur

Sean Daniel

Mark J Gilbert

Prasanna Kumar Jayapal

Dean P Paron

Neil Scott Fishman

Kevin T Damour

Lorenzo Rizzi

Ashvin Sanghvi

Paul Fitzgerald

Paul A Mestemaker

Feedback data can be received from client agents running on client computer systems. The feedback data can include data on the symptoms and conditions for rules that relate computer system symptoms to computer system conditions. The feedback data can be analyzed to produce correlation information that quantifies a degree of correlation between the symptom(s) and condition(s) related by the rule(s). It may be determined whether analysis of the feedback data warrants including one of the rules in correlation mappings to be applied to monitored computer systems. If so, then that rule can be included in the mappings. Information representing the correlation mappings may be transmitted to the monitored computer system(s). Additionally, information representing the correlation mappings may be transmitted to the monitored computer system(s), and types of feedback data collected from the client agents can be altered on the basis of the correlation information.

Feedback-based symptom and condition correlation

Configuration data and performance data can be collected from computing machines running a target program. Periods of stress for the computing machines can be identified using the performance data, and a set of the computing machines can be grouped under a stress profile using the performance data. One or more configuration points can be identified on the set of machines, and an effect of each of the configuration point(s) on performance of the set of machines can be inferred using the configuration data and the performance data. The inferred effect(s) of the configuration point(s) can be used to determine a baseline set of configuration settings.

Inferring effects of configuration on performance

A computerized method for identifying, ranking, and auditing configurable providers is described. The method receives and stores information about plural providers including provider name, provider icon, provider contact information, landing URL, configurables offered, geographical locations, and descriptions of configurables. The method receives a request from a computer that includes a geographic location. The method searches the stored information about providers in order to identify a list of provider servers that auto-configure configurables in the geographic location. The method sends information and the list of provider servers to the computer, and the sent information includes provider names, provider rank, provider landing URL, and descriptions of configurables. The method receives auditing information from the computer including a provider server selected from the list, a transaction for a selected configurable, and an indication that the selected configurable is operational. The method ranks provider servers based upon ranking factors including audit information received from plural computers.

System and method to identify, rank, and audit network provided configurables

A computer communicates with a referral server according to a web service definition to select and audit performance of an internet service. The computer sends and receives messages requesting internet services available in a geographic region and the message includes an identifier where the computer is located. Other received messages indicating available services including, top-level-domains, currency, and languages available in the geographic region. For example, for domain name services, messages include top-level domains, and for other services, messages include currency, languages, etc. Messages include a list of providers available in the geographic region, and for each provider in the list, a provider name, a description of provider services, or a provider URL. The computer sends other messages that audited selected provider performance including, a provider selected to provide an internet service, an indication of successful transaction, an indication of successful configuration, or an indication of failure.

Message based network transmission for selection and auditing of internet services

Described is a technology by which network server software has an interface into which a plurality of software router providers, that have methods to configure routers, may be plugged in. The network server software communicates with each provider to determine each of the provider's capabilities with respect to configuring a connected network router. A router provider is chosen based on that provider's capabilities in order to configure the router. In one example implementation, a router configuration component of the network software passes an IP address of the router to each provider and receives a score in return that indicates that provider's capabilities with respect to configuring the connected router. The provider with the best score is chosen for use in configuring the router. The score is built from weighted values, with more weight given to the capabilities deemed more valuable to users who need to configure routers.

Programmatically choosing a router configuration provider

A restore system may perform a two staged restore operation. The first operation may restore system state and basic operational data to a system sufficient that the system may begin performing a set of basic operations. The second operation may restore secondary data over a period of time while the system is at least partially operational. The system state and basic operational data may be identified and backed up in a separate operation than the secondary data, or may be extracted from a backup volume of the system. The system state restore may be performed by installing a base set of data or applications and injecting specific system state information.

Staged, lightweight backup system

Described is a technology by which a server automatically configures itself for adding to an existing network. Upon connection to the network, the server obtains settings including existing subnet and gateway IP addresses from a DHCP assigned IP configuration (e.g., a router). The server uses the settings to automatically configure itself to dynamically provide addresses similar to the previous scope to clients. In one implementation, the server software sets its network card to a static IP address state while the server is configured, and thereafter sets the network card to a dynamic state. The router is disabled during server configuration, and re-enabled thereafter, whereby the server DHCP service instead of the router DHCP service assigns the addresses. The server may also attempt to automatically connect to the Internet.

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Adam C DePue