Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

David V Gunter

Kenneth Lynn Crocker

Dennis A Morgan

Benjamin E Nick

Kanchan Mitra

Robert E Corrington

Anna Timasheva

Dipan Dewan

Sherwood H Lawrence

Leeon Moshe Shachaf

Bruce E Johnson

Eduard Guzovsky

Richard H Lamb

A calculation engine processes user-definable formulas to generate calculation results. A calculation engine may use the following types of data structures: table, column, row, and field. A sub table may be embedded within a row. Operations may be performed at various levels, such as at: table, column, and field. A calculation engine may operate on a calculation table having columns, which may each have an ordered list of formulas. Formulas within such an ordered list may be evaluated in the order specified until one of the formulas is successfully evaluated. A hierarchy of formulas may be formed by a column's formula depending on another column or table. A graph of data dependencies may be prepared for determining an order in which operands and operations should be evaluated and performed.

Programmable calculation engine

A software tool and method are provided which allow an unsophisticated user to easily determine or identify problems in a networked computer system. The software tool comprises a diagnostic component adapted to determine at least one attribute associated with the computer system, and a user interface component adapted to launch the diagnostic component and to render the attribute to a user. The diagnostic component may obtain first information related to a local host computer, and selectively perform one or more tests associated with the local host computer according to the first information. The diagnostic component then determines the attribute according to the first information and/or the test results. A self-healing networked computer system is also disclosed, comprising the diagnostic component and a remedial object adapted to perform one or more remedial actions according to the attribute.

Consumer network diagnostic agent

A system and method is provided for detecting, monitoring and maintaining an Internet Connection Sharing Device (ICSD). An ICSD may be connected to one or more devices, and/or applications associated with a Local Area Network (LAN), which devices, and/or applications, may attempt to detect, monitor and maintain the ICSD. Thus, a broadcast protocol for advertising status and services and a unicast request/response protocol are provided to facilitate such detection, monitoring and maintenance.

Beacon protocol for internet connection sharing devices

A network architecture allows an intermediary to inspect an encrypted data stream on a virtual private network (VPN) in a secure and trusted manner. The endpoints establish a virtual private network by negotiating a session key used to encrypt data being exchanged between them. The endpoints know the session key, but not the intermediary. To grant the intermediary trusted access to the data stream on the VPN, one endpoint securely transfers the session key to the firewall by encrypting the session key using the intermediary's public key and then signing the encrypted session key. The intermediary authenticates the signature and decrypts the session key using its own private key. If the process yields a valid key, the intermediary is assured that the session key was sent by the endpoint and was not subsequently tampered with in route. Once the session key is transferred, the firewall can decrypt and inspect the data stream on the VPN in a manner that is transparent to the endpoints.

System and method for trusted inspection of a data stream

A method and system for network communication efficiently transmits encrypted packets from a sending host on an external network to a receiving host on an intranet through a network access point (NAP) of the intranet. A packet to be sent by the sending host on the external network is constructed with the external network address of the NAP as the destination address of the packet. The intranet address of the receiving host is also included in the packet in the non-encrypted form and is used in the calculation of the cryptographic hash or the like that is included in the packet for authentication purposes. The encrypted packet is then routed to the NAP through the external network. When the NAP receives the packet, it strips the intranet address of the receiving host from the packet and uses that address to replace the original destination address in the packet. The NAP then forwards the modified packet to the receiving host. Because the NAP does not have to decrypt the packet, encrypted packets can quickly go through the NAP. When receiving host receives the modified packet, it decrypts the packet and authenticates it. Because the destination address in the modified packet is the same address used in calculating the cryptographic hash of the packet, the packet should be deemed valid by the receiving host.

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

David V Gunter