Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Eyal Schwartz

John T Spivey

Jin Li

Philip Andrew Chou

Dan Teodosiu

Cheng Huang

Cesare John Saretto

John S Holmes

Peter Sewall Ford

Christian Fortini

Ranjib Singh Badh

Adam Christopher Czeisler

Shy Cohen

Alexandra K Heron

Ryan M Hurst

Yunnan Wu

Jeffrey Bruce Parham

William Birkin Lees

David C Steere

Walter V Von Koch

Stuart L S Kwan

Levon A Esibov

Walter Von Koch

James M Gilroy

Tom Kleinpeter

Strategies are described for validating content transferred over a communication channel using a more effective approach than heretofore provided in the art. A content registration authority is provided which registers the content disseminated by one or more content providers to one or more client devices. A client device which receives content that has been registered can securely consume the content, based on an assumption that a content provider which furnishes the content is entrusted by the content registration authority to provide the content, and without prompting a user of the client device to expressly approve the content provider. In a first solution, the content registration authority registers the content by issuing a certification stamp; in a second solution, the content registration authority registers the content by storing registration information in a central repository. The content may contain instructions which perform operations in the context of an instant messenger application.

Provisions for validating content using a content registration authority

Content synchronization in a file sharing environment is described. A node in a circle share maintains a version vector that represents that node's knowledge of file synchronization events. Version vector data may be transmitted between nodes of the circle share via a presence service in the form of short notification messages. The version vector data is compared to identify one or more nodes to be synchronized. A resource-aware overlay representing the circle share is computed, and is used to initiate communication to determine which of the available nodes with which to synchronize will provide the most synchronization value to other nodes in the circle share.

Content synchronization in a file sharing environment

Secure instant messaging is described. In an embodiment, a messaging device encrypts a challenge identifier to generate an encrypted challenge message, and communicates the encrypted challenge message via a peer-to-peer communication link to a recipient messaging device. The recipient messaging device decrypts the encrypted challenge message and encrypts the challenge identifier as a return challenge identifier to generate an encrypted challenge return. The messaging device receives the encrypted challenge return from the recipient messaging device, decrypts the encrypted challenge return, and verifies that the return challenge identifier matches the challenge identifier to establish that communications are secure when communicated via the peer-to-peer communication link and, optionally, to establish control policies pertaining to a communication received at the recipient messaging device.

Secure instant messaging

Various embodiments can utilize a distributed solution for scheduling connections between peers in a file sharing environment. In accordance with at least some embodiments, individual nodes in a peer-to-peer system include scheduling software that enables the nodes to make scheduling decisions with regard to how, when and where connections are made with other peers. Scheduling decisions can be based on a number of different parameters. In at least some embodiments, a synchronization negotiation manager is embodied with logic that drives the negotiation and scheduling process. This logic is represented by an innovative state machine that is designed to implement the negotiation and synchronization process.

Scheduling connections between peers in a peer-to-peer file sharing environment

A method, medium, and computer-program product is provided for tracking memory-usage characteristics of an application. The invention includes a suite of tools to evaluate memory usage of uninstrumented binaries by tracking memory allocations, deallocations, and in-memory-presence attributes at the module level. Memory-manipulation function calls (not limited to allocations and deallocations) are hijacked to code segments that annotate and log then-current memory characteristics. Processing is reverted back to its from-hijacked position and allowed to continue. In-memory presence of allocated memory and labels for certain points at time are tracked as well. The tracked data is logged so that algorithms can be run to extract desired information, which can be presented in various reports.

Memory-usage tracking tool

A method, medium, and computer-program product is provided for tracking memory-usage characteristics of an application. The invention includes a suite of tools to evaluate memory usage of uninstrumented binaries by tracking memory allocations, de-allocations, and in-memory-presence attributes at the module level. Memory-manipulation function calls (not limited to allocations and deallocations) are hijacked to code segments that annotate and log then-current memory characteristics. Processing is reverted back to its from-hijacked position and allowed to continue. In-memory presence of allocated memory and labels for certain points at time are tracked as well. The tracked data is logged so that algorithms can be run to extract desired information, which can be presented in various reports.

Memory tracking tool

A method and system for aging and scavenging resource records in a DNS database is provided. DNS resource records that are stored in a DNS database are assigned the timestamps indicating the last time the records were updated. Clients (owners of the resource records) periodically refresh timestamps of the DNS resource records that they registered using standard dynamic DNS update protocol. The DNS server then periodically searches its database for the stale records and deletes them. DNS database zone parameters and DNS server parameters are configured to define when a timestamp for a resource record may be updated, when a resource record may be scavenged (deleted) and which server may perform scavenging of a zone. A non-refresh interval follows the timestamp, a refresh interval follows the non-refresh interval and a scavengable period follows the refresh interval. During the non-refresh interval, an authorized DNS server may neither refresh nor scavenge the associated resource record. During the refresh interval, an authorized DNS server may refresh, but not scavenge the associated resource record. During the scavengable period, the resource record may be scavenged, if the timestamp is not renewed in the meantime. The build up of stale resource records, or records that have outlived their utility, is thus prevented improving system performance and conserving system memory and resources.

Aging and scavenging of DNS resource records

A replication occurs upon the re-configuration of a partial database to update an additional attribute of an object, and is divided into two sub-requests for replication. The first requests the new attribute from update sequence number zero and the second requests the existing attributes according to their known up-to-date vectors. To facilitate this request, a destination server sends an up-to-date vector table to a source server along with the request for replication. Because the existing attributes are requested from their known up-to-date vectors, rather than from update sequence number zero, this replication request results in less attributes being sent between servers and therefore, provides a more efficient replication.

Efficient replication of an expanded partial database

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Eyal Schwartz