Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

James Christopher Gray

Thomas W Kuehnel

Triptpal Singh Lamba

Piyush Goyal

Saumaya Sharma

Darya Mazandarany

Shai Guday

David Neil MacDonald

Sidharth Nabar

Benjamin M Schultz

James M Lyon

Harish Srinivasan

Adam R Dyba

Todd R Headrick

Qi Zhang

Neil Scott Fishman

Cesare John Saretto

Mohammad Shabbir Alam

Alexander Dadiomov

Christopher R Rice

Javier Nisim Flores Assad

Calvin Choe

Nicholas A Banks

Nishad Mulye

Scott Michael Bragg

Rao Salapaka

Sergey Solyanik

Ilia Sacson

Charles E Kindel

Vibhor Bhatt

Minxiao Zhou

Douglas Edward Stamper

Ishfaq Mohammad Ismail

Manikanta Reddy Dornala

David Richard Powell, Jr

Travis Alcantara

Yash Sharma

Scotia Clover Baker

Ryan Gregory Wood

Nick Banks

Deepthi Sri Dhulipalla

Javier Flores Assad

David Neil Macdonald

Identifying a trace based on wait chain coverage analysis comprises identifying a scenario covered by a plurality of traces, as well as a plurality of scenario phases. Each phase has corresponding phase beginning and ending, and is covered by corresponding trace(s) of the plurality of traces. For each prior instance of each phase, a corresponding wait chain comprising a series of wait operations is identified. After identifying signatures configured to match a subset of wait operations in wait chain(s), at least a signature coverage is calculated over the identified corresponding wait chains. The signature coverage characterizes portions(s) of these wait chains that are matched by the signature(s). Based on calculating the signature coverage, one or more of the plurality of traces are identified as having unknown wait states, based on the identified trace(s) corresponding to a larger amount of uncovered wait chain portions than others of the plurality of traces.

Trace identification based on wait chain coverage analysis

Embodiments provision captive portals on network access points (NAPs). In response to a request from a NAP owner, a cloud service associates a NAP with the NAP owner and provides a control channel for configuring the NAP. The NAP owner inputs configuration settings describing the captive portal. The cloud service processes the configuration settings to generate configuration data. The cloud service transmits the configuration data to the NAP. The NAP applies the configuration data to configure the NAP. Some embodiments configure Wi-Fi hotspots with captive portals for gated access to the Internet.

Configuring captive portals with a cloud service

The techniques described herein monitor, store, and evaluate network information associated with an application to determine a connectivity option to use to communicate data. A connectivity option includes a network interface and a type of network connection. The determination is made based on power consumption information associated with available connectivity options. Consequently, a device on which the application is installed can better manage its power consumption associated with network communications.

Multi-interface power-aware networking

Examples of the disclosure describe automatically associating devices of a user with a network service subscription of the user. The user has a subscription to services offered by an entity. Connection statistics for the devices to networks are generated and compared to criteria to determine whether any of the devices should be associated with the subscription of the user. After association, the devices are able to access networks and/or services associated with the subscription.

Identifying and targeting devices based on network service subscriptions

Embodiments apply a set of sequenced instructions to connect to a network through a captive portal. A computing device detects a network access point and obtains the instruction set corresponding to the network access point. The instruction set is derived by a cloud service from crowdsourced data describing interactions between mobile computing devices and the network access point. Applying the instruction set includes performing actions such as navigating web pages to accept terms and conditions, provide user or device information, and more.

Applying sequenced instructions to connect through captive portals

Functionality is described herein for performing at least one network connectivity task on a client device with the aid of one or more assistant devices. In some implementations, a client device (such as a smartphone, desktop personal computing device, etc.) relies on an assistant device to assist it in updating its programs, including its driver programs. In other implementations, a client device relies on an assistant device in establishing a network connection with a network-accessible entity. Functionality is also described herein for performing at least one program execution task on a client device with the aid of one or more assistant devices. For instance, the client device may rely on the assistant device to assist it in executing a driver program. The driver program, in turn, enables the client device to interact with a peripheral device or some other component.

Offloading network connectivity and execution tasks to an assistant device

Embodiments personalize a set of network access points (NAPs) acting as captive portals for each user and/or user device. A cloud service, or the user device, accesses context describing the user device. The context identifies at least one NAP, and may include accounting data. One of the NAP is selected for connection based on the context, and an instruction set associated with the selected NAP is provided for replay by the user device to connect through the NAP. In some embodiments, instructions within the instruction set are also personalized to the user and/or user device based on the context.

Context-based selection of instruction sets for connecting through captive portals

Described is a headless server appliance configured with a secondary actuation mechanism that when actuated, enters the headless server appliance into a diagnostic mode. For example, the diagnostic mode may correspond to a secondary operating system booted from a BIOS component activated by the secondary actuation mechanism. In the diagnostic mode, primitives may be communicated between a client device coupled (e.g., via a network or USB connection) to the headless server appliance, such as to provide the client device with access to the headless server appliance's hard disk. Other primitives, such as communicated via APIs, may provide the client device with access to the BIOS. The secondary operating system and/or client device may perform diagnostics and recovery operations on the headless server appliance. For example, the client device or similar source may restore or update the primary operating system image to a storage medium of the headless server appliance.

Hardware diagnostics and software recovery on headless server appliances

A priority based scheduling system for a server prioritizes multiple tasks that are defined using various constraints, which may include relationships defined between different tasks, performance parameters for each task, and completion constraints. The system may track actual performance of a task and update the performance parameters over time. Some embodiments may include a status monitoring agent that may detect that a monitored network parameter has changed that may cause a scheduled task to be raised or lowered in priority. The system may be used to schedule and execute one time tasks as well as recurring tasks, and may execute those tasks during a rigid or flexible periodic time window. Many of the tasks may be pausable and resumable, and such tasks may be performed in increments over successive time windows.

Priority based scheduling system for server

Managing a display of a user interface. In one implementation, a first user interface and an option to change the first user interface to a second user interface may be displayed. A selection of the option to change the first user interface to the second user interface may be received. In response, the second user interface may be displayed. In addition, a count of the number of times the request to change the first user interface to the second user interface is received may be kept. If the count is equal to a predetermined number, an option to set the second user interface as the default user interface may be displayed. If the option to set the second user interface as the default user interface is selected, the second user interface may then be set as the default user interface.

Managing display of user interfaces

A network recycle bin is used to store deleted files in a managed directory that is available across a network connection. Files stored in a shared directory or other network-accessible file storage system are moved to the managed directory upon deletion. Because the managed folder is part of the network-accessible file system, any permissions, authorizations, or settings for files may be unaltered after movement into the managed folder. In some embodiments, a local recycle bin may be merged with a network recycle bin from a user experience.

Network recycle bin

A system and process is presented that identifies nearby objects and/or points in relation to a base object or point. An object or point is nearby if it resides within a prescribed area around the base point. The identification is based on information accessed from a database of geometric data. The identification of nearby neighbors begins by dividing the geographic system defined by said geometric data into a plurality of zones. The zone in which each object or point resides and the zones intersected by the prescribed area are determined. The nearby objects and/or points of interest are then identified by initially considering only those that are identified as residing in the zones intersected by the prescribed area. The search for nearby neighbors can be further refined by limiting the objects and/or points considered to those with locations within the lateral extent and/or within the height of the prescribed area.

System and process for identifying objects and/or points nearby a given object or point

Systems and methods for providing a componentized remote user interface are disclosed. Such user interfaces are particularly suitable for use in remote configuration of a device, such as a headless device, that is in network communication with a computer. The user interface may be a web page rendered from an HTML file that defines the web page and a separate file that includes script for associating a value with a variable parameter. The HTML file may include a reference to the variable parameter and incorporate the other file therein by reference. When the web page is rendered, the device parses the HTML file to identify the file incorporated therein by reference and substitutes the parameter value provided in the file for the variable included in the HTML file. Thus, the rendered web page may include the actual value of the parameter, and the HTML file need not have the actual value hard-coded therein.

Componentized remote user interface

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

James Christopher Gray