Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Joel Mathew Soderberg

Brian J Deen

Van Christopher Van

Henry L Sanders

Alex Hopmann

Donald W Dumitru

Sean O Lyndersay

Christian Kleinerman

Ganapathy Subramaniam Krishnamoorthy

Shrinivas Ashwin

Lisa M Lippert

Bashar Kachachi

James Robert Hamilton

Alexander Hopmann

Michael John Hillberg

Christopher Allen Suver

Michael Rys

Sameer Tejani

Chao-Chia Liu

Sharad Sundaresan

Saveen V Reddy

Jeffrey Kaditz

Miroslaw H Sztajno

Matthew S Magee

Methods and systems for generating and sending an XML document are described. In a specific implementation, methods and systems for responding to an XML client request utilize an XML response generator. The XML response generator responds to a client request without having to first build and save the entire response. An emitter object is provided that receives data that is gathered. The calls are made in a particular order and ensure that the hierarchical nature of the response that is being built is preserved. The emitter object translates the data that it receives into response portions that are in proper XML syntactic form.

Methods and systems for preparing extensible markup language (XML) documents and for responding to XML requests

Systems and methodologies are provided as part of a computing environment that implements an enhanced tabular data stream (TDS) protocol. Such enhanced TDS protocol can mitigate synchronization inconsistencies between client and servers, improve robustness of the data transfer, facilitate password specification as part of login procedures, and reduce administration overhead. Various headers are provided as part of the data stream protocol, and a versioning scheme is established that facilitates proper communication between servers and clients having different release dates and versions of the TDS protocol.

Enhanced tabular data stream protocol

Various embodiments of the invention are directed to closely integrating functionality between an internet server and a WebDAV tool. Areas of specific focus in this document include delegation of duties between the internet server and the WebDAV tool, efficient management of a resource's content-type, support for segregation of a namespace into separate virtual roots, and determinations of whether to invoke certain processing extensions to handle requests for a given HTTP verb.

Apparatus and computer-readable media for processing HTTP requests determine scoping mapping between a mapped resource name extension and a content type

Described is a technology for managing network security by having network clients that are capable of self-assessment assess themselves for security risks and/or security vulnerabilities. Other clients may be remotely assessed for security risks and/or security vulnerabilities. Assessments may include antimalware scans, vulnerability assessment, and/or port scans. The results of the self-assessments and remote assessments are combined into a data set (e.g., a view) indicative of the network security state. In this manner, for example, significant network resources are conserved by allowing those clients capable of self-assessment to assess themselves and thereafter only provide their self-assessment results. Clients capable of self-assessment may also be remotely assessed, to determine whether any discrepancies exist between their remote assessments and self-assessments. Clients may be discovered, along with their self-assessment capabilities, by network communication.

Combining assessment models and client targeting to identify network security vulnerabilities

Apparatus and computer-readable media for processing HTTP requests

XML Schema Designs for environment-specific types based on XML base types are disclosed. The invention provides a series of 'base types' in the XML Schema. Each base type is in an environment-specific XML Schema namespace that disambiguates the environment's types from all other types defined by any other environment. The XML Schema Design then defines the final type as an anonymous type, derived from the environment-specific base type. The base type is defined with any XML Schema type facets that apply to all derivatives of the base type, and the anonymous final type is defined with additional XML Schema type facets to fully describe the type.

XML schema design for environment-specific types based on base types

Methods and structures for parsing an Extensible Markup Language (XML) data stream are described. In the described embodiment, one or more schema modules are defined and are associated with HTTP requests that are received from a client. The schema module(s) has a function that determines whether an XML data stream conforms to a given schema that is associated with the HTTP request. If a portion of the XML data stream does not conform to the given schema, then the schema module disregards that XML data stream portion. In the described embodiment, each schema module has a plurality of states associated therewith. Each state is associated with one or more schema requirements that relate to a particular element that is evaluated by the schema module. Each state is different from the other states and the number of states is a function of the number of layers or elements that are contained within a particular XML data stream.

Methods and apparatus for parsing extensible markup language (XML) data streams

Markup-language documents are converted into compacted markup-language form by using a number of parameterized macros. A parameterized macro takes at least one parameter. When compacting markup-language documents, a sequence of elements is replaced by references to a macro and to parameter(s), where the macro, when used with the parameters, yields the sequence of elements. The macros used may either be predetermined, from a static dictionary, may be generated on the fly, or mix of both. The definitions of macros may be included in the compacted markup-language information in order to allow a recipient of the compacted markup-language information to expand the macro reference and parameter(s) into the sequence of elements which had been replaced.

Encoding of markup language data

Implementations of client health validation using historical data are described. In one implementation, historical data on a client, such as a laptop, attempting to access a network is scanned. The historical data can come in many forms, including cookies and application data caches saved on the client. The historical data can be used to assess a health of the client. For example, if historical data stored in an application data cache indicates interactions between the client and a website known to disseminate malicious agents, the client can be assessed to have unacceptable health. Alternately, if the historical data indicates that the client has not interacted with enough suspicious sources to constitute a danger to the network, the client can be assessed to have acceptable health. In such a case, the client can be allowed to access the network.

Client health validation using historical data

Apparatus and computer-readable media for determining whether an existing map specifies a different content type than the content type that is specified for the specified resource name extension in a web distributed authoring and versioning (WebDAV) request

Methods and computer program products for using a front-end server to access content stored on one or more back-end servers. The front-end server receives requests for content from client systems. Back-end servers store the content, but to the client system, it appears as if the front-end server is the content's source. Upon receiving the request, the front-end server checks the validity of the request and examines a global catalog that dynamically maps client system requests to the back-end server or servers that store the requested content. In some circumstances, the content will be stored at a single back-end server and the front-end server directs the request to that server. Alternatively, a list of back-end servers storing the requested content may be generated. If so, the front-end then uses an authentication token as a key to a hash operation that is performed on the list and a single server that is capable of satisfying the request for content is identified. A given request and authentication token always identify the same server if the list of servers available for providing the requested content remains the same. The front-end server provides a single source for content requests so that client systems are not required to alter requests or invalidate local caches when content is moved from one back-end server to another. The front-end server also provides an additional level of security for back-end servers.

Routing client requests to back-end servers

Methods for generating WSDL ('Web Services Description Language') documents to describe types and function entry points based on database metadata are disclosed. Such a method may include resolving the endpoint metadata by querying based on parameters about the request collected by the HTTP stack. From the endpoint metadata, the list of entry points which have been mapped may be collected. For each entry point, attributes about the entry point may be collected, and metadata for the types of parameters to the entry point may be looked up. A first collection of unique XML schema namespaces may be created, with one entry corresponding to each unique XML schema namespace for any arbitrary user-defined XML Schema definitions required by a parameter to an entry point. A second collection of unique XML schema namespaces may be created, with one entry corresponding to each unique XML schema namespace for an entry point. The wrapper elements for the WSDL document and any global XML schema definitions may be emitted. The first collection of unique XML schema namespaces may be iterated through, and the XML schema definitions may be emitted. The second collection of unique XML schema namespaces may be iterated through. For each entry point in the second collection, the XML schema definition for the entry point may be emitted, including any XML schema definitions for parameters to the entry point. After emitting all of the XML schema definitions, the entry points may be iterated through, and WSDL document definitions for messages, port types, and bindings for each entry point may be emitted. After emitting all of the message definitions, the WSDL document may be completed by emitting service entry definitions for the endpoint.

Dynamic generation of WSDL documents based on database metadata

A Dedicated Administrator Connection (DAC) for a database server is provided that allows a user with administrator privileges to connect to the database server when a connection by standard means fails. By allowing an administrator to connect to the server through the DAC, the administrator can resolve the issue despite the failure and bring back the server to a responsive state without requiring the server to be shut down and restarted. Additionally, support engineers, developers, etc. can use the DAC to diagnose a range of problems without the use of a debugger or requesting a repro while monitoring for issues.

Dedicated connection to a database server for alternative failure recovery

Removal of white space from XML data retrieved from a database may amount to data corruption. Yet such removal is required in XML data normalization by XML parsers, and is also frequently carried out via one or more optional parser features. Safeguards provided herein protect XML data from such normalization and white space removal when formulating a response in a database. When delivering an XML fragment in response to a client request, an XML document's white space handling rules may be ascertained. Any ignorable white space in the XML document may be discarded, and any remaining white space may be preserved.

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Edmonds, WA, United States of America

Joel Mathew Soderberg