Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Mark T Jeffrey

Timothy Mark Moore

Mark R Sestak

Joseph H Mouhanna

Ann Demirtjis

A host computer communicatively linked with a virtual circuit network and communicatively linked with a device over a local area network receives a virtual circuit message from the virtual circuit network, such as an asynchronous transfer mode network. A data structure associating a virtual circuit of the virtual circuit network with the device is referenced, and based on the association, the virtual circuit message is passed to the device over the local area network. The data structure may be a table containing an entry associating the virtual circuit with the device or with the network address of the device.

Method and system for communicating with a virtual circuit network

A network provides computer services to users and has a centralized data center (CDC) and regional data centers (RDCs) coupled to the CDC. Each RDC is coupled to a plurality of users and maintains for each associated user back up storage. Each user has a user machine with user data stored thereon, and such user data is automatically mirrored to the associated back up storage on the RDC. Each RDC maintains for each associated user a user profile corresponding to the user, and each user and each RDC has a physical location. A user newly couples to the network by contacting the CDC at a network address thereof and receiving from the CDC a network address of an RDC based at least in part on the location of the user. The RDC of the received network address maintains the user profile for the user, and the location of such RDC is expected to be relatively close to the location of the user as compared with the location of all other RDCs. Once coupled to the network, the user receives from the RDC a list of servers to use for services provided by the network for the user. The list of servers is obtained from the user profile for the user and comprises a list of corresponding network addresses. An application at a first network location may issue a command to a client at a second network location.

Network and method for implementing network platform services for a computing device

A login architecture for a computer to access an external network, such as the Internet, through a cable network provides session-based connection to the external computer network. The home computer is first assigned a restricted network address by the cable network. With the restricted network address, the user may access a &ldquo;walled garden&rdquo; of the cable network, but cannot access the external computer network. To access the external computer network, a session-based connection, such as a &ldquo;tunnel&rdquo; under the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, is formed between the home computer and a connection server of the cable network, and the user is authenticated over the session-based connection. A second network address usable for accessing the external network is then assigned to the home computer. The home computer sends network communication packets using the public network address through the session-based connection to the connection provider, which forwards the communication packets to the external computer network. The login architecture may be implemented to provide connection to the external network on a per-user account basis or on a home account basis. In the case whether the external network is the Internet, a selection of Internet service providers (ISPs) for Internet access through the cable network is provided by using multiple connection servers connected to different ISPs.

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Wokingham, United Kingdom

Mark T Jeffrey