Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Martin J Sleeman

Hanumantha Rao Kodavalla

Boyd Cannon Multerer

Artem A Oks

Lara N Dillingham

Vishal Kathuria

Philippe Choquier

Robin Dhananjay Dhamankar

Rodney Thomas Limprecht

Michael W Thomas

Roger W Sprague

William D Devlin

Justin Grant

Kent S Schliiter

Alexander E Mallet

Daniel T Travison

Quentin J Clark

John F Ludeman

Cameron J A Ferroni

Lev Novik

Kevin Geisner

Chee Heng Chew

Michael James Zwilling

Nigel Robin Ellis

Tomas Talius

Yunxin Wu

Andrew Royal

Shaoyu Zhou

Rajeev Bashyam Rajan

Steven R Schmidt

Rob SanFilippo

Alan G Graham

William Russell More

Bradford W Wright

Online multiplayer games are provided in multiple tiers. A first tier offers limited features and a second tier offers first tier features plus additional features. The additional features are exclusive to the second tier. During game play in the first tier, enticements are provided to participate in the second tier. The first tier requires no subscription to participate therein. Participation in the second tier requires a subscription. In an example configuration, the first tier allows players to host a game on a dedicated server, browse a list of dedicated server games, and join a game from a list of first tier eligible games. And, the second tier offers a variety of additional features, such as the ability to invite other players to join a game session, match making services, and cross-platform game play.

Multi-tier online game play

Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate providing page-level database restore functionality upon detection of a corruption event. Updates to a data page in a database can trigger generation of a snapshot of the data page, and an update log can be maintained that stores information related to page updates. Subsequent snapshots can be generated at predetermined intervals and can trigger truncation of a log segment and initiation of a new log segment. Upon detection of page corruption, a most-recent uncorrupt snapshot of the corrupt page can be identified, copied to the location of the corrupt page in the database, and modified according to the log segment associated with the uncorrupt snapshot to make the page current as of the corrupting event, all of which can be performed to restore the database without having to take the database offline.

Page recovery using volume snapshots and logs

Systems and methods are presented that facilitate automatic database backup and restore for databases resident in personal computing devices, and which are transparent to a user, utilizing database page mirroring. Modifications to a data page in a data file can be validated and written to a backup, or mirror, database and then subsequently written to an original database after a predetermined time. An I/O latch on a mirrored data page can be limited to a duration of a single I/O write operation to facilitate sequential data page writing to each of the databases while mitigating potential for both databases to be written simultaneously, which can detrimentally affect data quality during a recovery operation.

Database page mirroring

A system and method is provided that facilitates the administration of an application in accordance with the present invention. The system includes a resource identifier that identifies resources associated with the application and a manifest that logs the resources. An aggregator is provided that aggregates a subset of the resources into the manifest to facilitate administration of the application. The aggregator can be provided by a user interface and/or an automated builder. A graphical user interface is also provided to facilitate deployment, creation and enumeration of the application.

System and method providing single application image

A system and method for serialization and/or de-serialization of file system item(s) and associated entity(ies)is provided. A file system 'item' comprises a core class which can include property(ies). Through serialization, a consistent copy of the item and associated entity(ies), such as fragment(s), link(s) with other item(s) and/or extension(s),if any, can be captured. The serialization system includes an identification component that identities entity(ies) associated with an item and a serialization component that serializes the item and associated entity(ies). The serialization component can further serialize a header that includes information associated with the item and associated entity(ies). The header can facilitate random access to the item and associated entity(ies). The serialization system can expose application program interface(s) (API's) that facilitate the copying, moving and/or transfer of an item and its associated entity(ies) from one location to another location.

Serialization of file system item(s) and associated entity(ies)

A virtual applications architecture is provided according to the present invention. The architecture includes a topology manager for managing applications across a plurality of members, and a virtual applications manager for defining a plurality of resources comprising the applications. The topology manager communicates with the plurality of members to initiate scaling of the applications associated with the virtual applications manager to the members. The architecture may also include a replication system for deploying the applications to the members.

System and method providing virtual applications architecture

The subject invention relates to systems and/or methods that perform an authoritative and/or a non-authoritative restore of items in a data store. Backups are provided that include data associated with items and metadata related to the items that can include a history of operations and previous synchronizations to enable replications to converge after restoration. The operations that can be performed on the items include, for example, create, delete, update, move, etc. The items in the backups can be restored along with the metadata, which can be utilized to enable synchronization partners to converge based on a desired type of restoration.

Authoritative and non-authoritative restore

The subject invention relates to systems and methods that enable pausing and/or resuming a backup of file system items. The items are backed up in an order based on a unique property associated with each of the items. When the backup is paused, the unique property associated with a last backed up item prior to the pause is stored. Additionally, a timestamp associated with a snapshot from which the backup was taken can be stored with the unique property. Upon being resumed, the backup can continue from the paused location via utilizing the stored unique property. The backup can be resumed either employing an original snapshot associated with a time prior to the pause or a second snapshot related to a subsequent time. The subject invention can perform an initial backup of file system items and/or an incremental backup of such items. Additionally, the subject invention can support backing up a file system at disparate levels of granularity such as, for example, an item level.

Pausable backups of file system items

The present invention is directed a logical consistency checker (LCC) working alone or in conjunction with a physical consistency checker (PCC) and/or a data reliability system (DRS) for a database files system of a hardware/software interface system. Logical data correction pertains to logical data corruptions for entities (e.g., items, extensions, and/or relationships in an item-based operating system, where an item-based operating system is one example of an item-based hardware/software interface system). In this regard, a LCC analyses and corrects logical damage to entities representatively stored in the data store in order to ensure that all such entities in said data store are both consistent and conform to the data model rules.

Systems and methods for automatic maintenance and repair of enitites in a data model

The present invention relates generally to database and file system management and, more particularly, to automatic database and file system maintenance and repair to ensure data reliability. Various aspects of the present invention relate to responding and correcting data corruptions at a data page level for all data page types, as well as to recovery (including rebuild or restore operations) for various scenarios including, without limitation, index page corruptions (clustered and non-clustered), data page corruptions, and page corruptions in the log file.

Systems and methods for automated maintenance and repair of database and file systems

Methods and systems for synchronizing a configuration of resources across multiple computing devices are described. Associated with the master computing device is a configuration of resources that are desired to be synchronized across the additional computing devices. The master computing device is configured to develop a list that describes aspects of its configuration of resources. Additional computing devices are configured to receive the list that is developed by the master computing device and evaluate the list to determine whether its particular configuration of resources is synchronized with those of the master computing device. If a particular additional computing device's configuration of resources is not synchronized with those of the master computing device, the additional computing device prepares a second list that describes its resource configuration needs and sends the second list to the master computing device. The master computing device receives the second list, evaluates it, and sends data to the corresponding additional computing device for use in synchronizing its configuration of resources.

Methods and systems for synchronizing multiple computing devices

Extensible markup language (XML) methods and systems for synchronizing a configuration of resources across multiple computing devices are described. In the described embodiment, a computer network comprises a master computing device and a plurality of additional computing devices communicatively linked with the master computing device. The master computing device comprises a configuration of resources that are desired to be synchronized across the additional computing devices. The master computing device is configured to develop a XML list that describes aspects of its configuration of resources. Each additional computing device is configured to receive the XML list that is developed by the master computing device and evaluate the XML list to determine whether its particular configuration of resources are synchronized with those of the master computing device. If a particular additional computing device's configuration of resources is not synchronized with those of the master computing device, the additional computing device prepares a second XML list that describes its resource configuration needs and sends the second XML list to the master computing device. The master computing device receives the second XML list, evaluates it, and sends data to the corresponding additional computing device for use in synchronizing its configuration of resources. Each of the additional computing devices can send separate independent XML lists that describe their resource needs and the master computing device is capable of individually responding to each one. In one aspect, the computing devices are computer servers that are configured as Web servers.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Martin J Sleeman