Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Sean Daniel

Leszek Mazur

Adam C DePue

Jianhui Xie

Dean P Paron

Described is a technology by which machines of a (typically small) network have associated public key-based certificates for use in authentication with a server and validation of other machines in the network. This provides an inexpensive and straightforward mechanism to control, manage and maintain client machines, as well as to allow valid client machines to securely communicate with one another and recognize machines that are not valid on the network. Certificates are maintained on the server and checked for validity as needed.

Client-client-server authentication

A computerized method for identifying, ranking, and auditing configurable providers is described. The method receives and stores information about plural providers including provider name, provider icon, provider contact information, landing URL, configurables offered, geographical locations, and descriptions of configurables. The method receives a request from a computer that includes a geographic location. The method searches the stored information about providers in order to identify a list of provider servers that auto-configure configurables in the geographic location. The method sends information and the list of provider servers to the computer, and the sent information includes provider names, provider rank, provider landing URL, and descriptions of configurables. The method receives auditing information from the computer including a provider server selected from the list, a transaction for a selected configurable, and an indication that the selected configurable is operational. The method ranks provider servers based upon ranking factors including audit information received from plural computers.

System and method to identify, rank, and audit network provided configurables

Described is a technology by which network server software has an interface into which a plurality of software router providers, that have methods to configure routers, may be plugged in. The network server software communicates with each provider to determine each of the provider's capabilities with respect to configuring a connected network router. A router provider is chosen based on that provider's capabilities in order to configure the router. In one example implementation, a router configuration component of the network software passes an IP address of the router to each provider and receives a score in return that indicates that provider's capabilities with respect to configuring the connected router. The provider with the best score is chosen for use in configuring the router. The score is built from weighted values, with more weight given to the capabilities deemed more valuable to users who need to configure routers.

Programmatically choosing a router configuration provider

Described is a technology by which a server automatically configures itself for adding to an existing network. Upon connection to the network, the server obtains settings including existing subnet and gateway IP addresses from a DHCP assigned IP configuration (e.g., a router). The server uses the settings to automatically configure itself to dynamically provide addresses similar to the previous scope to clients. In one implementation, the server software sets its network card to a static IP address state while the server is configured, and thereafter sets the network card to a dynamic state. The router is disabled during server configuration, and re-enabled thereafter, whereby the server DHCP service instead of the router DHCP service assigns the addresses. The server may also attempt to automatically connect to the Internet.

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Sean Daniel