Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Microsoft Corporation

Suyash Sinha

Eric P Traut

Adam D Stritzel

Ajith Jayamohan

Ravisankar V Pudipeddi

Forrest Curtis Foltz

Dexter Paul Bradshaw

Charles Joseph Williams

Tahsin Erdogan

Adriaan W Canter

Alexey Pakhunov

Christopher D Russell

Eric Clarence Peterson

Christian L Belady

Scott Field

John Michael Sheehan

Richard Bruce Ward

Shaun L Harris

David N Cutler

Brandon S Baker

Jose Bernabeu-Auban

Mark Robbin Brown

Andrew John Thornton

Stephen Francis Heil

Dattatraya B Rajpure

Dmitry Malloy

Darryl E Havens

Dmitry Meshchaninov

Sreenivas Addagatla

Mohamed E Fathalla

Joy Ganguly

Boyd Hays

A computing device and method for establishing more direct access to a storage device from unprivileged code in an unprivileged storage architecture component. Using a storage infrastructure driver to discover and enumerate storage architecture component(s), a user-mode application requests at least one portion of the storage device to store application-related data corresponding to executing input/output activity. The storage infrastructure driver maps the at least one portion of the storage device to substantially match an address space associated with the application-related data and configures at least one path for the user-mode application to perform block-level input/output between the storage device and the unprivileged storage architecture component. A virtual function may be generated corresponding to at least one path between a computing device and the unprivileged storage architecture component to execute input/output activity using the address space. A completion notification mechanism may also be provided.

Storage device access using unprivileged software code

A framework for building an adaptive management system is described herein. Tools for building customized Agents that communicate by way of an interface abstraction over many mediated and non-mediated communications channels are described herein, wherein such tools allow for the Agents to be decoupled in terms of at least one of space, time, transport, synchronization, or communications direction.

Elastic management framework

A method and system for establishing more direct access to a storage device from unprivileged code are described. Using a storage infrastructure mechanism to discover and enumerate storage architecture component(s), a user mode application requests a portion of the storage device to store application-related data. That portion is mapped to an address space representing the application-related data. The storage infrastructure mechanism determines whether the user mode application is authorized to access the storage device and if satisfied, the storage infrastructure mechanism configures at least one path for the user mode application to perform block-level input/output between the storage device and an unprivileged storage architecture component. A completion notification mechanism may be selected or established for returning information related to input/output requests.

A subject disclosure is directed towards emulating a data network interface for operating an interconnect controller in accordance with a networking standard. The emulated data network interface provides address resolution data associated with a destination, within a converged interconnect fabric, for application data. The address resolution data identifies a communication path that is compatible with the interconnect controller. The application data conforms to the networking standard. The emulated data network interface instructs the interconnect controller to route the application data to the destination via the compatible communication path.

Providing network capability over a converged interconnect fabric

A framework that enables a local computing cloud infrastructure for rural (and third world) populations with the ability to connect into the global cloud. The framework include is a low cost architecture of long distance, wireless based, renewable energy powered, and small datacenter (DC) (referred to as a pico-DC) nodes that can fully operate off-grid, both power-wise and Internet connection-wise at a very low cost. Additionally, the framework includes power management and storage techniques that effectively enable low power and efficient power use. Thus, systems are self-sufficient, low maintenance and weather proof with no need for power or data connections.

Wireless cloud-based computing for rural and developing areas

Technologies pertaining to cluster-on-chip computing environments are described herein. More particularly, mechanisms for supporting message passing in such environments are described herein, where cluster-on-chip computing environments do not support hardware cache coherency.

Message passing in a cluster-on-chip computing environment

There is provided a method of providing a template virtual machine. An exemplary method comprises creating a template virtual machine comprising an image of an operating system and software running on the operating system. The template virtual machine does not include machine-specific identifiers. The template virtual machine is booted into a virtual machine environment. Subsequently, machine-specific identifiers for the template virtual machine are updated. The template virtual machine may then be booted with machine-specific identifiers into a service instance to perform a function determined by the software running on the operating system such that uniform code pages representing the operating system and software running on the operating system are shared among virtual machines in the virtual machine environment.

Template virtual machines

A request is received from a software component of a software product to access a value of a public setting of the software component. A check is made as to whether the request conforms to an appropriate format for the public setting. If the request conforms to the appropriate format, then the requested access is performed. However, if the request does not conform to the appropriate format, then the requested access is denied. Multiple values for the public setting can be received and maintained concurrently.

Controlling access to software component state

One or more extension registrations are received for each of multiple software components installed on a computing device. The one or more extension registrations identify the software components as providers of functionality. A record of the one or more extension registrations for each of the multiple software components is maintained. Requests are received, from other software components installed on the computing device, that identify particular functionality. In response to such requests, the information regarding one or more of the multiple software components that provide the particular functionality is returned to the other software components.

Managed system extensibility

In embodiments of a location control service, location data that identifies the location of a device is stored in a memory module, such as secured non-volatile memory or a storage module, of the device along with a timestamp that correlates to local time at the location of the device. A determination is then made as to whether the location of the device has changed. Functionality of the device can be disabled, and access to data stored on the device restricted, when determining that a change in location of the device was not authorized. Alternatively, the location data can be updated to identify a new location of the device when determining that a change in location of the device was authorized.

Location control service

Multiple software component identifiers are maintained in a catalog of an operating system running on a device. Each of these software component identifiers corresponds to one of multiple software components installed on the device. The catalog is accessed in response to a request regarding one of the multiple software components, and the request is responded to based at least in part on information included in the catalog. Additionally, two or more versions of a software component that are installed on the computing device can be identified. Which one of the two or more versions of the software component is an active version of the software component to be run is determined. In response to requests for information regarding the software component, information regarding the active version of the software component is returned.

Catalog-based software component management

This document describes tools capable of making a portion of operating-system memory associated with a protection agent unalterable or inaccessible from an operating-system privilege mode. In some embodiments, these tools are capable of creating a protection-agent privilege mode by requesting that a virtual machine monitor protect this portion of operating-system memory. In other embodiments, these tools are capable of creating the protection-agent privilege mode by virtualizing a physical processor into multiple virtual processors, at least one of which is a protection-agent virtual processor designed to run the protection agent. By making this portion of operating-system memory unalterable or inaccessible from the operating-system privilege mode, the protection agent may be less vulnerable to attacks by entities operating within the operating-system privilege mode.

Protection agents and privilege modes

To avoid extensive time during which servicing of clients' requests is stopped for updating a piece of software or a data structure, various embodiments of the invention update an instance of the piece of software or an instance of the data structure instead of updating the original piece of software or the data structure. This allows the original piece of software or the data structure to service clients' requests without interruption. The updated instance begins to service clients' requests without losing context while the original piece of software or the data structure is terminated from further operation.

Updating software while it is running

This document describes tools capable of enabling a protection agent to determine, from memory inaccessible from an operating-system privilege mode, whether one or more resources of an operating system have been modified. In some instances, these tools may enable the protection agent to reside within a virtual machine monitor. In other instances, the tools may enable the protection agent to reside within a distinct virtual partition provided by the virtual machine monitor. By operating outside of the operating-system privilege mode, the protection agent may be less vulnerable to attacks by entities operating within the operating-system privilege mode.

Growing community of inventors

Snohomish, WA, United States of America

Suyash Sinha