Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

William Birkin Lees

Jeffrey Bruce Parham

Nathan Daniel Muggli

William S Jack

Gregory C Johnson

Mark Robbin Brown

Sachin Goel

Stein Erik Dolan

William James Whalen

Donald J Hacherl

Laszlo Lovasz

Levon A Esibov

Nicholas J Harvey

Nicholas J A Harvey

Van H Vu

Katalin Vesztergombi

Colin Harrison Brace

Billy J Fuller

Eyal Schwartz

Mashuri R Libman

Rajagopalan Badri Narayanan

Weiqing Tu

Chris W Hallum

Collin H Brace

Nathan D Muggli

William B Tu

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to disclosing recovery keys. In aspects, when a recovery key is disclosed, data is updated to indicate that the recovery key has been disclosed. A machine that has locked data may determine whether a recovery key for the locked data has been disclosed and whether a new key needs to be generated for the locked data. If a new key needs to be generated for the locked data, the machine may generate the new key and send it to a recovery store for storage. In addition, old keys that protect the locked data may be deleted after the new key has been generated and stored.

Single use recovery key

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to recovering locked data. In aspects, stakeholders of locked volume(s) are identified. Security data of the volume(s) that can be used to unlock the volume(s) is collected from one or more computing devices hosting the volume(s). The security data and stakeholder data is stored on a recovery store. If a stakeholder needs to unlock a volume, the stakeholder may communicate with a recovery manager, provide certain data, and receive data that may be used to unlock the volume. Auditing may be performed for attempts to obtain the unlocking data from the recovery store.

Infrastructure independent recovery key release

A domain controller hierarchy includes one or more hub domain controllers in communication with one or more local domain controllers, such as local domain controllers at a branch office. The hub domain controller(s) is writable, while the local domain controller(s) is typically read-only. Non-secure and secure information is partitioned to specific local domain controllers at the one or more hub domain controllers. The non-secure and secure information is then passed from the hub domain controller only to the local domain controller associated with the given partition at the hub domain controller on request. For example, a user requests a logon at a client computer system at a local branch office, and the logon is passed from the local domain controller to the hub domain controller. If authenticated, the user logon account is passed to the local domain controller, where it can be cached to authenticate subsequent requests.

Replicating selected secrets to local domain controllers

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to encryption lifecycle management. In aspects, an orchestrating agent is installed on a device upon which encryption management is desired. During the lifecycle of the device, the orchestrating agent facilitates performing actions to protect the data of the device. For example, at certain points during the actions, the orchestrating agent may deduce the presence of external entities needed to perform the actions and interact with those entities to protect the data. During its facilitating activities, the orchestrating agent may also escrow protector data to use to unlock the data for legitimate stakeholders of the data.

Volume encryption lifecycle management

Accessing a data set with secret and non-secret data. A method includes accessing a data set image. The data set image comprises secret data. The data set image is derived from an authorized data set associated with a master key that authorizes access to the secret data. The master key is not provided with the data set image. The method further comprises restoring the data set image to a computing system to create a degraded data set. Data in the degraded data set other than the secret data is accessed without restoring the master key.

Secure seed media

A system and method for identifying network endpoints that provide a service of interest orders endpoints according to their network proximity to a requesting client. The requesting client may then contact the closest available providing endpoint, thus increasing the efficiency of usage of network resources while decreasing latency and enhancing reliability. In an embodiment of the invention, when a connection to the nearest providing endpoint cannot be established, a mechanism for locating a next-closest alternative endpoint is provided.

Generalized proximity service

Securing data set images

Described is a technology in a distributed configuration network management environment, in which action-style documents are used as guides in processing structured documents to perform management tasks. For example, the action-style documents may be used by a standard stylesheet processor to validate a constitutional document, and process input lines of that constitutional document into output lines of a document. When executed, the output lines perform a management task. In this manner, for example, policy statements of an administrator are transformed into a single type of self-contained document that is consistently interpreted, and thus consistently executed, regardless of its source or when it was authored.

Distributed configuration management using loosely-coupled action-style documents

Registering a client with a distributed service. A method may be practiced, for example, in a network computing environment including a client at a local site and a number of distributed services at a number of remote sites. The method includes pinging one or more distributed services at one or more remote sites. A message is received from a distributed service from among the one or more distributed services. The message specifies an optimal remote site. The method further includes registering with a distributed service at the optimal remote site.

Next site for distributed service connections

Communicating with a distributed service in the network computing environment. A method for communicating with a distributed service includes referencing a configuration registry to determine resources and permissions in a potential distributed service entry. A potential distributed service entry identifies a distributed service corresponding to the potential distributed service entry that is authorized to exist by virtue of an entry in the configuration registry for the potential distributed service entry specifying that the distributed service may exist, whether or not the distributed service corresponding to the potential distributed service entry exists. The method further includes using the resource information, attempting to contact the distributed service corresponding to the potential distributed service entry. Permissions of the distributed service corresponding to the potential distributed service entry are verified to match permissions of the potential distributed service entry.

Decomposing installation of distributed services

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

William Birkin Lees