Increasing the level of automation when establishing and managing network connections

• US 20040224668A1
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shell, Scott R., Raffman, Andrew R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Increasing the level of automation when establishing and managing network connections. A connection manager operates between system level APIs and application programs, providing a level of abstraction. When a user wishes to access a remote resource included in destination network, the user simply identifies the remote resource and the connection manager performs the underlying operations. The connection manager relieves users from having to know detailed information about the remote resource and the destination network. When the connection manager receives a request to access a remote resource, connection manager may utilize extensible decision logic to identify a most appropriate connection method for connecting to a destination network. Such decision logic may include comparing prioritized connection requests to local resources available in a local computing device, as well as, comparing connection parameters associated with connection methods. The connection manager may utilize connection service provider modules to establish identified connection methods.

Claims

1. In a computing device that is capable of establishing connections using a variety of different kinds of connection methods, a method of establishing a connection without necessarily requiring that the user specify the connection method to use, the method comprising the following:

an act of receiving a request to access a remote resource that is included in a destination network;

an act of at least partially automatically, identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network, from among a plurality of connection methods for connecting to the destination network; and

an act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a request to access a remote resource that is included in a destination network comprises the following:

an act of a connection manager receiving a request to access a remote resource.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the act of a connection manager receiving a request to access a remote resource comprises the following:

an act of a connection manager, which includes a connection planner selected from among a plurality of connection planners, receiving a request to access a remote resource.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a request to access a remote resource that is included in a destination network comprises the following:

an act of an API associated with a connection manager receiving a request to access a remote resource.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a request to access a remote resource that is included in a destination network comprises the following:

an act of receiving a request to access a remote resource that was sent from an application module.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of a connection planner identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the act of a connection planner identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of a connection planner, which was selected from among a plurality of connection planners, identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of determining what local resources are available for establishing a connection to the destination network.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of determining what local resources are available to establish a connection to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of determining what local resources are available to a received request of a certain priority, wherein the received request is requesting establishment of a connection to the destination network.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network, from among a plurality of connection methods for connecting to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of calculating an aggregate value of connection parameters associated with each connection method included in the plurality of connection methods.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network, from among a plurality of connection methods for connecting to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of comparing aggregate values of connection parameters associated with each connection method included in the plurality of connection methods.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of identifying a connection method that was previously cached.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network comprises the following:

an act of identifying a connection method associated with a user override function.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method comprises the following:

an act of a connection service provider causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of a connection service provider causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method comprises the following:

an act of a connection service provider, which was selected from among a plurality of connection service providers, causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method comprises the following:

an act of an API associated with a connection service provider causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method comprises the following:

an act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using a connection request that is currently active.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method comprises the following:

an act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using a connection method that is associated with a user override function.

19. In a computing device that is capable of establishing connections to destination networks by using a plurality of connection methods, each connection method consuming one or more local resources accessible by the computing device, a method of establishing one or more connections without necessarily requiring that the user specify the connection method to use, the method comprising the following:

an act of receiving a new connection request to access one or more remote resources that are included in one or more destination networks;

an act of comparing the new connection request to one or more active connection requests and to the local resources currently accessible by the computing device to determine a most appropriate connection method; and

an act of causing one or more connections to be established to the one or more destination networks using the most appropriate connection method.

20. The method as recited as in claim 19, wherein the act of comparing the new connection request to one or more active connection requests and to the local resources currently available in the computing device to determine a most appropriate connection method comprises the following:

an act of comparing a priority of the new connection request to the priorities of the one or more active connection requests and to the local resources currently available in the computing device to determine a most appropriate connection method.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

an act of causing connection methods associated with active connection requests of lower priority than the new connection request to release resources.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

an act of released resources being allocated to the most appropriate connection method.

23. The method as recited as in claim 19, wherein the act of comparing the plurality of connection methods to the local resources currently available comprises the following:

an act of comparing a plurality of connection methods to a resources available list.

24. In a computing device that is capable of establishing a connection to a destination network by using a plurality of connections methods, each connection method including one or more connection parameters associated with connecting to the destination network, a method of establishing a connection without necessarily requiring that the user specify the connection method to use, the method comprising the following:

an act of receiving a request to access a remote resource that is included in the destination network;

an act of comparing the one or more connection parameters associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods, to determine the most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network; and

an act of causing a connection to be established to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the act of comparing the one or more connection parameters associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods comprises the following:

an act of comparing a parameter representative of the bandwidth associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the act of comparing a parameter representative of the bandwidth associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods comprises the following:

an act of comparing a bandwidth parameter for each connection method that was calculated using the bandwidth associated with individual communication links included in each connection method.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the act of comparing a bandwidth parameter for each connection method that was calculated using the bandwidth associated with individual communication links included in each connection method comprises the following:

an act of comparing a bandwidth parameter for each connection method that was calculating by multiplying a bandwidth value associated with one of the individual communication links by a connection method specific multiplier.

28. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the act of comparing the one or more connection parameters associated with each connection method of the plurality of connection methods comprises the following:

an act of comparing a parameter representative of the latency associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the act of comparing a parameter representative of the latency associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods comprises the following:

an act of comparing a parameter representative of latency that, for each connection method, was calculated by adding the latency associated with each communication link in the connection method.

30. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the act of comparing the one or more connection parameters associated with each connection method of the plurality of connection methods comprises the following:

an act of comparing a parameter representative of the monetary cost associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the act of comparing a parameter representative of the monetary cost associated with each connection method in the plurality of connection methods comprises the following:

an act of comparing a parameter representative of monetary cost that, for each connection method, was calculated by adding the monetary cost associated with each communication link in the connection method.

32. A computer program product for implementing, in a computing device that is capable of establishing connections using a variety of different kinds of connection methods, a method of establishing a connection without necessarily requiring that the user specify the connection method to use, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions, that when executed at the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method, including;

receiving a request to access a remote resource that is included in a destination network;

identifying a most appropriate connection method for connecting to the destination network, from among a plurality of connection methods for connecting to the destination network; and

establishing a connection to the destination network using the most appropriate connection method.

33. The computer program product as recited claim 32, wherein the computer-readable medium is a physical storage media.