Method for determining and providing network connectivity information

• US 20050117523A1
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Parupudi, Gopal, Goertzel, Mario C., Srinivas, Murthy
• Granted Patent: US 7,702,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A method and system for providing system event notifications to clients such as applications. Clients register for notification of one or more types of events with a registration mechanism, and a System Event Notification Service, (SENS), receives system event information and fires event notifications in response thereto. A distribution mechanism selectively communicates the fired event to each client registered for notification thereof based on the type of event. Events include network events, for which the service monitors the connectivity state of the machine, including whether a connection is established or lost, the type of connection (LAN/WAN) and bandwidth information. To monitor a LAN state, the service caches outgoing and incoming network information including errors and packet counts and statistically evaluates this cached information against current information to determine whether the connection is established or lost. The service also determines if a destination (IP address or name) is reachable, by periodically polling destinations. Other system event notifications may be fired, including logon or logoff operations and power management events.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining values indicative of network activity at a first time;

obtaining values indicative of network activity at a second time;

evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time to determine the state of network connectivity; and

selectively outputting the state of network connectivity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of incoming packet counts over a period of time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of outgoing packet counts over a period of time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of errors over a period of time.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of outgoing packet counts over a period of time relative to a number of incoming packet counts over a period of time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively outputting the state of network connectivity further comprises firing an event when the state of network connectivity has changed from a previous value.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively outputting the state of network connectivity further comprises returning the state of network connectivity as a result in response to a call from a client.

8. One or more computer-readable media having executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, implement the following steps:

maintaining values indicative of network activity at a first time;

obtaining values indicative of network activity at a second time;

evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time to determine the state of network connectivity; and

selectively outputting the state of network connectivity.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of incoming packet counts over a period of time.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of outgoing packet counts over a period of time.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of errors over a period of time.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein evaluating the differences between the values at the first time and the second time further comprises determining a number of outgoing packet counts over a period of time relative to a number of packet counts over a period of time.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein selectively outputting the state of network connectivity further comprises firing an event when the state of network connectivity has changed from a previous value.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein selectively outputting the state of network connectivity further comprises returning the state of network connectivity as a result in response to a call from a client.