API for network discovery

• US 20070130429A1
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, David, Thaler, David, Begorre, Bill, Cunningham, Aaron, Sinha, Alok, Miner, Patrice, Watson, Marieke
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272

Abstract

Discovery of a network to which a device is in communication and classifying the network is disclosed. The network may be classified as a network already known or a new network signature may be created where the network signature is made up of a network id, a link id and a hop id.

Claims

1. In a method of identifying a network to which a device connects, an application program interface comprising:

creating a network profile with a specified name and returning data that allows use of the created network profile with the specified name.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising enumerating one of:

network profiles that are connected to a system;

network profiles that are disconnected to a system; and

network profiles in a system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing deletion of a network profile that is one of:

not connect and not managed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enumerating connected, active, disconnected or all network signatures for a network profile.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

returning the name of a network profile;

renaming a network profile;

returning a description of a network profile;

setting a new description of a network profile;

returning a unique identifier of a network profile;

returning an icon for a network profile; and

setting a new icon for a network profile.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning a type of a network profile wherein the type is managed or not and wherein the type is authenticated or not.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of returning the date and time when a network profile was created and returning the date and time when a network profile was connected.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning the state of the network profile wherein the state of the network is connected or disconnected for at least one of the network signatures.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning a list of connected network signatures in a network profile.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising enumerating an network signature network for a profile wherein the enumeration is of the connected network signature, the disconnected signature and all the network signatures for a network profile.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

returning a unique identifier of a network signature;

returning an identifier of the network that contains the network signature; and

returning a description for a network signature.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning a type of network signature wherein the type comprises managed, unmanaged, authenticated or unauthenticated.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning a list of interfaces of a network signature.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving a networking signature to another network profile.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

communicating that a new network profile is added or deleted;

communicating that a disconnected network profile is connected or disconnected;

communicating that at least one property of a network profile is changed;

communicating that a new network signature is added to a network profile;

communicating that a network signature is deleted;

communicating that a network signature is connected or disconnected; and

communicating that at least one property of a network signature changed.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a network profile in a registry comprises an ID, a name, a description, an icon ID, bits indicating managed or unmanaged and authenticated or unauthenticated an a local time and date that a network profile was created.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a network signature in a registry comprises an ID, a description, bits indicating managed or unmanaged and authenticated or unauthenticated and the ID of the owning network profile.