Network map

• US 20070204231A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gavrilescu, Alexandru, Morgan, Dennis, Wang, Haiyong, Cunningham, Aaron, Watson, Marieke, Miner, Patrice
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

The claimed method and system provides a graphical user interface that illustrates network topology information, including connection paths between devices on the local network and an external network such as the Internet. The claimed method and system may use a three column format for presenting the topology that is more intuitive for a user. Also, the claimed method and system may aggregate context and connection information from multiple different protocols to provide the topology display. Further, the claimed method and system may use a device registry to enable customized and extensible representations of the network devices.

Claims

1. A computer device comprising a processor for executing computer executable instructions, a memory and an input-output device, the computer device being programmed for displaying a network topology for a set of discovered devices, comprising:

a network item application that uses a plurality of discovery protocols to detect network devices and to provide a listing of the detected network devices along with device state information and association information; and

a graphical user interface that displays a representation of each of the listed network devices with corresponding interconnection information in a left, middle, and right column topology format, wherein terminal device representations are disposed in the left column, intermediate connection device representations are disposed in the middle column, and external network representations are disposed in the right column.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is represented as the top most representation of the left column.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the intermediate connection devices comprise switches, routers, gateways, and hubs.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein the external network is the Internet.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein the interconnection information corresponds to at least one connection between a parent and a child device, and wherein if the child node is a terminal device and a first terminal child, a straight horizontal line is created between the parent and the child,

if the child device is a terminal device and not a first terminal child, a three segment line is created between the parent and child,

if the child device is a non-terminal device and a first non-terminal child, a straight vertical line is created between the parent and child, and

if the child device is a non-terminal device and the child device is not a first non-terminal child, a three segment line is created between the parent and child.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein a network device state information includes accessibility and error information, and association information comprises connection information.

7. The computer of claim 1, wherein the three column topology collapses into a mini-map topology comprising a user computer representation in the left column, a connection device representation in the middle column, and the Internet in the third column.

8. The computer of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface displays representations of a portion of the provided listing of detected network devices based on a network profile.

9. The computer of claim 8, wherein the network profile is based on a network connection of the computer and a user identity.

10. The computer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of device protocols comprises at least one of SSDP, UPnP, WS-Discovery, NetBIOS, Master Browser, and WINS.

11. A user interface of a user computer having rendered thereon a set of discovered network devices, the user interface comprising:

a left column, a middle column, and a right column;

a set of terminal network device representations disposed in the left column;

a set of intermediate connection device representations disposed in the middle column;

an external network representation disposed in the right column; and

a set of connection representations between the device representations.

12. The user interface of claim 11, wherein a representation of the user computer is disposed in a topmost position of the left column.

13. The user interface of claim 11, wherein the connection representations comprise a connection between a parent and a child device, and wherein if the child device is a terminal device and a first terminal child, a straight horizontal line is created between the parent and child,

if the child device is a terminal device and not a first terminal child, a three segment line is created between the parent and child,

if the child device is a non-terminal device and a first non-terminal child, a straight vertical line is created between the parent and child, and

if the child device is a non-terminal device and not a first non-terminal child, a three segment line is created between the parent and child.

14. The user interface of claim 11, wherein a newly detected device is indicated as new via a device representation and a previously detected, but currently non-detectable device is indicated as removed via a device representation.

15. The user interface of claim 11, wherein a device having more than one interconnection is displayed as a single device with multiple connections.

16. The user interface of claim 11, wherein a multifunction device is represented as one of a single device having multiple functions and a plurality of devices with each device representing a different function of the multifunction device.

17. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a display unit that is capable of generating video images;

an input device;

a processing apparatus operatively coupled to said display unit and said input device, said processing apparatus comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor; and

a network interface connected to a network and to the processing apparatus;

said processing apparatus being programmed to;

retrieve current state and association information for a plurality of network devices using a plurality of discovery protocols;

retrieve cached state and association information for a plurality of network devices;

determine a difference between the current state and association information and the cached state and association information; and

build a topology map based on the determined difference.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the difference is displayed in a three column topology map including a left column, middle column, and right column, wherein terminal devices are disposed in the left column, intermediate connection devices are disposed in the middle column, and external networks are disposed in the right column.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein determining a difference comprises one of determining a set of devices of the current state and association information not existing in a listing of nodes of the cached state and association information, and indicating the set of devices in the topology map as added, and determining a set of devices of the cached state and association information not existing in a listing of nodes of the current state and association information, and indicating the set of devices in the topology map as removed.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing apparatus is further programmed to cache the difference upon building the topology map.