Centralized deployment of wireless clients

• US 20080086546A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Hong, Zhao, Wei, Abhishek, Abhishek, Lu, Yi, Chen, Yue, Mandhana, Taroon, Contant, Olivier
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A network enabled computer receives connection profile information in a generic form and creates one or more native mode profiles to establish connections. By accepting profile information in a generic form, profile information can be readily provided from one or more ways, including from a policy server, through a user interface or from a third party application. The profile information can be provided with an order of precedence so that profile information from different sources may be combined appropriately. Additionally, the profile information may be provided in an extensible format to allow profile information to be distributed to multiple computers, even if some have different hardware or software configurations and are not programmed to recognize extensions of the profile information.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components adapted for use in a computer that is connectable to a network, the computer-executable components comprising:

a) a communication service adapted to apply a configuration to the computer to form a connection over the network, the configuration based at least in part on a profile;

b) at least one interface configured to exchange information with a source outside the computer, the exchanged information defining profile information in an extensible format; and

c) a component adapted to form the profile from the profile information.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the profile information comprises a plurality of XML documents.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the profile information in an extensible format comprises a plurality of information elements, each information element having a tag identifying the type of information in the information element.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein:

the profile information in an extensible format is stored; and

the at least one interface is adapted to exchange information by receiving information and altering the stored profile information.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one interface comprises a user interface.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one interface comprises a client agent configured to download information from a central source.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one interface comprises an Application Programming Interface adapted to interface with a program module provided by a hardware vendor.

8. A computer that is connectable to a network, comprising computer-readable medium comprising:

a) profile information comprising;

i) a first data structure comprising a plurality of fields collectively defining group policy information; and

ii) a second data structure comprising a plurality of fields collectively defining at least one type of profile information separate from the group policy information; and

b) computer-executable components comprising a communication service adapted to apply a configuration to the computer based on a profile to form a connection over the network, the profile based at least in part on the profile information.

9. The computer of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable components further comprise at least one interface adapted to display, modify and/or store the profile information.

10. The computer of claim 9, wherein the at least one interface is adapted to process information in an extensible format.

11. The computer of claim 10, wherein the extensible format is XML.

12. The computer of claim 10, wherein the communication service comprises a profile management component adapted to form the profile from the profile information.

13. The computer of claim 12, wherein the profile management component is adapted to ignore elements of the profile information it is not programmed to recognize and form a profile based on portions of the profile information it is programmed to recognize.

14. The computer of claim 13, wherein the profile management component is adapted to reject formation of a profile for a connection that is inconsistent with the group policy information.

15. A method of operating a computer that is connectable to a network, the method comprising:

a) receiving a plurality of types of profile information, the types of profile information having an order of precedence; and

b) forming at least one profile from the profile information in accordance with the order of precedence.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising validating that the profile information is not inconsistent with a profile information specification prior to forming the at least one profile.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the plurality of types of profile information comprises receiving at least one group policy profile, the group policy profile having the highest precedence in the order of precedence.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving at least one group policy profile comprises caching the group policy profile and refreshing the cached group policy profile from a group policy server.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising modifying at least one of the plurality of types of profile information through a programming interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving a plurality of types of profile information comprises receiving at least one XML file.