Internet connectivity evaluation

• US 20090089620A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Froelich, Karl, Johnson, Erik S., Zhang, Chong, Faggioli, Francesco, Sawant, Vivek M., Peruvemba, Ramakrishnan
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

Internet connectivity evaluation provides for easy, efficient and effective testing of the Internet connectivity behavior between an operating system hosted on a computing device and an IGD (Internet Gateway Device) interacting with the computing device. With a user'"'"'s computing device communicating with one or more servers, or server-type devices, interacting with, or otherwise communicating with, the Internet, Internet connectivity evaluation can quickly and cost-effectively be performed to identify known major issues in the interaction between the operating system hosted on the user'"'"'s computing device and an IGD.

Claims

1. A method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device comprising a computing device display, the method comprising:

receiving a software program from a web site wherein the software program comprises one or more connectivity tests;

executing the one or more connectivity tests wherein the execution of at least one of the one or more connectivity tests comprises receiving data;

analyzing the results of the execution of each of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed;

generating a result status for each of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed, wherein the result status indicates the result of the execution of each of the one or more connectivity tests; and

exhibiting the result status generated for each of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed on the computing device display.

2. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1 wherein the computing device is located in a residence.

3. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 2 wherein the execution of each of the one or more connectivity tests requires communicating with an IGD and wherein the IGD is located in the residence.

4. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a detailed status for each of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed, wherein each of the one or more connectivity tests comprises one or more steps that are executed and wherein the detailed status generated for each of the one or more connectivity tests comprises a report identifying the result of the execution of at least one step of the connectivity test; and

exhibiting the detailed status generated for at least one of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed on the computing device display.

5. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1, further comprising the software program automatically installing on the computing device.

6. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1, wherein the software program comprises a basic Internet connectivity test, a network address translation type test, a traffic congestion test, a TCP high performance test, a UPnP support test and a multiple simultaneous connection test.

7. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises an operating system and the operating system runs the software program to execute the one or more connectivity tests, the method further comprising exhibiting an identification of one or more IGDs that have been identified to successfully interact with the operating system during execution of the one or more connectivity tests.

8. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1, wherein the data received during the execution of at least one of the one or more connectivity tests is received from a server via the Internet.

9. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1 wherein the execution of the one or more connectivity tests comprises running the software program when a user of the computing device selects a command exhibited on a screen output to the computing device display.

10. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

exhibiting a running status on the computing device display for the connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests that is currently executing, wherein the running status indicates the connectivity test is currently executing; and

exhibiting a waiting status on the computing device display for each connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests that has not yet executed, wherein the waiting status indicates the connectivity test is currently waiting to execute.

11. A method for Internet connectivity testing, the method comprising:

hosting an Internet connectivity evaluation program comprising a version identification and one or more connectivity tests on a website on the Internet;

downloading the Internet connectivity evaluation program from the website to a computing device if the computing device does not currently host an Internet connectivity evaluation program; and

downloading the Internet connectivity evaluation program from the website to a computing device if the version identification of the Internet connectivity evaluation program hosted by the computing device is less than the version identification of the Internet connectivity evaluation program hosted on the website.

12. The method for Internet connectivity testing of claim 11, wherein a first connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests is a basic Internet connectivity test, a second connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests is a network address translation type test, a third connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests is a traffic congestion test, a fourth connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests is a TCP high performance test, a fifth connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests is a UPnP support test, and a sixth connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests is a multiple simultaneous connection test.

13. The method for Internet connectivity testing of claim 11 wherein the downloading of the Internet connectivity evaluation program from the website to a computing device is performed automatically upon a user accessing the website providing agreement to the website for the downloading.

14. The method for Internet connectivity testing of claim 11 wherein the connectivity evaluation program hosted on a website on the Internet comprises an identification of one or more IGDs that have been identified as compatible with an operating system that can execute on a computing device.

15. A method for home Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device comprising a computing device display, wherein the computing device is located in a residence, the method comprising:

receiving a software program from a web site wherein the software program comprises one or more connectivity tests and wherein the software program automatically installs on the computing device;

executing one or more of the one or more connectivity tests wherein the execution of each of the one or more connectivity tests requires communicating with an IGD and wherein the IGD is located in the residence;

analyzing the results of the execution of each of the connectivity tests that are executed;

generating a status for each of the one or more connectivity tests of the software program, wherein the status indicates a current condition of each of the one or more connectivity tests; and

exhibiting the status generated for each of the one or more connectivity tests on the computing device display.

16. The method for home Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 15 wherein a first status generated for a connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests indicates the connectivity test executed successfully, a second status generated for a connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests indicates the connectivity test failed to execute successfully, a third status generated for a connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests indicates the connectivity test is waiting to execute, and a fourth status generated for a connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests indicates the connectivity test is currently executing.

17. The method for home Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 15, further comprising:

generating a detailed status for the one or more connectivity tests that are executed, wherein each of the one or more connectivity tests comprises one or more steps that are executed and wherein the detailed status generated for each of the one or more connectivity tests comprises a report identifying the result of the execution of at least one step of the connectivity test; and

exhibiting the detailed status generated for at least one of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed on the computing device display.

18. The method for home Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 15, wherein the software program comprises a basic Internet connectivity test, a network address translation type test, a traffic congestion test, a TCP high performance test, a UPnP support test and a multiple simultaneous connection test.

19. The method for home Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 15, further comprising executing one or more of the one or more connectivity tests wherein the execution of at least one of the one or more connectivity tests comprises receiving at least one text file.

20. The method for home Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 15, wherein the computing device comprises an operating system, the method further comprising exhibiting an identification of one or more IGDs that have been identified to successfully interact with the operating system during execution of the one or more of the one or more connectivity tests.