Software Deployment Using Client Location

• US 20090094378A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Davis, Jefferson, Li, Jimin, Reus, Edward, Hou, Jianbo
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,318 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B

Abstract

A software distribution mechanism evaluates network addresses of requesting clients to determine a location for each client. The clients from a particular location are grouped together and a fraction of those clients in a particular group are recipients of a software distribution. The faction is adjusted to enable more or fewer clients to download, thus effectively throttling the amount of bandwidth consumed by a mass distribution event. The fraction may be adjusted for particular geographical locations and the time of day to make more effective use of network bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a network address for a plurality of client devices to receive a software distribution;

determining a geographical location for each of said client devices based on said network address;

grouping said client devices into a first group and a second group based on said geographical location; and

transferring said software distribution to a first fraction of said first group and a second fraction of said second group.

2. The method of claim 1, said transferring said software distribution comprising pushing said software distribution to said first fraction and said second fraction.

3. The method of claim 1, said transferring said software distribution comprising permitting said first fraction and said second fraction to download said software distribution.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning said client devices to a distribution manager.

5. The method of claim 4, said distribution manager being adapted to:

determining a random number for each of said client devices; and

allocating each of said client devices based on said random number.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting said first fraction to transfer said software distribution to a larger number of said first group of said client devices.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting said first fraction to transfer said software distribution to a smaller number of said first group of said client devices.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

halting an ongoing transfer for at least a portion of said first fraction of said first group of said client devices.

9. The method of claim 7, said adjusting being based at least on a time of day for said geographical location for said first group of said client devices.

10. The method of claim 1, said software distribution comprising at least one of a group composed of:

an operating system update;

an application update; and

a data file.

11. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable code adapted to perform the method of claim 1.

12. A system comprising:

a connection to a network;

an address resolver adapted to determine a network address for each of a plurality of clients;

a location resolver adapted to determine a geographical location for each of said plurality of clients based on said network address and group said plurality of clients into a first group and a second group based on said geographical location;

a distribution engine adapted to transfer a software distribution to a first fraction of said first group and a second fraction of said second group.

13. The system of claim 12, said distribution engine further adapted to transfer said software distribution by a method comprising pushing said software distribution to said first fraction and said second fraction.

14. The system of claim 12, said distribution engine further adapted to transfer said software distribution by a method comprising permitting said software distribution to be downloaded by said first fraction and said second fraction.

15. The system of claim 12, said distribution engine further adapted to:

adjust said first fraction to transfer said software distribution to a larger number of said first group of said client devices.

16. The system of claim 12, said distribution engine further adapted to:

adjust said first fraction to transfer said software distribution to a smaller number of said first group of said client devices.

17. The system of claim 16, said distribution engine further adapted to:

halt an ongoing transfer for at least a portion of said first fraction of said first group of said client devices.

18. A method comprising:

determining a network address for a plurality of client devices to receive a software distribution;

determining a geographical location for each of said client devices based on said network address;

grouping said client devices into a first group and a second group based on said geographical location; and

transferring a first version of said software distribution to a first fraction of said first group and a second version of said software distribution to a second fraction of said second group.

19. The method of claim 18, said transferring said first version of said software distribution comprising permitting said first fraction and said second fraction to download.

20. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions adapted to perform the method of claim 18.