Method of detecting TCP/IP bindings of installed network interface cards present in a computer system

• US 6,529,965 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Thomsen, Brant D., Smith, Ronald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Application Number:
  US09/568,098
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 710/8, 710/15, 710/19, 709/220, 709/224
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for detecting TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) bindings for Network Interface Cards (NICs) installed on Windows 95® and Windows 98® operating systems with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) client present. The present invention provides a method for parsing the Windows™ system registry to detect TCP/IP bindings for network interface cards installed within a host computer system. In one embodiment, a DriverCheck function and a HardwareCheck function are implemented as parts of a computer software for detecting the TCP/IP bindings for network interface cards installed on the host computer system.

Claims

1. In a computer system running on a Windows™

-based operating system, a method of detecting the TCP/IP binding location for a network interface card by calling a driver check function, wherein said driver check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps comprising of;

(a) identifying a registry key for said network interface card;

(b) opening an “

Ndi”

subkey of said registry key;

(c) extracting a “

DeviceID”

string value from said “

Ndi”

subkey;

(d) determining a first hardware key that matches said “

DeviceID”

string value;

(e) calling a hardware check function with said first hardware key as input, wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps of;

(e1) opening a “

Bindings”

subkey under said hardware key;

(e2) enumerating a string value name under said “

Bindings”

subkey;

(e3) creating a first variable for storing said string value name and a second variable for storing a concatenation of a string “

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Network\” and

said string value; and

(e4) provided that said first variable begins with “

MSTCP”

, returning said second variable as TCP/IP registry key location for said network interface card.

2. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said step (e) further comprises steps of:

opening a second registry key having a same name as said second variable;

extracting a “

Driver”

string value from said second registry key;

provided that said string value starts with one of “

NetClient” and

“

NetService”

, returning a failure result indicating that said network interface card is not bound to TCP/IP.

3. A method as described in claim 2 wherein said step (e) further comprises step of calling said hardware check function recursively using said second variable as input.

4. A method as described in claim 3 wherein said step (e) further comprises steps of:

generating a new driver string by appending said “

Driver”

string to “

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\”

;

calling said driver check function using said new driver string as input.

5. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising steps of:

opening said registry key;

extracting a “

MacName”

string value from said registry key;

determining a second hardware key that matches said “

MacName”

string value; and

calling said hardware check function with said second hardware key as input.

6. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising steps of:

opening a “

Ndi\Compatability”

subkey of said registry key;

extracting an item from a “

RequireAll”

string value;

determining a third hardware key that matches said item; and

calling said hardware check function with said third hardware key as input.

7. In a computer system running on a Windows™

-based operating system, a method of detecting the TCP/IP binding location for a network interface card by calling a driver check function, wherein said driver check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps comprising of;

(a) opening a registry key for said network interface card;

(b) extracting a “

MacName”

string value from said registry key;

(c) determining a first hardware key that matches said “

MacName”

string value; and

(d) calling a hardware check function with said first hardware key as input, wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps of;

(e1) opening a “

Bindings”

subkey under said hardware key;

(e2) enumerating a string value name under said “

Bindings”

subkey;

(e3) creating a first variable for storing said string value name and a second variable for storing a concatenation of a string “

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Network\” and

said string value; and

(e4) provided that said first variable begins with “

MSTCP”

, returning said second variable as TCP/IP registry key location for said network interface card.

8. A method as described in claim 7 wherein said step (e) further comprises steps of:

opening a second registry key having a same name as said second variable;

extracting a “

Driver”

string value from said second registry key;

provided that said string value starts with one of “

NetClient” and

“

NetService”

, returning a failure result indicating that said network interface card is not bound to TCP/IP.

9. A method as described in claim 8 wherein said step (e) further comprises step of calling said hardware check function recursively using said second variable as input.

10. A method as described in claim 9 wherein said step (e) further comprises steps of:

generating a new driver string by appending said “

Driver”

string to “

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\”

;

calling said driver check function using said new driver string as input.

11. A method as described in claim 7 further comprising steps of:

opening a “

Ndi\Compatability”

subkey of said registry key;

extracting an item from a “

RequireAll”

string value;

determining a second hardware key that matches said item; and

calling said hardware check function with said second hardware key as input.

12. In a computer system running on a Windows™

-based operating system, a method of detecting the TCP/IP binding location for a network interface card by calling a driver check function, wherein said driver check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps comprising of;

(a) identifying a registry key for said network interface card;

(b) opening an “

Ndi”

subkey of said registry key;

(c) extracting a “

DeviceID”

string value from said “

Ndi”

subkey;

(d) determining a first hardware key that matches said “

DeviceID”

string value;

(e) calling a hardware check function with said first hardware key as input;

(f) provided a TCP/IP registry location is not determined by said step (e), extracting a “

MacName”

string value from said registry key;

(g) determining a second hardware key that matches said “

MacName”

string value; and

(h) calling said hardware check function with said second hardware key as input;

(i) provided a TCP/IP registry key location is not determined by said step (h),

(j) opening a “

Ndi\Compatability”

subkey of said registry key;

(k) extracting an item from a “

RequireAll”

string value;

(l) determining a third hardware key that matches said item; and

calling said hardware check function with said third hardware key as input.

13. A method as described in claim 12 wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps comprising of:

opening a “

Bindings”

subkey under said hardware key;

enumerating a string value name under said “

Bindings”

subkey;

creating a first variable for storing said string value name and a second variable for storing a concatenation of a string “

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Network\” and

said string value; and

provided that said first variable begins with “

MSTCP”

, returning said second variable as TCP/IP registry key location for said network interface card.

14. A method as described in claim 13 wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to further perform steps comprising of:

opening a second registry key having a same name as said second variable;

extracting a “

Driver”

string value from said second registry key;

provided that said string value starts with one of “

NetClient” and

“

NetService”

, returning a failure result indicating that said network interface card is not bound to TCP/IP.

15. A method as described in claim 14 wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to further perform a step comprising of calling said hardware check function recursively using said second variable as input.

16. A method as described in claim 15 wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to further perform steps comprising of:

generating a new driver string by appending said “

Driver”

string to “

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System \CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\”

;

calling said driver check function using said new driver string as input.

17. A computer readable medium for storing computer readable codes adapted for causing a computer system to perform a method of detecting the TCP/IP binding location for a network interface card by calling a driver check function, wherein said driver check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps comprising of:

(a) identifying a registry key for said network interface card;

(b) opening an “

Ndi”

subkey of said registry key;

(c) extracting a “

DeviceID”

string value from said “

Ndi”

subkey;

(d) determining a first hardware key that matches said “

DeviceID”

string value;

(e) calling a hardware check function with said first hardware key as input;

(f) provided a TCP/IP registry location is not determined by said step (e), extracting a “

MacName”

string value from said registry key;

(g) determining a second hardware key that matches said “

MacName”

string value; and

(h) calling said hardware check function with said second hardware key as input;

(i) provided a TCP/IP registry key location is not determined by said step (h),

(j) opening a “

Ndi\Compatability”

subkey of said registry key;

(k) extracting an item from a “

RequireAll”

string value;

(l) determining a third hardware key that matches said item; and

calling said hardware check function with said third hardware key as input.

18. A computer readable medium as described in claim 17 wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to perform steps of:

opening a “

Bindings”

subkey under said hardware key;

enumerating a string value name under said “

Bindings”

subkey;

creating a first variable for storing said string value name and a second variable for storing a concatenation of a string “

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Network\” and

said string value; and

provided that said first variable begins with “

MSTCP”

, returning said second variable as TCP/IP registry key location for said network interface card.

19. A computer readable medium as described in claim 18 wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to further perform steps comprising of:

opening a second registry key having a same name as said second variable;

extracting a “

Driver”

string value from said second registry key;

provided that said string value starts with one of “

NetClient” and

“

NetService”

, returning a failure result indicating that said network interface card is not bound to TCP/IP.

20. A computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said hardware check function is adapted for causing said computer system to further perform a step comprising of calling said hardware check function recursively using said second variable as input.