Network map

• US 7,818,673 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gavrilescu, Alexandru, Morgan, Dennis, Miner, Patrice L., Wang, Haiyong, Watson, Marieke I., Cunningham, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): BONSHOCK, DENNIS G
• Application Number:
  US12/548,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20100064225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 715/734, 715/735, 709/223, 370/254
• 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 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, wherein the topology map comprises;

a representation of the computing apparatus and of each of the plurality of network devices with corresponding association 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; and

wherein the association information corresponds to at least one connection between two network devices, the two network devices comprising a parent device and a child device, the child device comprising the one of the two devices further connected from the computing apparatus, and

wherein if the child device is a terminal device and a first terminal child, a straight horizontal connection 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 connection 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 connection is created between the parent and the 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 connection is created between the parent and the child.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, 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.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is further programmed to cache the difference upon building the topology map.

4. A computer memory device having stored thereon a set of machine readable instructions executable on a processor of a personal computer device, the instructions comprising:

first instructions executable to cause the processor to detect network devices using a plurality of discovery protocols;

second instructions executable to display a listing of a plurality of network devices detected using the plurality of discovery protocols, the listing including device state information and association information for each of the detect devices;

third instructions executable to cause a display device to display a representation of the personal computer device and 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; and

wherein the interconnection information corresponds to at least one connection between two network devices, the two network devices comprising a parent device and a child device, the child device comprising the one of the two devices further connected from the computer device, and

wherein if the child device is a terminal device and a first terminal child, a straight horizontal connection 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 connection 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 connection is created between the parent and the 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 connection is created between the parent and the child.

5. The computer memory device of claim 4, wherein the third instructions cause the display to display the representation of the personal computer device as the top most representation of the left column.

6. The computer memory device of claim 4, wherein each of the intermediate connection device representations represents a switch, a router, a gateway, or a hub.

7. The computer memory device of claim 4, wherein at least one of the external network representations represents the Internet.

8. The computer memory device of claim 4, wherein network device state information includes accessibility and error information, and wherein association information includes connection information.

9. The computer memory device of claim 4, further comprising instructions executable to cause the three column topology to collapse 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.

10. The computer memory device of claim 4, wherein the third instructions include instructions operable to cause the display device to represent a portion of the listing of detected network devices based on a network profile.

11. The computer memory device of claim 10, wherein the network profile is based on a network connection of the personal computer device and a user identity.

12. The computer memory device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of device protocols comprises at least one of SSDP, UPnP, WS-Discovery, NetBIOS, Master Browser, and WINS.