Internet connectivity evaluation

• US 7,856,574 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lottich; Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US11/904,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 714/25, 714/38, 714/43, 714/46, 714/47, 714/57, 715/736
• US Class Current: 714/25
• 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 an operating system and a computing device display, the method comprising:

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

running the software program by the operating system of the computing device to execute the one or more connectivity tests, wherein execution of at least one of the one or more connectivity tests comprises receiving data over a network for verifying whether an Internet gateway device (IGD) properly interacts with the operating system of the computing device;

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

exhibiting, on the computing device display, a result status for each of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed to indicate the results of execution of each of the one or more connectivity tests that are executed; and

exhibiting, on the computing device display, an identification of one or more IGDs that have been identified as compatible with the operating system of the computing device.

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 execution of each of the one or more connectivity tests requires communicating with the 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 a result of execution of at least one step of the one or more steps executed for each connectivity test; and

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

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 operating system does not execute one or more connectivity tests that have been identified as being not compatible with the operating system of the computing device.

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

9. The method for Internet connectivity evaluation with a computing device of claim 1, wherein the software program is run 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, on the computing device display, a running status for a connectivity test of the one or more connectivity tests that is currently executing; and

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

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

hosting, on a website on the Internet. an Internet connectivity evaluation program comprising a version identification, one or more connectivity tests, and an identification of one or more Internet gateway devices (IGDs) that have been identified as compatible with an operating system that can execute on a computing device; and

downloading the Internet connectivity evaluation program from the website to the computing device if the computing device does not currently host the Internet connectivity evaluation program or if the version identification of the Internet connectivity evaluation program indicates that the Internet connectivity evaluation programs hosted on the website is a more current version of the Internet connectivity evaluation program that is hosted on the computing device.

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. A computing device-readable storage medium storing program instructions causing a computing device to perform the method for Internet connectivity testing of claim 11.

15. A computing device-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a computing device comprising an operating system and a computing display device, cause the computing device to perform a method for Internet connectivity evaluation, the method comprising:

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

running the software program by the operating system of the computing device to execute the one or more connectivity tests, wherein execution of at least one of the one or more connectivity tests comprises receiving data over a network for verifying whether an Internet gateway device (IGD) properly interacts with the operating system of the computing device;

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

exhibiting, on the computing device display, a status for each of the one or more connectivity tests to indicate a current condition of each of the one or more connectivity tests; and

exhibiting, on the computing display device, an identification of one or more IGDs that have been identified as compatible with the operating system of the computing device.

16. The computing device-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the status for a particular connectivity test comprises one of:

a first status that indicates the particular connectivity test executed successfully,

a second status that indicates the particular connectivity test failed to execute successfully,

a third status that indicates the particular connectivity test is waiting to execute, and

a fourth status that indicates the particular connectivity test is currently executing.

17. The computing device-readable storage medium of claim 15, further storing program instructions for:

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 a result of execution of at least one step of the one or more steps executed for each connectivity test; and

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

18. The computing device-readable storage medium 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 computing device-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein execution of at least one of the one or more connectivity tests comprises receiving at least one text file.

20. The computing device-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operating system does not execute one or more connectivity tests that have been identified as being not compatible with the operating system of the computing device.