Internet connectivity verification

• US 7,860,982 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alon, Lior, Finkelstein, Amit, Galpert, Stanislav, Pechuk, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US12/049,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20090232009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709227-229, 714/4, 714/37, 370/229, 370/248, 370/295.2
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

Verification of Internet connectivity using multiple prior connection attempts to Internet destination(s). The Internet destinations may be destinations that have high reliability and that do not easily have intermediating systems that might deny a connection request. Such an Internet destination might be, for example, root Domain Name Server (DNS) servers. Connection attempt results are obtained by for at least some of the connection attempts, tracking which resulted in success and failure. Internet connectivity is then verified based on the collective results, rather than relying on any one single connection attempt. In one embodiment, the frequency of the connection attempts may depend on a current state of the Internet connection.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage device having stored computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, causes the computing system to perform a method for verifying whether or not the computing system is connected to the Internet, the method comprising:

an act of identifying a prior Internet connection state based on one or more prior connection attempts;

an act of periodically making multiple consecutive connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations, wherein a frequency comprising a duration of time for making the multiple consecutive connection attempts is based at least in part on the identified prior Internet connection state, and such that making each of the multiple consecutive connection attempts more or less frequently is dependent upon the identified prior Internet connection state;

an act of determining connection attempt results by, for at least a plurality of the multiple consecutive connection attempts, an act of determining whether the corresponding connective attempt resulted in success or failure; and

an act of determining whether or not Internet connectivity is present using the connection attempt results, from the plurality of the multiple consecutive connection attempts, rather than relying solely on any single connection attempt result.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-readable storage device comprises system memory.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the one or more Internet destinations comprises a single Internet destination such that the act of periodically making multiple consecutive connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations comprises:

an act of periodically making multiple consecutive connection attempts to the single Internet destination.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the one or more Internet destinations comprises a plurality of Internet destination such that the act of periodically making multiple consecutive connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations comprises:

an act of periodically making multiple consecutive connection attempts to Internet destinations, wherein for at least some of the multiple consecutive connection attempts, the connection attempt is to a different Internet destination as compared to another connection attempt of the multiple consecutive connection attempts.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the plurality of multiple consecutive connection attempts is a plurality of consecutive connection attempts, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive connection attempts is to a root Domain Name Server (DNS) server.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage device in accordance with claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive connection attempts is to a different root DNS server.

7. The one or more computer-readable storage device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the one or more Internet destination includes at least one root DNS server.

8. The one or more computer-readable storage device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the one or more Internet destinations includes at least one enterprise server.

9. A computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of periodically making multiple consecutive connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations comprises:

an act of performing connection attempts more frequently in response to detecting that the prior Internet connection state is a connected state.

19. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of multiple consecutive connection attempts comprise at least three consecutive connection attempts.

10. A method implemented by a computing system having a processor for verifying whether or not the computing system is connected to the Internet, the method comprising:

an act of identifying a prior Internet connection state based on one or more prior connection attempts;

an act of making multiple connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations, wherein a frequency for making the multiple consecutive connection attempts is based at least in part on the identified prior Internet connection state, and such that making each of the multiple consecutive connection attempts more or less frequently is dependent upon the identified prior Internet connection state;

an act of determining connection attempt results by, for at least a plurality of the multiple consecutive connection attempts, an act of determining whether the corresponding connective attempt resulted in success or failure; and

an act of determining whether or not Internet connectivity is present, from the plurality of the multiple consecutive connection attempts, rather than using solely one connection attempt result of the connection attempt results.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the act of making multiple connection attempts comprises:

an act of determining that a current Internet connection state is connected, wherein the connection attempts are made more frequency due to the current Internet connection state being connected than they would be if the current Internet connection is disconnected.

12. A method in accordance with claim 10, the method further comprises:

an act of identifying a prior Internet connection state, wherein there are at least four possible states for an Internet connection state including the following;

a link up state which means an Internet connection is determined as being present and there have been no unsuccessful connection attempts in a first predetermined number of prior connection attempts;

a link down state which means an Internet connection is determined as not being present and there have been no successful connection attempts in a second predetermined number of prior connection attempts;

a link unstable state which means an Internet connection is still assumed to be present, but that there has been at least one unsuccessful connection attempt in the first predetermined number of prior connection attempts although there have not yet been enough unsuccessful connection attempts to achieve the link down state; and

a link resumes state which means an Internet connection is still assumed to not be present, but that there has been at least one successful connection attempt in the second predetermined number of prior connection attempts although there have not yet been enough successful connection attempts to achieve the link up state.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the first predetermined number and the second predetermined number are the same.

14. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the first predetermined number is three.

15. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the act of making multiple connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations occurs more frequently if the prior Internet connection state is link up state as compared to the prior Internet connection state being link down state.

16. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the act of making multiple connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations occurs more frequently if the prior Internet connection state is link unstable state as compared to the prior Internet connection state being link up state.

17. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the act of making multiple connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations occurs more frequently if the prior Internet connection state is link resumes state as compared to the prior Internet connection state being link down state.

18. A method program product in accordance with claim 10, wherein the one or more Internet destination includes at least one root DNS server.

20. A method for verifying whether or not a computing system is connected to the Internet, the method comprising:

an act of identifying a prior Internet connection state, wherein there are at least four possible states for an Internet connection state including the following;

a link up state which means an Internet connection is determined as being present and there have been no unsuccessful connection attempts in a first predetermined number of prior connection attempts;

a link down state which means an Internet connection is determined as not being present and there have been no successful connection attempts in a second predetermined number of prior connection attempts;

a link unstable state which means an Internet connection is still assumed to be present, but that there has been at least one unsuccessful connection attempt in the first predetermined number of prior connection attempts although there have not yet been enough unsuccessful connection attempts to achieve the link down state; and

a link resumes state which means an Internet connection is still assumed to not be present, but that there has been at least one successful connection attempt in the second predetermined number of prior connection attempts although there have not yet been enough successful connection attempts to achieve the link up state;

an act of making multiple connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations;

an act of determining connection attempt results by, for at least a plurality of the multiple consecutive connection attempts, an act of determining whether the corresponding connective attempt resulted in success or failure; and

an act of determining whether or not Internet connectivity is present using more than just one connection attempt result of the connection attempt results.

21. One or more computer-readable storage device having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, causes the computing system to perform a method for verifying whether or not the computing system is connected to the Internet, the method comprising:

an act of identifying a prior Internet connection state, wherein there are at least two possible states for an Internet connection state including the following;

a link up state which means an Internet connection is determined as being present and there have been no unsuccessful connection attempts in a first predetermined number of prior connection attempts; and

a link down state which means an Internet connection is determined as not being present and there have been no successful connection attempts in a second predetermined number of prior connection attempts;

an act of making multiple consecutive connection attempts to varying Domain Name Server (DNS) servers, wherein the act of making multiple connection attempts to one or more Internet destinations occurs more frequently if the prior Internet connection state is link up state as compared to the prior Internet connection state being link down state;

an act of determining connection attempt results by, for at least a plurality of the multiple consecutive connection attempts, an act of determining whether the corresponding connective attempt resulted in success or failure; and

an act of determining whether or not Internet connectivity is present using the connection attempt results, rather than relying on any single connection attempt result.