Network and interface selection on a computing device capable of establishing connections via multiple network communications media

• US 7,996,505 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mandhana, Taroon, Teodorescu, Florin, Knudson, Dan, Moore, Timothy M., Abhishek, Abhishek, Alam, Mohammad Shabbir, Barkley, Warren V., Krantz, Anton, Hernandez-Mondragon, Edwin A., Bhanu, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, DARRIN D
• Application Number:
  US10/693,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,846 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/239, 709/240, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/436, 455/439
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A system and method for carrying out network and interface selections across multiple media is disclosed. The disclosed system facilitates automated network interface configuration decision-making that spans a set of networks supporting communications via differing media. A set of media specific modules associated with differing communications media acquire network interface status/capabilities information. A rules engine thereafter applies a designated network selection rule(s) to the acquired network interface status/capabilities information, and any other appropriate parameters attributable to either an interface or network, to select one or more networks and interfaces with which to establish/maintain a connection.

Claims

1. A computing system supporting network selection based upon network information spanning multiple communication media, the system comprising:

a rules data store for maintaining network selection criteria;

a media specific module interface for providing accumulated network interface information spanning multiple communication media, the accumulated network interface information being associated with a set of networks and a set of network interfaces, each network interface for connecting the computing system to a network in the set of networks;

a rules engine, comprising at least one processor, for designating one of the set of networks by applying a network selection criterion from the rules data store to the accumulated network interface information spanning multiple media; and

a plurality of media specific modules configured to acquire network interface information pertaining to network interfaces associated with particular media types, and to receive network interface configuration commands, from the rules engine, to connect to one of the set of networks, each of the media specific modules configured to acquire network interface information from media specific drivers associated with particular interfaces,

wherein the media specific module interface comprises a normalization module that converts standardized communication requests it receives from the rules engine into media specific communications that meet media specific implementation requirements, the normalization module further configured to direct the media specific communications to respective network interfaces.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the rules engine has access to the rules data store.

3. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of media specific drivers, each of the drivers associated with a particular network interface.

4. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between at least two media based upon a network parameter associated with the media.

5. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between at least two media based upon a network type associated with the media.

6. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order based upon a current location of the computing system.

7. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between logical networks.

8. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order based upon a network time of use parameter.

9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the rules engine is incorporated into a state machine that cyclically scans a set of network interfaces for networks, applies the network selection criterion to a set of networks and interfaces to render a current network and interface selection, and issues configuration instructions in accordance with the current network and interface selection.

10. The computing system of claim 1 wherein:

the rules data store maintains network selection criteria acquired from a plurality of sources, and

the plurality of sources of the network selection criteria comprise a user interface and a group policy service.

11. The computing system of claim 10 wherein the sources network selection criteria are acquired from include a provisioning service.

12. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the scanning engine increases the scanning delay period when the plurality of previous scans indicate there is no change in state.

13. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the scanning engine performs a scan when the plurality of previous scans indicate movement of the computing system.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the scanning engine determines the computing system is moving based on at least one of received signal strength, retransmission counts, or frame error rates.

15. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the scanning engine is configured to detect a network interface to be scanned is sending traffic, and when said network interface is sending traffic, the scanning engine analyzes statistics for the traffic sent to determine whether a scanning period is to be skipped.

16. A method for selecting a network and interface combination, to which a computing system will initiate a connection via the network interface, based upon network information spanning multiple communication media, the method comprising:

maintaining network selection criteria in a rules data store;

with at least one processor;

accumulating network interface information spanning multiple communication media, the accumulated network interface information being associated with a set of networks and a set of network interfaces, each network interface for connecting the computing system to a network in the set of networks;

at a rules engine, designating one of the set of networks by applying a network selection criterion from the network selection criteria in the rules data store to the accumulated network interface information;

at a plurality of media specific modules, acquiring network interface information pertaining to network interfaces associated with particular media types, the network interface information acquired from media specific drivers associated with particular interfaces;

at the plurality of media specific modules, receiving network interface configuration commands from the rules engine to connect to one of the set of networks;

at a media specific module interface comprising a normalization module, converting standardized communication requests into media specific communications that meet media specific implementation requirements; and

at the media specific module interface, directing the media specific communications to respective network interfaces.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the network selection criterion is accessed from a configurable rules data store.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising issuing network interface configuration commands in accordance with the designating step.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the media specific modules are each associated with at least one distinct type of communication media driver.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between at least two media based upon a network parameter associated with the media.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between at least two media based upon a network type associated with the media.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order based upon a current location of the computing system.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between logical networks.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order based upon a network time of use parameter.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the designating comprises evaluating in a rules engine at least one of the network selection criteria based on the accumulated network interface information, and the method further comprises cyclically performing, under the control of a state machine:

scanning a set of network interfaces for networks;

applying, with the rules engine, the network selection criterion to a set of networks and interfaces to render a current network and interface selection; and

issuing configuration instructions in accordance with the current network and interface selection.

26. A computer storage medium including computer-executable instructions for facilitating selecting a network and interface combination, to which a computing system will initiate a connection via the network interface, based upon network information spanning multiple communication media, the computer-executable instructions facilitating:

maintaining network selection criteria in a rules data store;

at a plurality of media specific modules, acquiring network interface information pertaining to network interfaces associated with a set of networks and a plurality of media types, the network interface information acquired from media specific drivers associated with particular interfaces, each network interface for connecting the computing system to a network in the set of networks;

at a rules engine, designating one of the set of networks by applying the network selection criteria from the rules data store to the accumulated network interface information;

sending standardized communication requests from the rules engine to a media specific module interface comprising a normalization module, the standardized communication requests related to the designation of the one of the set of networks;

at the normalization module, converting standardized communication requests into media specific communications that meet media specific implementation requirements; and

at the media specific module interface, directing the media specific communications to respective media specific modules.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the network selection criterion is accessed from a configurable rules data store.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the computer-executable instructions further facilitate issuing network interface configuration instructions in accordance with the designating step.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 further comprising computer-executable instructions for acquiring, by the media specific modules, network interface information from the communication media drivers associated with particular network interfaces.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between at least two media based upon a network parameter associated with the media.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between at least two media based upon a network type associated with the media.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order based upon a current location of the computing system.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order between logical networks.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the network selection criterion specifies a preference order based upon a network time of use parameter.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the computer-executable instructions comprises a rules engine for evaluating at least one of the network selection criteria based on the accumulated network interface information, and further comprising computer-executable instructions for cyclically performing, under the control of a state machine:

scanning a set of network interfaces for networks;

applying, with the rules engine, the network selection criterion to a set of networks and interfaces to render a current network and interface selection; and

issuing configuration instructions in accordance with the current network and interface selection.

36. The method of claim 26 wherein the plurality of sources of the network selection criteria are acquired from include a provisioning service.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving a notification that a new network interface is available; and

loading another media specific module corresponding to said new network interface, said media specific module configured to request network interface information from a driver for said network interface.