Dynamically regulating content downloads

• US 8,201,164 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reus, Edward F., Gouge, Christopher S., Shih, Steve P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): St Leger, Geoffrey
• Application Number:
  US11/780,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20090024993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A regulation service can deliver software packages to client computer systems while minimizing the overall effect on network (internet or LAN) traffic and/or server loads. In one implementation, the regulation service assigns acceptance rates to different software packages based on any number of different factors. Upon request for a software package, the regulation service can provide the acceptance rate and a refresh rate that differs for each software package. A client computer system can then calculate an access value, and if the access value is within an acceptance rate, the client computer system can access (e.g., download) a corresponding software package. If the access value is outside of the acceptance rate, the client computer system can refresh its requests until it identifies that the acceptance rate has changed, and the calculated value is within the new acceptance rate. Additional implementations include delivering bandwidth management policies to client computer systems.

Claims

1. At a regulation service in a computerized environment, the regulation service being configured to distribute software content in the form of one or more software packages to one or more client computer systems, a method of the regulation service managing distribution of the software content so that network traffic is minimized, comprising the acts of:

identifying one or more software packages to be delivered to one or more computer systems over a network, wherein the one or more software packages are separated into priority levels;

identifying at least an acceptance rate for each of the one or more software packages;

exposing a web service for receiving requests from one or more computer systems for any of the one or more software packages and for transmitting responses to the requests to the one or more computer systems, wherein requests received by the web service and responses transmitted by the web service are secured using transport layer security (TLS);

receiving, via the web service, one or more requests, from an internet gateway device (IGD) that provides internet access to one or more computer systems, for any of the one or more software packages, the one or more requests being secured using TLS, wherein the request includes IGD information that specifies the number of computer systems to which the internet gateway device provides internet access, and the internet bandwidth of the IGD;

based on the IGD information, determining bandwidth usage limitations for the one or more computer systems that connect to the internet through the IGD that will govern the one or more computer systems'"'"' access to the one or more software packages; and

sending, via the web service, to the IGD one or more responses that include the identified acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages as well as the bandwidth usage limitations, the one or more responses being secured using TLS, and wherein the IGD modifies the acceptance rate for at least one of the requested software packages and forwards the acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages, including the modified acceptance rate for the at least one of the requested software packages, to the one or more computer systems, and wherein the bandwidth usage limitations instruct the IGD to limit a particular computer system'"'"'s maximum bandwidth utilization while downloading one of the one or more software packages.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more responses include instructions for a client computer system to generate one or more access values for comparison with the identified acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the acceptance rate and a refresh rate are determined separately for software packages in each priority level.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of revising at least one of the acceptance rate and a refresh rate in response to any one or more of receiving input from a server administrator, or identifying lapse of a time duration.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of revising at least one of the acceptance rate and a refresh rate in response to any one or more of identifying one or more client computer system properties, or identifying one or more network traffic properties.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of receiving one or more additional requests from the client computer system to access at least one of the one or more software packages, the one or more additional requests including an access value generated by the client computer system for the at least one software package.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising the acts of:

identifying that the access value in the one or more additional requests is outside of an acceptance rate corresponding to the at least one software package; and

returning to the client computer system at least one of a new acceptance rate and a new refresh rate for the at least one software package.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising an act of receiving one or more subsequent requests from the client computer system to access the at least one software package, the one or more subsequent requests including the access value generated for the at least one software package.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising the acts of:

identifying that the access value in the one or more subsequent requests is within the acceptance rate corresponding to the at least one software package; and

providing the at least one software package to the client computer system.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the acceptance rate has not changed prior to the additional and subsequent requests; and

the access value is a revised access value generated anew by the client computer system before the subsequent request.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the acceptance rate has been revised for at least one software package prior to the subsequent request; and

the access value, which has not changed before the subsequent request, fits within the revised acceptance rate.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a local network server comprises a different regulation service that receives the one or more software packages from the regulation service, which is external to the local network server, the method further comprising:

receiving the one or more software packages from the external regulation service;

determining, via the different regulation service at the local network server at least the identified acceptance rate for each of the one or more software packages for each computer system on the local network; and

sending to each computer system on the local network one or more messages that include the determined acceptance rate.

13. At a regulation service in a computerized environment, the regulation service being configured to distribute software content in the form of one or more software packages to one or more client computer systems, a computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media, not including signals, having computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors at the regulation service to perform a method comprising:

identifying one or more software packages to be delivered to one or more computer systems over a network, wherein the one or more software packages are separated into priority levels;

identifying at least an acceptance rate for each of the one or more software packages;

exposing a web service for receiving requests from one or more computer systems for any of the one or more software packages and for transmitting responses to the requests to the one or more computer systems, wherein requests received by the web service and responses transmitted by the web service are secured using transport layer security (TLS);

receiving, via the web service, one or more requests, from an internet gateway device (IGD) that provides internet access to one or more computer systems, for any of the one or more software packages, the one or more requests being secured using TLS, wherein the request includes IGD information that specifies the number of computer systems to which the internet gateway device provides internet access, and the internet bandwidth of the IGD;

based on the IGD information, determining bandwidth usage limitations for the one or more computer systems that connect to the internet through the IGD that will govern the one or more computer systems'"'"' access to the one or more software packages; and

sending, via the web service, to the IGD one or more responses that include the identified acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages as well as the bandwidth usage limitations, the one or more responses being secured using TLS, and wherein the IGD modifies the acceptance rate for at least one of the requested software packages and forwards the acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages, including the modified acceptance rate for the at least one of the requested software packages, to the one or more computer systems, and wherein the bandwidth usage limitations instruct the IGD to limit a particular computer system'"'"'s maximum bandwidth utilization while downloading one of the one or more software packages.

14. The computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more responses include instructions for a client computer system to generate one or more access values for comparison with the identified acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the acceptance rate and a refresh rate are determined separately for software packages in each priority level.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 13, further comprising an act of revising at least one of the acceptance rate and a refresh rate in response to any one or more of receiving input from a server administrator, or identifying lapse of a time duration.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 13, further comprising an act of revising at least one of the acceptance rate and a refresh rate in response to any one or more of identifying one or more client computer system properties, or identifying one or more network traffic properties.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 13, further comprising an act of receiving one or more additional requests from the client computer system to access at least one of the one or more software packages, the one or more additional requests including an access value generated by the client computer system for the at least one software package.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 18, further comprising the acts of:

identifying that the access value in the one or more additional requests is outside of an acceptance rate corresponding to the at least one software package; and

returning to the client computer system at least one of a new acceptance rate and a new refresh rate for the at least one software package.

20. At a regulation service in a computerized environment, the regulation service being configured to distribute software content in the form of one or more software packages to one or more client computer systems, a method of the regulation service managing distribution of the software content so that network traffic is minimized, comprising the acts of:

identifying one or more software packages to be delivered to one or more computer systems over a network, wherein the one or more software packages are separated into priority levels;

identifying at least an acceptance rate for each of the one or more software packages;

exposing a web service for receiving requests from one or more computer systems for any of the one or more software packages and for transmitting responses to the requests to the one or more computer systems, wherein requests received by the web service and responses transmitted by the web service are secured using transport layer security (TLS);

receiving, via the web service, one or more requests, from an internet gateway device (IGD) that provides internet access to one or more computer systems, for any of the one or more software packages, the one or more requests being secured using TLS, wherein the request includes IGD information that specifies the number of computer systems to which the internet gateway device provides internet access, and the internet bandwidth of the IGD;

based on the IGD information, determining bandwidth usage limitations for the one or more computer systems that connect to the internet through the IGD that will govern the one or more computer systems'"'"' access to the one or more software packages;

sending, via the web service, to the IGD one or more responses that include the identified acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages as well as the bandwidth usage limitations, the one or more responses being secured using TLS, and wherein the IGD modifies the acceptance rate for at least one of the requested software packages and forwards the acceptance rate for each of the requested software packages, including the modified acceptance rate for the at least one of the requested software packages, to the one or more computer systems, and wherein the bandwidth usage limitations instruct the IGD to limit a particular computer system'"'"'s maximum bandwidth utilization while downloading one of the one or more software packages;

receiving one or more additional requests from the client computer system via the IGD to access at least one of the one or more software packages, the one or more additional requests including an access value generated by the client computer system for the at least one software package;

identifying that the access value in the one or more additional requests is outside of an acceptance rate corresponding to the at least one software package; and

returning to the client computer system via the IGD a new acceptance rate and a new refresh rate for the at least one software package, wherein the IGD modifies the new acceptance rate based on current bandwidth usage by other client computer systems downloading the at least one software package.