Network map

• US 7,587,675 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US11/364,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20070204231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 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 personal computer device comprising a processor for executing computer executable instructions, a memory and an input-output device, the personal computer device being programmed for displaying a network topology for a set of discovered devices, comprising:

a network item application, executed by the personal computer device, that uses a plurality of discovery protocols to detect network devices and to provide a listing of the detected network devices along with device state information and association information; and

a graphical user interface, executed by the personal computer device, that displays a representation of the personal computer device and 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 personal 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 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 child.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is represented as the top most representation of the left column.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the intermediate connection devices comprise switches, routers, gateways, and hubs.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein the external network is the Internet.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein a network device state information includes accessibility and error information, and association information comprises connection information.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein the three column topology collapses 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.

7. The computer of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface displays representations of a portion of the provided listing of detected network devices based on a network profile.

8. The computer of claim 7, wherein the network profile is based on a network connection of the computer and a user identity.

9. The computer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of device protocols comprises at least one of SSDP, UPnP, WS-Discovery, NetBIOS, Master Browser, and WINS.

10. A method of creating a user interface of a user computer having rendered thereon a set of discovered network devices, the method comprising:

executing on a processor of the user computer a set of instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the instructions causing the user computer to display;

a left column, a middle column, and a right column;

a set of terminal network device representations including the user computer disposed in the left column;

a set of intermediate connection device representations disposed in the middle column;

an external network representation disposed in the right column; and

a set of connection representations between the device representations; and

wherein the connection representations comprise a connection between two devices, the two devices comprising a parent device and a child device, the child device comprising the one of the two devices further connected from the user computer, 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 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 child, and

if the child device is a non-terminal device and not a first non-terminal child, a three segment connection is created between the parent and child.

11. The user interface of claim 10, wherein a representation of the user computer is disposed in a topmost position of the left column.

12. The user interface of claim 10, wherein a newly detected device is indicated as new via a device representation and a previously detected, but currently non-detectable device is indicated as removed via a device representation.

13. The user interface of claim 10, wherein a device having more than one interconnection is displayed as a single device with multiple connections.

14. The user interface of claim 10, wherein a multifunction device is represented as one of a single device having multiple functions and a plurality of devices with each device representing a different function of the multifunction device.