Method and system for discovery via tribal knowledge

• US 8,219,665 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Backman, Terje K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): Benoit, Esther
• Application Number:
  US11/073,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,682 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/230, 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

The invention provides one or more modules that may be used to automatically configure a computing device to communicate over a network. When a polling computer is connected to a network, it monitors network traffic to determine the protocols being used on the network. These protocols are then installed and loaded onto the polling computer. The polling computer may find voting computers on the network and send queries to the voting computers to discover network information such as network settings and network resources. The polling computer stores the results in a data structure, which may be sorted and is searchable to find the most popular network settings and resources used on the network. Network settings and resources may be automatically applied to the polling computer or the user may be provided with a user interface allowing the user to select particular settings and/or resources.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a memory, a processing unit, and computer-executable instructions stored on the memory, the computer-executable instructions being executable by the processing unit to;

connect the computing device to a network configured for communication between multiple voting computing devices;

responsive to connecting the computing device to the network, automatically initiate;

monitoring of transmissions on the network between the multiple voting computing devices;

determining of communication protocols used in the transmissions between the multiple voting computing devices;

automatic enabling of the computing device to communicate using one or more of the communication protocols once the communication protocols have been determined;

obtain, using the one or more communication protocols, information from the multiple voting computing devices for network settings and network resources used by the multiple voting computing devices;

store the obtained information as entries in a data structure;

weight the entries in the data structure to determine popularities of the entries, wherein an entry is weighted based on a measure of similarity indicative of device configuration similarities between the computing device and a respective voting computing device of the multiple voting computing devices that corresponds to the entry and a measure of proximity within the network between the computing device and the respective voting computing device of the multiple voting computing devices; and

automatically configure the computing device to use particular network settings or particular network resources based on the popularities of the entries.

2. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the automatic enabling of the computing device comprises installing respective drivers for the one or more communication protocols.

3. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the automatic enabling of the computing device comprises loading respective drivers for the one or more communication protocols.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein to obtain the information from the multiple voting computing devices for the network settings and the network resources used by the multiple voting computing devices comprises:

querying a first of the multiple voting computing devices to discover at least one of network settings used by the first of the multiple voting computing devices or network resources used by the first of the multiple voting computing devices; and

querying a second of the multiple voting computing devices to discover at least one of network settings used by the second of the multiple voting computing devices or network resources used by the second of the multiple voting computing devices.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further executable by the processing unit to present a user interface to a user, wherein the user interface comprises an interface for the one or more communication protocols.

15. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the measure of proximity is based on a speed of arrival of the obtained information.

16. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the measure of proximity is based on a hop count.

6. A polling computing device, comprising:

a memory, a processing unit, and computer-executable instructions stored on the memory, the computer-executable instructions being executable to;

connect the polling computing device to a network;

query a first voting computing device for network settings used by the first voting computing device to communicate across the network or a network resource used by the first voting computing device;

query a second voting computing device for network settings used by the second voting computing device to communicate across the network or a network resource used by the second voting computing device;

receive responses to the queries;

store information contained in the responses as network setting or network resource entries in a data structure;

weight the entries in the data structure to determine popularities of the entries using a measure of similarity between a hardware configuration of the polling computing device and hardware configurations of the respective voting computing devices corresponding to the entries and a measure of proximity within the network between the polling computing device and the respective voting computing devices corresponding to the entries; and

automatically configure the polling computing device to use particular network settings or particular network resources based on the responses to the queries and the popularities of the entries.

7. The polling computing device of claim 6, wherein the polling computing device is automatically configured to use the particular network settings or the particular network resources by selecting the entries in the data structure that appear most frequently.

8. The polling computing device of claim 6, wherein the computer executable instructions are further executable to weight the entries in the data structure based on an additional measure of similarity between the polling computing device and the respective voting computing devices corresponding to the entries, the additional measure of similarity corresponding to at least one of:

a software configuration, a system default, a system setting, a common membership in a workgroup, or a common membership in a domain.

9. The polling computing device of claim 6, wherein the computer executable instructions are further executable to present a user interface that displays the information contained in the responses.

10. The polling computing device of claim 6, wherein the automatic configuration of the polling computing device to use the particular network settings or the particular network resources comprises applying the particular network settings on the polling computing device.

11. The polling computing device of claim 6, wherein the automatic configuration of the polling computing device to use the particular network settings or the particular network resources comprises selecting default network resources as the particular network resources.

17. The polling computing device of claim 6, wherein the measure of proximity is based on a respective speed of arrival of each of the received responses.

18. The polling computing device of claim 6, wherein the measure of proximity is based on a hop count.

12. In a computer system configured to display a graphical user interface and having a user interface selection device, a method for discovering at least one of a network setting used by a first voting computing device on a network to communicate with a second voting computing device via the network, or a network resource used by the first voting computing device on the network, the method comprising:

connecting a polling computing device to the network, and based on the connecting of the polling computing device, automatically querying the first voting computing device for network settings used by the first voting computing device on the network to communicate with the second voting computing device via the network, and network resources used by the first voting computing device;

receiving a response to the query from the first and second voting computing devices indicating at least one of the network setting used by the first and second voting computing devices or the network resource used by the first and second voting computing devices;

weighting one or more of the at least one network setting or the network resource as indicated in the response based upon one or more of the similarities between a hardware configuration of the polling computing device and a hardware configuration of the first and second voting computing devices, a measure of proximity within the network between the polling computing device and the first and second voting computing devices, or a popularity of the at least one network setting or the network resource as indicated in responses by other voting computing devices on the network; and

presenting, based on the weighting, the at least one network setting or the network resource for display on a user interface element of the graphical user interface; and

receiving a selection of the at least one network setting or the network resource via the user interface selection device to automatically configure the at least one network setting or the network resource on the polling computing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one network setting or the network resource that is displayed on the graphical user interface is retrieved from the data structure.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

monitoring transmissions on a network;

determining a protocol used in the transmissions; and

automatically enabling the polling computing device to communicate using the protocol once the protocol has been determined.

19. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the measure of proximity is based on a speed of arrival of the received response.

20. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the measure of proximity is based on a hop count.