Paul R Sutton

US Patent:

6775781, Aug 10, 2004

Filed:

Jul 20, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/620746

Inventors:

Thomas G. Phillips - Bellevue WA
Paul C. Sutton - Bellevue WA
Gang Wang - Issaquah WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1130

US Classification:

713200, 713201

Abstract:

A computer such as a network appliance executes an administrative security process configured to run under an administrative privilege level. Having an administrative privilege level, the administrative security process can initiate administrative functions in an operating system function library. A user process executing under a non-administrative privilege level can initiate a particular administrative function that the process would not otherwise be able to initiate by requesting that the administrative security process initiate the function. In response to a request to initiate a particular function from a process with a non-administrative privilege level, the administrative security process determines whether the requesting process is authorized to initiate the particular administrative function based on information accessed in a data store. If the requesting process is authorized, the administrative security process initiates the particular administrative function. In this manner, the administrative security process facilitates access to specific administrative functions for a user process having a privilege level that does not permit the user process to access the administrative functions.

US Patent:

6922784, Jul 26, 2005

Filed:

Jun 21, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/872888

Inventors:

Thomas G. Phillips - Bellevue WA, US
Paul C. Sutton - Seattle WA, US
Gang Wang - Issaquah WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

H04L009/00

US Classification:

713200, 713201

Abstract:

In an implementation of administrative security systems and methods, access to administrative functions is controlled according to access privileges. A security process can be executed with administrative privilege to initiate an administrative function, and a user process can be executed with non-administrative privilege such that access to the administrative function is restricted. The user process can request initiation of the administrative function via the security process with parameters that include an identification of the administrative function and input arguments to the administrative function.

US Patent:

6931522, Aug 16, 2005

Filed:

Nov 15, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/713108

Inventors:

Kartik N. Raghavan - Seattle WA, US
Ryan W. J. Waite - Seattle WA, US
Thomas G. Phillips - Bellevue WA, US
Paul C. Sutton - Bellevue WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F009/455
G06F015/177

US Classification:

713 2, 714 14, 714 36

Abstract:

A method and system for booting a computer system to a known state at system start-up or in the event of an error or failure while the system is running or operating. The method and system of the invention automatically executes all the necessary procedures to boot the computer system to a known state, without any human intervention. The invention uses information about the state of the computer system during previous boot attempts to determine the logical steps performed to ensure that the system boots to a known state.

US Patent:

7065740, Jun 20, 2006

Filed:

Apr 23, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/128062

Inventors:

W. Jeff Westerinen - Sammamish WA, US
James R. Benton - Seattle WA, US
Mukesh Karki - Issaquah WA, US
Alan R. Morin - Kirkland WA, US
Raymond D. Pedrizetti - Sammamish WA, US
Thomas C. Phillips - Bellevue WA, US
Kartik N. Raghavan - Seattle WA, US
Paul Sutton - Seattle WA, US
Curt Steeb - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 9/44

US Classification:

717101, 717102, 717107

Abstract:

An apparatus and method to automate the deployment, provisioning, and management of a programmable device for the life cycle states of the programmable device is presented. The system includes an automation interface for a developer to develop modules to aid in the automation of the deployment, provisioning, and management of the programmable device and for a user to direct the system to enter into a state of the life cycle. A controller moves the programmable device into states of the life cycle in response to triggering events occurring.

US Patent:

7237243, Jun 26, 2007

Filed:

Feb 14, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/075633

Inventors:

Paul C. Sutton - Seattle WA, US
Curt A. Steeb - Redmond WA, US
Gang Wang - Issaquah WA, US
Martin L. Holladay - Bremerton WA, US
Zeyong Xu - Issaquah WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 3/00

US Classification:

719310

Abstract:

A multiple device management method and system that executes commands on one controller computer, such as in a data center, to initiate operations on controlled computers containing agent software. An operation may comprise the execution of script, execution of a binary program, or other operations. The mechanism works with sets of computers as if they were a single computer, whereby, for example, management of computing devices is greatly simplified, and the cost of managing computing devices in a data center is significantly reduced. The controller communicates with the nodes using a messaging format, and provides a schema to represent the available nodes in the data center, their organization into sets, and the results of ongoing and completed operations. The schema may also be used to manage jobs to perform on nodes and sets of nodes.

US Patent:

7290258, Oct 30, 2007

Filed:

Jun 25, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/607115

Inventors:

Curt A. Steeb - Redmond WA, US
Munisamy Prabu - Redmond WA, US
Zeyong Xu - Issaquah WA, US
Martin L. Holladay - Bremerton WA, US
Paul C. Sutton - Seattle WA, US
Raymond D. Pedrizetti - Sammamish WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 9/445
G06F 9/44

US Classification:

717178, 717168, 717172, 717173, 717174, 717177

Abstract:

Multiple devices on which operating systems can be automatically deployed are managed. According to one aspect, an apparatus manages installation of operating systems on a plurality of computing devices. The installation is performed across the plurality of computing devices both concurrently and asynchronously.

US Patent:

7610631, Oct 27, 2009

Filed:

Nov 15, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/989122

Inventors:

Alexander Frank - Bellevue WA, US
Curt Steeb - Redmond WA, US
James Duffus - Seattle WA, US
Mark C. Light - Redmond WA, US
Martin Holladay - Bremerton WA, US
Paul Sutton - Seattle WA, US
Thomas Phillips - Bellevue WA, US
Zeyong Xu - Issaquah WA, US
Zhangwei Xu - Redmond WA, US

International Classification:

G06F 21/00

US Classification:

726 30

Abstract:

A dynamic software provisioning system allows provisioning software on a number of different computing devices based upon a desired business process. The dynamic software provisioning system allows a user to request usage of the operating system for a specific period of time, for a specific amount of usage, or in any other desired manner from an operating system provisioning service or from a third party. The provisioning service processes the request from the user or from the third party to provision the use of the operating system and in response to the request provisions use of the operating system for a specific device specified by the request. The dynamic software activation system also includes a local provisioning module located on the device using the operating system, wherein the local provisioning module activates and deactivates the operating system based on instructions received from the provisioning service.

US Patent:

7668938, Feb 23, 2010

Filed:

Nov 15, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/713740

Inventors:

Thomas G. Phillips - Bellevue WA, US
Kartik N. Raghavan - Seattle WA, US
Ryan W. J. Waite - Seattle WA, US
Paul C. Sutton - Bellevue WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/177
G06F 15/173

US Classification:

709220, 709221, 709223, 717168, 717174

Abstract:

A system and method for purposing a computing device is disclosed. A management controller system is used to copy a system image from a library of system images to a target partition of the computer to be repurposed. The system image may include a configured copy of an operating system and an application program. The system image may also include logic for generating and assigning a unique security identifier to the computer. The invention includes a managed node service for monitoring the status of the computer and for performing some of the necessary steps in purposing the computer. Additionally, the invention includes facilities for loading a default operating system on the computer when the computer is first connected to a network.