Configuring network settings of thin client devices using portable storage media

The present invention relates generally to the field of computer networks, and in particular to a mechanism for simplifying the process of configuring modules in computer networks.

[002] The use of data transmitting networks is steadily increasing. In both small and large companies, cable local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) have become the accepted medium of doing business, with wireless networks being increasingly used. The use of home network technology, both wired and wireless, is a newer phenomenon and is developing more slowly. In addition to facilitating internet connections, home networks enable mutual communication between personal computer devices and various household appliances and electronic consumer devices in a given household. Wireless technology, such as IEEE 802.11 wireless networks and Bluetooth device networks, is attractive for both companies and households due to its convenience, mobility and flexibility.

[003] The main obstacle to the wider adoption of wireless networking technology in households and other non-business environments is the difficulties experienced by non-expert users in configuring network devices. Configuration of network devices often requires detailed knowledge of devices, software and network protocol, but this knowledge may be too complicated for the average user. In addition, there are now many thin client devices. These devices usually work on a reduced version of the operating system and do not include support for user interface components (such as monitor, keyboard and / or mouse) or the functions of a conventional personal computer. The lack of convenient and intuitive I / O functions often makes it difficult to configure thin clients for the home network. For example, for many users it can be cumbersome to set up a wireless access point (WAP), which is a typical thin client device. It can be particularly laborious and difficult to modify a thin client device to configure it for a given wireless network, when the thin client device does not have a ready connection to a typical computer. Along with the progress of wireless network technology, various types of thin client devices are added to home networks, such as digital audio receivers (MP3 receivers), wireless printers, set-top boxes (STBs) etc., so there is a need a simple and quick way to configure such thin client devices for network connectivity.

[004] WO 03 / 092222A describes a system and method that allows easy communication with an access point to be established. The user places a tag, such as a smart card (IC), near the IC tag reader of the reader / writer device of the first terminal device that performs contactless communication with the tag in close range for transmission of setting information to the tag. The tag stores the settings information received in this communication. The user then places the tag near the IC tag reader of the reader / writer of the second terminal device that receives information about the settings from the tag. The second terminal device stores the setting information received in this communication, and then performs the setting communication to connect to the first terminal device through the access point based on the stored setting information.

[005] US 2003/154287 A1 suggests a method of integrating the setting of a household access point and establishing a client network adapter in one software process. In particular, the Setup Wizard is described, which works on the client's personal computer (PC). It can automatically detect if a thin client home access point is already configured. This home thin client access point can then be configured by this Home Access Point Setup wizard.

[006] The object of the present invention is to enable an improved configuration of a thin client computer device for its network operation.

[007] This object has been achieved by the nature of the independent claims.

[008] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are defined by the dependent claims.

[009] According to the present invention, the task of configuring a thin client device for its connections and network operation is particularly simple and easy due to the use of a portable computer-readable media device, such as a USB flash drive or SD memory card, for transfer and automatically load network settings into a thin client device. The configuration application on a personal computer assists the user in generating configuration data that includes the correct network settings for a wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), or wireless network, depending on the intended purpose and the network operation of a given thin client device. Configuration data may also include device configuration information, security information, and file sharing information. The configuration application then generates an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file containing the configuration data and saves the XLM file on the portable media device. The user may then install the portable media device in a thin client computer device to transfer configuration data to that device. The thin client device detects the connection of the portable media device and automatically loads the configuration data and provides signals to indicate the end of the configuration operation. As a result, a thin client device can be equipped with network settings and other configuration data quickly and conveniently, without the need for a fully developed user interface and its interaction with the user.

[010] Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments which refers to the attached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [011] Although the attached claims set out in detail the features of the present invention, the present invention and its advantages can best be understood from the following detailed description in connection with the attached drawings, of which:

[012] Fig. 1 is a sketchy diagram illustrating an example architecture of a computing device that can be used to implement a thin client computer device configuration process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[013] Fig. 2 is a sketchy diagram illustrating an exemplary home network with the possibility of a network connection to a wide area, local and wireless network that includes a plurality of thin client computer devices that can be configured in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

[014] Fig. 3 is a sketchy diagram illustrating the use of a carrier device conveyor for transferring configuration data including network settings to a thin client computer device;

[015] Figs. 4A-F are sketch diagrams illustrating configuration application user interface screens for generating configuration data for a thin client computer device and storing configuration data on a portable media device for transfer to a thin client device; [016] Fig. 5 is a sketchy diagram illustrating the software architecture for generating network settings data for configuring network devices according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[017] Fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for configuring a thin client computer device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[018] Fig. 7 is a process diagram illustrating a method for configuring a thin client computer device to connect to an ad hoc wireless network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[019] Fig. 8 is a process diagram illustrating a method of configuring a wireless access point according to an embodiment of the present invention; [020] Fig. 9 is a data structure diagram illustrating fields in an XML diagram to represent wireless network configuration settings according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[021] Figs. 10A-C are data structure diagrams illustrating fields in an XML schema to represent WAN configuration settings according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[022] Fig. 11 is a data structure diagram illustrating fields in an XML diagram to represent LAN configuration settings according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [023] Methods and systems for configuring network devices by means of portable carrier devices will now be described with reference to individual embodiments. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the methods and systems described herein are exemplary only and that changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[024] The present invention will become more accurately understood by the following detailed description which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this description, similar numbers refer to similar elements in various embodiments of the present invention. The present invention has been illustrated as being used in an appropriate computer environment. Although not required, the present invention will be described in the general context of computer-executed instructions, such as procedures performed by a personal computer. In general, procedures include program modules, routine procedures, functions, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific types of abstract data. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be used with other computer configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, and microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronic devices. The present invention can also be used in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected through a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be deployed in both local and remote storage devices. The term computer system may refer to the layout of computers as may be found in a distributed computing environment.

[025] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computer system environment 100 in which the present invention may be implemented. The computer system environment 100 is only one example of a suitable computer system environment and is not intended to imply any limitations as to the scope or functioning of the present invention. Also, do not interpret the computer system 100 environment as dependent on anything or as a requirement for any component or combination of components depicted in the exemplary computer system 100 environment. Although at least one embodiment of the present invention includes each of the components illustrated in the exemplary environment of the computer system 100, other, more typical, embodiments of the present invention omit some or all of the components that are not necessary, e.g., input / output devices other than required for network communication.

[026] Referring to Fig. 1, an exemplary system for carrying out the present invention comprises a general-purpose computing device in the form of a computer 110. Computer components 110 may include, but are not limited to, processing unit 120, memory system 130, and busbar system 121, which couples the various components contained in this system. The busbar system 121 may have any structure among several busbar types, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus, using any busbar architecture.

[027] Computer 110 typically includes a number of different computer readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that may be available to the computer, and includes both durable and non-durable media, removed and non-removable. For example, and without limitation, computer readable media may include storage media and communication media. Computer storage media include permanent and non-durable media, removed and non-removable implemented in any manner or by any technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, "Flash" memory or other technology memory, optical disks, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disks, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other storage media that can be used to store the desired information and that can be available to the computer 110. Communication media are typically computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in the form of modulated data signals, such as carrier waves or other transfer means, and include any means for providing information. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a way that information is encoded in that signal. For example, and without limitation, communication media include wired means such as wired networks, or direct wired connections, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared media or other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above are covered by computer readable media.

[028] The memory system 130 includes computer storage media in the form of non-volatile and / or non-volatile memories, such as read-only memory (ROM) 131 and random access memory (RAM) 132. For example, which is not a limitation,

Fig. 1 shows operating system 134, application programs 135, other program modules 136 and program data 137.

[029] Computer 110 may also include other removable and non-removable, permanent and unstable computer storage media. For example, only 1 shows a hard disk drive 141 that reads data from or writes data to an indelible permanent magnetic medium, a magnetic disk drive 151 that reads data from or writes data to a removed permanent magnetic disk 152, and an optical disk drive 155 that reads data from or writes to removable permanent optical disk 156, such as a CD-ROM. Other computer storage media that can be used in an exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, "Flash" memory cards, DVDs, digital video tapes, monolithic RAM, monolithic ROM, etc. Hard disk drive 141 is typically connected to busbar system 121 via an indelible memory interface, such as interface 140, and magnetic disk drive 151 and optical disk drive 155 are typically connected to busbar system 121 via a removable memory interface, such as interface 150 .

[030] The computer system may include interfaces for additional types of removable permanent storage devices. For example, your computer may have a USB 153 input that can accept a USB Flash drive, or an SD card slot 157 that can accept SD Secure (Secure Digital) memory cards 158. A USB drive Flash "is a" Flash "type memory device equipped with a USB connector that can be inserted into the USB input on various computer devices. An SD memory card is a "Flash" type memory device of the size of a postage stamp. Both the USB flash drive and SD memory card offer high memory capacity with small dimensions and high data transfer rates. Other types of removable storage media may also be used to implement the present invention.

[031] The drives and associated computer storage media, discussed above and shown in Fig. 1, provide storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for computer 110. In Fig. 1, for example, a hard drive the disk is shown as storing the operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, and program data 147. It should be noted that these components may be the same as the operating system 134, application programs 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137, or may differ from them. The operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146 and program data 147 are given separate reference numbers to illustrate that they are at least separate copies. The user can enter commands and information into computer 110 using input devices such as a "tablet" or electronic "digitizer" (analog-to-digital converter), 164, microphone 163, keyboard 162, and pointing device 161, commonly known as "mouse", " tackball "or" touch pad ". These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 120 via a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the busbar system, but can be connected via another interface or other busbar structure, such as parallel input, game input, or Universal USB bus (universal serial bus) input. Monitor 191 or another type of display device is also connected to the busbar system 121 by means of an interface such as a video interface 190. Monitor 191 may also be integrated with a touch screen or similar device. It should be noted that the monitor and / or touch screen panel may be physically coupled to a housing that includes a computer device 110, as in a "notebook" personal computer. In addition, computers such as computer device 110 may also include other peripheral output devices, such as speakers 197 and printer 196, which may be connected via peripheral devices interface 194 or the like.

[032] Computer 110 preferably operates or is adapted to operate in a network environment using a logical connection to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer 180. The remote computer 180 may be a personal computer, server, router, (also a "router" or "router"), a "peer" device (direct communication between two devices) or another network module, and usually includes some or all of the elements described above in with reference to computer 110, although only memory device 181 is shown in Fig. 1. Logical connections shown in Fig. 1 include LAN 171 and WAN 173, but may also include other networks. For example, in the present invention, the computer 110 may include a source device from which the data originates, and the remote computer 180 may be a target device. It should be noted that the source device and the target device do not need to be initially connected by a network or other means, but the data can be transferred using any medium that can be written by the source platform and read by the target platform or platforms. For example, one of the non-limiting cases of such a medium is a "Flash" portable storage medium.

[033] When used in a LAN environment, computer 110 is attached to LAN 171 via a network interface or adapter 170. Computer 110 may also include modem 172 or other means to establish communication with WAN 173. Modem 172, which may be internal or external , it can be connected to the busbar system 121 by input user interface 160 or other suitable means. In a network environment, program modules depicted as dependent on computer 110 or parts thereof may be stored in a remote storage device. For example, and without limitation, Fig. 1 shows remote application programs 185 as being in memory device 181. It should be noted that the network connections shown are exemplary connections and other means of establishing a communication link between computers may be used.

[034] Turning to Fig. 2, the present invention relates to a simple and user-friendly setup of thin client computer devices in a home network or similar. The term "thin client" usually refers to a computer device that is equipped with a microprocessor but works on a simplified or reduced operating system (e.g. Windows CE from Microsoft or the "embedded" version of the operating system) and does not have the support of conventional input / output (I / O) devices of the user interface, such as a monitor and keyboard. As a result, thin client devices usually have very limited input means, such as buttons with specific functions, which the user can use to enter commands. Some of these devices may not have any user input devices. They also usually have very limited signaling means, such as LED indicator lights or a liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying simple signals and messages. Due to the limited capabilities of the user input / output (I / O) interface, the task of configuring a thin client device can be very complex and time consuming. Conventionally, the task of configuring a thin client device is facilitated by connecting this thin client device to a personal computer and running a special configuration program on the personal computer, which through interaction with a thin client device changes the settings of this device. This approach becomes impractical for many new thin client devices for use in a network environment that rely on wireless transmissions in network communications. The present invention allows easy configuration of such thin client devices for desired network settings and other operating parameters with minimal user intervention.

[035] For example, Fig. 2 shows an example network environment that has multiple thin client devices. The personal user computer (PC) 200 is connected to the local area network LAN 202, based on the Ethernet standard. Other devices connected to an Ethernet network include, for example, another PC 210, printer 212, network television 214, network telephone 216. The LAN may include wireless access point 218 to establish a wireless network infrastructure. The LAN may further include a stationary output device 222 that is connected to the external wide area WAN network via, for example, a broadband modem 220 for internet access 212. The stationary output device may also have transmission capabilities that enable it to function as a wireless communication access point with wireless computer devices.

[036] The network environment may also include wireless networks. In the infrastructure of wireless network 203, wireless computer devices communicate with each other via wireless access point 218. You can also create a wireless "ad hoc" network 234 from computer devices that communicate directly with each other in a peer-to-peer system "Without going through the access point. Wireless devices may include notebook computers 230, 232 tablet computer devices, and various other types of wireless devices such as 238 wireless television, 240 cell phone, 250 wireless printer, and 260 media center extender network adapter, Pocket PC 262, 268 Wireless Picture Frame, 270 Wireless Speakers, 272 Wireless Player, etc. Other types of existing and new wireless devices can be added to wireless networks. Examples of suitable wireless communication protocols include wireless protocols according to the Institute of Electical and Electronics Engineers IEEE 802.1x series of standards, the group of standards "Bluetooth" and the ultra-wideband (UWB) group of standards. As you can see, many of the devices in wired and wireless networks are thin clients, and their configuration in a conventional way for networking and other functions can be difficult or tedious.

[037] In accordance with the features of the present invention, the thin client device configuration process has been made very simple and easy by using a portable carrier device to transfer configuration data and initiate automatic configuration of the device. Referring to Fig. 3, configuration program 322 on computer 312 assists the user in generating configuration data for a thin client 314. When the configuration data is generated, they are stored on a 326 portable media device connected to a 312 computer. The 326 portable media device may be, for example, a 328 USB flash drive that can be inserted into USB 330 or SD 334 memory card that can be inserted into pocket 336. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these two portable storage media and other types of portable media may be used to implement the invention.

[038] Configuration data generated by configuration program 322 may include network settings for a thin client device to communicate with other computer devices on the network. Depending on its network location and network functions, a thin client 314 may require network settings for a wireless (infrastructure or ad hoc), LAN or WAN network, and sometimes for all these types of networks. For example, the stationary output device 222 of Fig. 2 may require network settings for a wireless network when operating as an access point, LAN settings for Ethernet communication, and WAN settings for communication with WAN 206 via a broadband modem, which may require its own, special settings. In addition to network settings, configuration data may include other parameters related to the operation of the device, such as device-specific configuration information, security information and file sharing information.

[039] After saving the configuration data on portable media device 326, the portable media device is disconnected from the first computer 312 and used to transfer configuration data to one or more thin client devices. In a preferred embodiment, the only thing a user needs to do to set up a thin client device is to connect a portable 326 media device to this thin client device. The thin client device 314 detects the connection of the portable media device and can run the 344 configuration program to load the configuration settings from the 326 portable media device and automatically configure the thin client using the received configuration data.

[040] To further simplify the task of setting the thin client device, the configuration program on the computer 312 provides a user interface to help the user go through all the steps of the process of defining the network settings and other configuration data for the thin client device. To simplify the illustration, the following description illustrates an example in which the portable media device is a "Flash" USB drive and the task is to configure the thin client device to be connected to a wireless "ad hoc" network.

[041] Figs. 4A-F show user interface (UI) screens. For illustrative purposes, the portable media device used in the example illustrated by these UI screens is a "Flash" USB drive. In the user interface screen 460, shown in Fig. 4A, the user is informed that the configuration program will help the user create settings for a wireless network, and then these settings will be saved on a USB flash drive and used to configure other computers or thin client devices that are to join the given wireless network. On the second screen UI 462, shown in Fig. 4B, the user is presented with options to establish an infrastructure wireless network and an "ad hoc" wireless network, and the user has chosen to establish an "ad hoc" wireless network.

[042] On the UI screen 464 shown in Fig. 4C, the user is shown field 476 for selecting the "ad hoc" wireless network name, and field 478 for selecting the network key. In one embodiment, to minimize user input, the configuration program can generate the network name and security key for the user, and the user can reject them and enter his own network name and security key if he wishes. To this end, the network name and security key fields are initially populated by the wireless network configuration program with data values ​​selected arbitrarily or values ​​selected based on identifiers stored on the computer. For example, if your computer's operating system is registered to John Smith, then the wireless network configuration program may generate the name "JohnSmith Network" as the default network name. The wireless network setup program can use the operating system functions to generate a wireless security key. The user can accept the network name and security key suggested by the wireless setup program by clicking "Next" or can edit the fields manually. In addition, by pressing the "Advanced" 480 button, the user gets the opportunity to edit various network configuration settings, which are otherwise generated by the wireless network configuration program. The advantage of providing a computer-generated key is that the key can be a full-size key with randomized characters, such as alphanumeric characters. Such a key can provide increased security compared to a user-entered key, which is usually short and contains patterns that are easy for the user to remember. Because the network settings, including the security key, are to be transferred to other computers using a portable media device, the user does not need to create a key that he can remember and is more likely to use the key generated by the computer.

[043] On the UI 466 screen shown in Fig. 4D, the wireless network setup program prompts the user to insert and identify a "Flash" USB drive. When the user clicks "Next" on this screen to indicate that a "Flash" USB drive has been inserted, the wireless configuration program saves the network settings generated for the "ad hoc" wireless network to the "Flash" USB drive.

[044] When all the network settings have been saved to the "Flash" USB drive, the user is presented with another UI 468 screen, shown in Fig. 4E, which prompts the user to remove the portable media device and connect them to all additional computer devices that are to be included in the 'ad hoc' network. The UI 468 screen also includes a "Print" 482 button that allows the user to print a "hard" copy of the network settings, which allows the user to manually configure those network devices that do not accept the given portable media device or that cannot be automatically configured on the network.

[045] When a user uses a "Flash" USB drive to set up another computer device for a wireless network, the settings established on this device will be saved to a "Flash" USB drive. After the user uses a USB flash drive to set up other computer devices in the ad hoc wireless network, he returns to the first computer 212 and inserts a USB flash drive into the USB input of this computer. The configuration program reads the setting data saved by other devices and presents the UI 470 screen shown in Fig. 4F. The UI 470 screen identifies devices that have successfully connected to the wireless network. In addition, the configuration program presents the option to delete settings from a "Flash" USB drive. On the UI 470 screen, in Fig. 4F, this option is presented as check field 472. This prevents inadvertent disclosure of the network settings to others when a "Flash" USB drive is later used to transfer data to other computers. This option to delete network settings has been provided for added security because some users tend to use the same network name or key. Additional security enhancing measures may be included in the configuration processes, such as those corresponding to figures 4A-4F. For example, using conventional cryptographic techniques, some or all of the settings stored on a portable storage device may be encrypted and then require authentication information before decoding and / or allow decoding a specific number of times or within a specific date period. Examples of suitable authentication information include a personal identification number (PIN), word password, sentence password, or biometric data such as a thumbprint.

[046] Turning to Fig. 5, the software architecture used in the present invention to generate network settings and other configuration data will be described. The 502 configuration program is implemented on a computer and communicates with a computer through the 504 wireless configuration application program interface (API) to generate network configuration settings. In the Windows operating system environment (Microsoft Corporation), you can, for example, use the WZCDLG.DLL library to generate wireless settings.

[047] According to the features of this embodiment, the network settings and other configuration data for the wireless "ad hoc" network is stored as an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file. The use of an XML file gives a standard format that can be recognized by many different devices. The 502 configuration program transfers XML files to your computer using the API 506 application. In addition, the 502 configuration program forwards XML files to be saved on an attached portable media device, such as a "Flash" 508 USB drive. To do this, the 510 "Flash" configuration device drive reads configuration files and writes the device configuration file to a "USB" type drive Flash "after setting this device.

[048] Configuration program 502 stores several files on a "Flash" USB drive 508 for use in the network configuration process. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, these files include XML files representing the generated network configuration settings. In one implementation, XML files containing wireless network settings are given a special extension name, such as "wfc", as shown in Fig. 5, to indicate that these files contain wireless network settings. So when a USB flash drive is inserted into another computer device, the operating system of that device recognizes the 512 files as containing the wireless network settings and invokes the wireless configuration program on that device to handle these files. The USB Flash Drive 508 can store several XML files containing the generated network configuration settings. The 512 WSETTING.XML file contains settings for a wireless network. The 522 LSETTING.XML file contains settings for LAN. File 528 NSETTING.XML contains settings for WAN. These XML files are described in more detail below. By storing network configuration settings for LAN, WAN and wireless networks, a single USB Flash Drive 508 can be used to configure various devices (such as personal computers, routers, printers, PDAs, WAP devices) for their communication in different types of networks . A "Flash" USB drive can also be used to store device-specific configuration data, which are also preferably in the form of XML files. In Fig. 5, the XML file containing device-specific configuration data is file 528 DEVICE SETTING.WFC.

[049] In addition, a network establishment application 514 (named in "Fig. 5" Downlevel Flash Config Wizard ") may be stored on a" Flash "USB drive 508 to facilitate the configuration of network settings for other devices. When a USB Flash Drive 508 is connected to another device, the device can launch the network establishment application to load the appropriate network settings for that device from the USB Flash Drive 508.

[050] As also shown in Fig. 5, a "Flash" USB drive 508 can be used to store device configuration in the form of log 516 files that are saved to a "Flash" drive by devices set up for a given wireless network using this USB flash drive. In one embodiment, each device configuration log file 516 is identified by a file name that contains at least 8 bytes of the device's MAC address in ASCII-HEX format. This name allows the device to be identified by the computer on which the network settings are created.

[051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the "Flash" USB drive 508 further stores an "autorun" (automatic program) file, such as "WirelessConfig.run" 518. When a USB "Flash" 508 device is connected to compatible device that recognizes this "autorun" file, the detection of Wireless.Config.run 518 automatically causes the device to execute the 514 network establishment program. Thanks to this, after connecting the USB Flash Drive 508, no user intervention is required to transfer the network settings to the device.

[052] A method of using a portable carrier device for configuring a thin client device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Fig. 6. This method is used, for example, with thin client or headless devices such as wireless printers, digital audio receivers and smart displays. The described method simplifies the process of configuring such devices compared to previously used methods. This method begins with step 602 by attaching a portable media device (PM), such as a "Flash" USB drive, to a personal computer that is used to create settings for the thin client device. Then, in step 604, the user runs the PC configuration tool on the personal computer. Through an interactive process, with the help of user interface screens, the configuration tool assists the user in step 606 to create configuration settings for a given thin client device. Then, in step 608, the configuration settings are saved on the portable media device as one or more XML files. Then, the portable media device is removed from the personal computer and installed in step 612 in the new computer device to be configured. The computer device loads the appropriate network configuration settings from the PM and is configured in step 614. If this computer device supports an automatic detection protocol, such as UPnP, then the computer in the network will immediately recognize the new device and be notified of its availability. In one embodiment, loading is automatic without any user interaction. A computer data device searches XML files stored on a portable media device, looking for specific data fields it needs, and retrieves this data from the portable media device. In this way, the device reads the only data relevant to its operation. This device then launches the configuration program to automatically configure itself using the configuration settings data received.

[053] Once the configuration settings have been installed on the device, the device preferably signals to the user that the configuration has been completed successfully. The method of signaling the end of configuration depends on the signaling means that the device has. Most thin client devices have one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that can advantageously be used for this purpose. For example, a thin client device may flash LED three times in a one-second cycle (on / off). Alternatively, if the thin client device has an LED screen, a simple message may appear on it to indicate to the user that the configuration has been completed. In another example, the wireless photo frame 268 (Fig. 2) is a device that wirelessly receives data for a digital photo from a source (e.g. personal computer) and has a display area for displaying this digital photo. When it is configured using a portable media device, it can use the display area to display configuration complete messages.

[054] In one embodiment, the thin client device that has been configured writes the log file back to the portable media device in step 618. This log file allows the user to make sure that the device has the correct configuration settings and can be used for diagnostic purposes. The subject method continues at step 620 by deciding whether the additional computer device should be configured using data on the portable medium device. If so, the portable media device is attached to the new computer device in step 612. In this way, any number of new computer devices can be added to the network. If there is no further computer device to configure, the user returns to the personal computer and installs the portable media device in the computer. The computer then displays (see Fig. 4F) configuration data from device log files that have been configured using this portable media device.

[055] In one embodiment, the portable carrier device comprises a "lifetime" (TTL) field, and the devices configured by this portable carrier device have denied access to the network after the prescribed TTL has elapsed. In this way, the device is granted only temporary access to the network. In another embodiment, the TTL field is used in conjunction with an authentication scheme, such as a thumbprint. In this way, authenticated devices are granted permanent network access, while "guests" are only granted temporary access as defined by the TTL field.

[056] Fig. 7 is an exemplary sequence of actions illustrating the generation and transmission of network configuration settings using a portable media device to create a wireless "ad hoc" network. As shown in Fig. 7, user 700 interacts with the initiating computer 710 to create network settings. The network settings preferably include the name string variable used to identify the network, such as the SSID string variable used during the 802.11 navigation process, and the Pre-Shared Key string variable used for network authentication. Types of authentication can include, for example, WEP, WPA PSK or 802.11 and PSK encryption. The key format can be a binary or hexadecimal number, an alphanumeric string, or a word password. The settings are stored on the 720 portable media device as XML files. The portable media device 720 is then used to configure another peer 730 ad hoc wireless network.

[057] In one embodiment, the previously loaded configuration settings are stored as multiple profiles. By using profiles, users can easily revert to their previous network settings and switch to other networks without having to obtain network configuration settings again.

[058] Fig. 8 is an exemplary sequence of actions illustrating the generation and transmission of network configuration settings, using a portable media device, to configure a wireless access point (WAP) used to provide wireless connections in a network. In Fig. 8, user 800 runs the "network setup wizard" application on a personal computer 810 to make the necessary settings for generating an XML file stored on a portable media device 820. The personal computer 810 generates an XML file and instructs the user on the application a portable media device for transferring network settings to a new device, in this case, an 830 wireless access point. As shown, the portable media device 820 is a "Flash" USB drive (UFD), but it is only an example of any media or mechanism for transferring network configuration settings in XML format between a PC and a device such as a wireless access point.

[059] In the process of creating network settings for configuring computer devices, the personal computer generates the files WSETTING.XML, LSETTING.XML and NSETTING.XML according to the relevant XML schemas. Fig. 9 illustrates the conceptualization of the schema 900 corresponding to an XML file used in a given embodiment to store wireless "ad hoc" network settings on a portable media device. Each of the elements in Schema 900 represents wireless configuration settings. The service set identifier (SSID) 910 is a 1-32 byte string representing the name of a given wireless network. SSID 910 can only occur once. The "Network Key" 915 is a string that the PC generates automatically or receives from the PC user. The 915 network key is used for encryption in a wireless network. Authentication Type 920 allows a number of possible sizes including open, shared, WiFi protected access (WPA), WPA PreShared Key (PSK - WPA with shared key), WPA-none ( none), WPA2 or WPA2 PSK. The "Encryption Type" 925 indicates the encryption protocol used by the wireless network. The "Encryption Type" 925 allows a number of possible sizes including "none", type

Wireless Enryption Protocol (WEP), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

[060] Type 930 indicates the type of connection and may have an Extended Service Set (ESS) for an "ad hoc" network or a Basic Infrastructure Based Service Set (IBSS) for an infrastructure network as its value. The Key Index 935 indicates the location of the specific key used to encrypt transfers and may be 1, 2, 3 or 4. The key index of 935 is used with WEP. Key Provided Info 940 indicates whether the key is automatically provided and can be either 0 or 1. The "802.1X" field 945 indicates whether the network uses the IEEE 802.1X protocol and can be either 0 or 1. The 2.4 GHz 950 channel indicates which 2.4 GHz channel, and whether any, is used by the wireless network, and can be in the range of 1 to 14. The 5 GHz 955 channel indicates which 5 GHz channel, and if any, is used by the wireless network, and can be 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 149, 153, 157 or 161. Mode WAP ("WAP Mode") 960 indicates the mode in which the wireless access point is operating. WAP Mode ("WAP Mode") 960 can have one of the sizes including "infrastructure", "bridge", "repetition" ("repeater") or "station".

[061] An example XML schema for wireless network settings is as follows:

<? xml version = "1.0" encoding = "utf-8"?>

&lt;xs: schema xmlns: xs = "<a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema</a>"

targetNamespace = "<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/provisioning/WirelessProfile/2004">http://www.microsoft.com/provisioning/WirelessProfile/2004</a>"xml1ns ="<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/provisioning/WirelessProfile/2004">http://www.microsoft.com/provisioning/WirelessProfile/2004</a>"

elementFormDefault = "qualified"

version = "1"&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "wirelessProfile"&gt;

&lt;Xs: complexType&gt;

&lt;Xs: sequence&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "config"&gt;

&lt;Xs: complexType&gt;

&lt;Xs: sequence&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "configId" minOccurs = "1" maxOccurs = "1"&gt;

&lt;Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base = "xs: string"&gt;

&lt;xs: length value = "36" /&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "configHash" minOccurs = "0" maxOccurs = "1"&gt;

&lt;Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base = "xs: hexBinary"&gt;

&lt;xs: length value = "40" /&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "configAuthorId" minOccurs = "1" maxOccurs = "1"&gt; &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base''xs: string "&gt;

&lt;xs: length value = '' 36 "/&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "configAuthor" minOccurs = "1" maxOccurs = "1"&gt; &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base = "xs: string"&gt;

&lt;xs: maxLength value = "128" /&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: sequence&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: complexType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "ssid" minOccurs = "1" maxOccurs- "1"&gt; &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base = "xs: string"&gt;

&lt;xs: maxLength value = "32" /&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name "ConnectionType" minOccurs = "1" maxOccurs = "1"&gt; &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base = "xs: string"&gt;

&lt;xs: enumeration value = '' IBSS "/&gt;

&lt;xs: enumeration value = "ESS" /&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name &lt;xs: element name &lt;xs: element name &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base- "xs: string '^Lchannel2Dot4 "" channe! 5DotO "type = type = 'xs:

'^Lxs:

integer "

integer "

minOccurs = minOccurs = maxOccurs = "1" /&gt; maxOccurs = "1" /&gt;

deviceMode "minOccurs =" 0 "maxOccurs-" 1 "&gt;

&lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;/ xs: restriction&gt; &lt;/ xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "primaryProfile" &lt;xs: element name = "optionalProfile maxOccurs =" unbounded "/&gt; / xs: sequence&gt;

"infrastructure" bridge "/&gt; repeater" /&gt; station "/&gt;

type = "profileInstance" minOccurs = "1" maxOccurs- "1" /&gt; 'type = "profileInstance" minOccurs = "0"

&lt;/ xs: complexType&gt; &lt;/ xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: complexType name &lt;xs: sequence&gt;

&lt;xs: element name &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;xs: enumeration value profileInstance "&gt;

authentication "minOccurs =" 1 "maxOccurs =" 1 "&gt;

xs: string "&gt;

"open" /&gt; "shared" / "WPA-NONE"

/&gt;

&lt;xs: enumeration value = "WPA" /&gt;

&lt;xs: enumeration value = "WPAPSK" /&gt; &lt;xs: enumeration value = "WPA2" /&gt; &lt;xs: enumeration value = "WPA2PSK" /&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "encryption &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base = "xs: string" &lt;xs: enumeration value = "none" / &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;xs: enumeration value &lt;/ xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "networkKey" minOccurs &lt;xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;xs: restriction base = "xs: string"&gt; &lt;xs: maxLength value = "64" /&gt;

minOccurs = "1" maxOccurs = "1"&gt;

"WEP" /&gt; "TKIP" /&gt; "AES" /&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: restriction&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: simpleType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: element&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "keyIndex" type = "xs: integer" minOccurs = "0" maxOccurs = "1" /&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "keyProvidedAutomatically" type = "xs: boolean" minOccurs = "1"

maxOccurs = "1" /&gt;

&lt;xs: element name = "ieee802Dot1xEnabled" type = "xs: boolean" minOccurs "1" maxOccurs = "1" / &lt;/ xs: sequence&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: complexType&gt;

&lt;/ Xs: schema&gt;

[062] An example of the WSETTING.XML file is shown below. This example was generated by a PC using the Wireless Configuration XML Schema Set shown above.

&lt;? xml version = "1.0"?&gt;

&lt;WirelessProfile xmlns = "<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/provisioning/WirelessProfile">http://www.microsoft.com/provisioning/WirelessProfile</a>"&gt;

&lt;ssi^d&gt; HomeNet &lt;/ ssi^d&gt;

&lt;ConnectionType&gt; ESS &lt;/ ConnectionType&gt;

&lt;Authentication&gt; WPAPSK &lt;/ Authentication&gt;

&lt;Encryption&gt; TKIP &lt;/ Encryption&gt;

&lt;NetworkKey&gt; WirelessKey! 0 &lt;/ NetworkKey&gt;

&lt;KeyProvidedAutomatically&gt; 0 &lt;/ KeyProvidedAutomatically&gt; &lt;I^EEE8⁰².¹Xena^ble^d&gt;⁰&lt;/ I^EEE8⁰².¹Xena^ble^d&gt;

&lt;/ WirelessProfile&gt;

[063] Figures 10A-10C illustrate conceptualizations of schemes 1010, 1020 and 1030 corresponding to the file NSETTINGS.XML for the WAN configuration. Schema 1010 defines the NSETTINGS.XML file for WAN type "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol" (DHCP). Schema 1020 defines the NSETTINGS.XML file for WAN that uses static IP addresses. Schema 1030 defines the NSETTINGS.XML file for the Point-to-Point Protocol (direct connection) in an Ethernet (PPPoE) WAN type network.

[064] Scheme 1010 includes the following items: "Hostname" 1011, "DNS IP Auto Pushed" 1012, "Clone MAC Address" 1013, "MAC Address" 1014, "DNS1 IP Address" 1015 and "DNS2 IP Address" 1016. "Hostname" 1011 defines the string denoting the name of the DHCP host. "DNS IP Auto Pushed" 1012 indicates whether the domain name of the IP service address is automatically pushed to the DHCP client. "Clone MAC Address" 1013 indicates whether the MAC address (media access address) of the DHCP client should be cloned for use in WAN and is set to 0 or 1. "MAC Address" 1014 defines the MAC address of the DHCP client. "DNS1 IP Address" 1015 and "DNS2 IP Address" 1016 define the server IP addresses for the domain with the given name.

[065] Scheme 1020 includes the following items: "IP Address" 1021, "IP Subnet" 1022, "IP Subnet Mask" 1023, "DG" 1024, "DNS1 IP Address" 1025 and "DNS2 IP Address" 1026. " IP Address ”1021 defines the static IP address of the device to be configured. "IP Subnet" 1022 defines the subnet IP of the device to be configured. "IP Subnet Mask" 1023 defines the IP subnet mask of the device to be configured. "DG" 1024 defines the default output of the device to be configured. "DNS1 IP Address" 1025 and "DNS2 IP Address" 1026 define the server IP addresses for the domain with the given name.

[066] Scheme 1030 includes the following items: "Username" 1031, "Password" 1032, "Service Name" 1033, "Max Idle Time" 1034 and "AutoReconnect" 1035. "Username" 1031 defines the user of the device to be configured. "Password" 1032 defines the password of the device to be configured. "Service Name" 1033 defines a string indicating the name of the PPPoE server. "Max Idle Time" 1034 defines the maximum downtime of the device to be configured. "Auto-Reconnect" 1035 indicates whether the device to be configured should automatically reconnect to the network and can be set to 0 or 1.

[067] Figure 11 illustrates the conceptualization of the scheme 1100 corresponding to the LSETTINGS.XML file for a LAN configuration. Diagram 1100 includes the following items: "Workgroup Name" 1110, "IP Settings" 1120, "IP Subnet" 1130, and "Network Shares" 1140. "Workgroup Name" 1110 indicates the collective LAN name. "IP Settings" 1120 may contain sub-elements: DHCP 1121 (for defining DHCP settings), "Static IP" 1122 (for defining settings using static IP addressing), and "IP Subnet" 1123 (for defining the IP settings of the subnet related to sub-element of "Static IP" 1122). "IP Subnet" 1130 defines the subnet IP of the device to be configured, with the subnet IP defined by "IP Subnet" 1130 being different from the subnet IP defined by "IP Subnet" 1123 for the "Static IP" 1122 sub-element. for example, "IP Subnet" 1130 may define an alternative and / or complementary subnet IP address, such as the public subnet IP address, if "IP Subnet" 1123 defines the private subnet IP address or vice versa. "Network Shares" 1140 defines the LAN file sharing configuration that the device is to attach to, along with the mapping of the network drive (Map Network Drive).

[068] It should be noted that an improved system and method for configuring thin client computer devices is disclosed herein. In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the present invention may apply, it should be considered that the embodiments described herein with reference to the drawings are intended to be illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention. For example, those skilled in the art will realize that the illustrated embodiments can be modified in layout and detail without departing from the scope of the invention. Although the invention has been described by software modules and components, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that they may be equivalent to hardware components. Accordingly, the present invention described herein includes all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Proxy:

Ewa Grenda, patent attorney