John VertBothell, WA

6360331, Mar 19, 2002

Apr 17, 1998

09/061857

John D. Vert - Seattle WA
Sunita Shrivastava - Redmond WA

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

H02H 305

714 4, 709249, 709239, 714 14, 714 57

A method and system for transparently failing over a legacy application from a first system to a second system of a server cluster by tracking and checkpointing changes to application configuration information stored in a systems local registry. When an application running on the first system makes a change to the application configuration information in a subtree of the registry, the change is detected and a snapshot of the subtrees data is taken. The snapshot is written to a storage device shared by systems of the cluster, such as a quorum disk. When the application is failed over to a second system, the snapshot for that application is retrieved from the quorum disk and written to the registry of the second system in a corresponding subtree. The application is then run on the second system using the most-recent application configuration information as modified by the other system in the cluster.

6449734, Sep 10, 2002

Apr 17, 1998

09/062211

Sunita Shrivastava - Redmond WA
John D. Vert - Seattle WA

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

H02H 305

714 15, 714 4, 714 38, 714 51, 707 8, 709219

A method and system for forming a new cluster of servers having state data that is consistent with the state data of a cluster that previously existed. The previous cluster preserves its state data by recording transactions to a log file in conjunction with a sequence number maintained by each node. The node that recorded the transaction then increments its copy of the sequence number and attempts to replicate the transaction to other nodes of the cluster. If the transaction is replicated, each other node commits the transaction and increments its sequence number. If the node fails before it can replicate the transaction, then no other nodes will increment their sequence numbers, whereby the next logged transaction has the same sequence number as the previously logged, but orphaned replicated transaction. When a new node forms a cluster, it unrolls the log file so as to become consistent with the state of the previous cluster. Logged transactions having duplicate sequence numbers indicate that the first such transaction was not fully replicated.

6529966, Mar 4, 2003

Aug 24, 1995

08/518852

Bryan M. Willman - Kirkland WA
Dan Alvin Hinsley - Issaquah WA
John David Vert - Seattle WA
David Otto Hovel - Redmond WA
Rita Mang Chee Wong - Issaquah WA

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

G06F 900

710 10, 713 1

A method and system provides for booting a computer system after configuration data becomes unusable. One method and system provides for booting the computer system from a set of configuration data that last booted the system properly. An embodiment is directed to attempting to boot the computer system from a first set of configuration data, and, if the attempt is unsuccessful, automatically booting the computer system using the second set of configuration data which successfully booted the computer system and was previously stored. In response to a successful boot of the computer system using the first set of configuration data, an embodiment is directed to updating second set of configuration data so that it is equivalent to the first set of configuration data as the second set of configuration data that successfully booted the computer system.

6671786, Dec 30, 2003

Jun 7, 2001

09/876761

Landy Wang - Redmond WA
John D. Vert - Seattle WA

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

G06F 1300

711162, 711161, 711163, 711152, 711112, 711114, 711209, 714 6, 707200

The present invention includes a method of mirroring memory that reduces the down time for copying information from one physical memory subsystem to a redundant physical memory subsystem by separating the mirroring process into phases. The first phase copies information from the first physical memory subsystem to the redundant physical memory subsystem. During the first phase, applications are not restricted from accessing the first memory subsystem while the first phase of the memory mirroring operation copies the information. The second phase of the memory mirroring operation copies active information to the redundant physical memory subsystem. The active information includes information that was not copied during the first phase and information that changed during the first phase. During the second phase, applications are restricted from accessing the first physical memory subsystem. Because the second phase typically copies a smaller amount of information than the first phase, the down time associated with mirroring the memory is minimal.

7058824, Jun 6, 2006

Jun 15, 2001

09/882076

Stephane G. Plante - Kirkland WA, US
John D. Vert - Seattle WA, US
Jacob Oshins - Seattle WA, US

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

G06F 1/26

713300, 713320, 713322

A method and system for adaptively throttling a computer is provided. Prior CPU utilization is calculated when a CPU enters an idle state. If the prior CPU utilization warrants a change in the CPU performance level, an appropriate CPU performance level is calculated. Policies, including thermal policies and battery charge policies, may be applied to increase or decrease the appropriate CPU performance level. If prior CPU utilization and/or policies dictate a different CPU performance level, the CPU performance level is changed.

7149977, Dec 12, 2006

Aug 28, 2002

10/229509

Melora Zaner - Seattle WA, US
Cesare John Saretto - Seattle WA, US
Eugene Zarakhovsky - Seattle WA, US
Eugene Mesgar - Seattle WA, US
Neel Ishwar Murarka - Seattle WA, US
Eun-Kyung Chung - Redmond WA, US
Kathleen Mulcahy - Seattle WA, US
Rama Ranganath - Seattle WA, US
Erica Sanders - Seattle WA, US
Tammy Savage - Seattle WA, US
Linda Stone - Seattle WA, US
John Vert - Seattle WA, US

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

G06F 3/00

715753, 715751, 715752

A novel virtual calling card system and method aid in the formation of online relationships, serving as an introduction tool and as a contact mechanism. The calling card is an exchangeable entity that is automatically updated, ensuring that the recipient or viewer sees the most current version of the card. The card may display an aspect ratio that is the same as that of a traditional business card, and has a front side and a reverse side. Furthermore, the card provides a number of avenues for the card owner to express themselves, including an array of affiliation symbols, a most recent mood symbol, and a text field. The reverse side of the card can display a representation of the owner's social network, so that the recipients of the card may identify common friends and associates. Thus, the server-based card exchange appears to users as an exchange in the physical world.

7234117, Jun 19, 2007

Aug 28, 2002

10/230247

Melora Zaner - Seattle WA, US
Kathleen Mulcahy - Seattle WA, US
Erica Sanders - Seattle WA, US
Cesare John Saretto - Seattle WA, US
Eugene Zarakhovsky - Seattle WA, US
Eugene Mesgar - Seattle WA, US
Neel Ishwar Murarka - Seattle WA, US
Heather Ferguson - Centralia WA, US
Asta Glatzer - Redmond WA, US
Rama Ranganath - Seattle WA, US
Tammy Savage - Seattle WA, US
John Vert - Seattle WA, US
Linda Stone - Seattle WA, US

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

G06F 3/00

715758, 715751, 715769, 715753

A novel application and user interface for facilitating group interactions over a network integrates messaging, file sharing, media playing, journaling, profiles, and gaming into a cohesive environment. The groups facilitated by the invention are persistent and mobile in that a user does not have to recollect and reconfigure the group each time he or she wants to interact with the group online and, while online, the group may be taken from one activity to another without having to disband and reconnect at the second activity. The application is modular so as to be extensible to include other activities and functionalities. In an embodiment, the group interaction application utilizes a peer-to-peer network environment to facilitate network communications between group members.

7373609, May 13, 2008

Apr 11, 2006

11/279357

Melora Zaner - Seattle WA, US
Cesare John Saretto - Seattle WA, US
Eugene Mesgar - Seattle WA, US
Neel Ishwar Murarka - Seattle WA, US
Eun-Kyung Chung - Redmond WA, US
Kathleen Mulcahy - Seattle WA, US
Rama Ranganath - Seattle WA, US
Erica Sanders - Seattle WA, US
Tammy Savage - Seattle WA, US
Linda Stone - Seattle WA, US
John Vert - Seattle WA, US

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

G06F 3/00

715753, 715751, 715752

A novel virtual calling card system and method aid in the formation of online relationships, serving as an introduction tool and as a contact mechanism. The calling card is an exchangeable entity that is automatically updated, ensuring that the recipient or viewer sees the most current version of the card. The card may display an aspect ratio that is the same as that of a traditional business card, and has a front side and a reverse side. Furthermore, the card provides a number of avenues for the card owner to express themselves, including an array of affiliation symbols, a most recent mood symbol, and a text field. The reverse side of the card can display a representation of the owner's social network, so that the recipients of the card may identify common friends and associates. Thus, the sewer-based card exchange appears to users as an exchange in the physical world.