Windows Rally
This article may be too technical for most readers to understand.(April 2011) |
Windows Rally is a set of technologies from
- Wireless access points, PCs, and servers
- Network game consoles
Windows Rally technologies
Windows Rally includes the following set of technologies:
LLTD
The Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) protocol enables applications to discover devices and determine network topology. In Windows Vista, it enables a graphical view of all the devices in the network on the Network Map. For Windows XP computers to appear on the Network Map, the LLTD Responder must be downloaded and installed. Devices that provide audio or video playback or that are bandwidth sensitive can implement the QoS Extension part of the protocol so that they receive prioritized streams and that changes in available bandwidth have less impact on the playback experience.
qWAVE
Windows Vista includes qWAVE, a pre-configured quality of service API for time-dependent multimedia data, such as audio or video streams. qWAVE uses different
Windows Connect Now
Windows Connect Now (WCN) is the name of Windows Rally technologies aimed for simpler wireless device configuration. With Windows Connect Now, users running Windows Vista or Windows XP SP2 can create network configuration settings and transmit them to the access point. Alternatively, users can also print the configuration settings for reference for manually configuring the device. With Windows Connect Now, one of the following methods may be used for easier configuration:
- WCN-NET is Microsoft's implementation of the Extender by using UPnP, authenticate with the device by using a personal identification number (PIN), provide wireless settings that are based on user selection and set up a wireless network over a wired Ethernet connection. Windows XP and earlier Windows versions do not support WCN-NET.
- WCN-UFD uses an API and an USB Flash Drivefor more secure wireless networks. Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later Windows operating systems supports WCN-UFD.
- WCN-MTP includes a Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) extension that enables an MTP initiator to provide an MTP responder with configuration parameters for joining a wireless network and supports more secure configuration of MTP-capable devices on wireless networks. In Windows Vista, a temporary USB cable connection can be used for MTP-class devices such as portable media, digital cameras etc.
Devices Profile for Web Services
The Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS) standard defines a minimal set of implementation constraints to enable secure
In Windows Vista, Web Services for Devices (WSDAPI) is an unmanaged code implementation of the Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS) standard. The Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) executes managed code and offers enterprise-level services for Web Services solutions on Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Function Discovery
To support Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) and WS-Discovery, and for extensible discovery to support other protocols, Windows Vista includes the Function Discovery API. Function Discovery serves as an abstraction layer between applications and devices, allowing applications to discover devices by referencing the device's function, rather than by its bus type or the nature of its connection. The Function Discovery API aims to create applications that enumerate system resources, use devices of a specific type and discover and manage lists of devices or objects, which are sorted by functionality or class, whether local or network connected. Function Discovery supports an extensible discovery provider model. Vendors can also create a custom provider to expose resources through Function Discovery.
Plug and Play Extensions (PnP-X)
PnP-X uses SSDP and WS-Discovery network communication protocols to make network-connected devices as discoverable as those that are connected directly to a computer over a bus such as
Universal Plug and Play
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is an
UPnP is supported by Windows Me, Windows XP and Windows Vista. In Windows Vista, UPnP is integrated with PnP-X and Function Discovery.
See also
References
- ^ "PnP X: Plug and Play Extensions for Windows". Microsoft. 2010-08-30. Archived from the original on 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2012-01-18.