Abstract: An architecture is described to manufacture console-based gaming systems in a manner that allows them to be authenticated to a remote entity for online participation. The architecture involves placing pre-established secrets on the game console during console manufacturing that may be subsequently used to guarantee the authenticity of the game console during registration time.

Abstract: A system that facilitates personalized sensing is provided. The system includes a sensing component that determines one or more user states based in part on a detected context and a mood component that employs the detected user states to indicate a dynamic condition of a user.

Abstract: A system for sharing collective information is provided. The system includes a profile component that receives information regarding a user's profile. A detection component determines profiles of other users related to the user's profile and a content component relays data associated with the other users in view of the user's profile.

Abstract: Alerts are transmitted to subscribers to an alerts service in response to events that occur within a gaming environment. Communication within the gaming environment is limited to specific game consoles and the gaming service. A subscriber to the alert notification service can be alerted when a friend joins the gaming service to play a game, or can select other events for which an alert is requested to be sent to the subscriber. In response to any predetermined event occurring within the gaming environment, an alerts service provides an alert or message that is transmitted through a secure firewall and outside the gaming environment. The alert message can be in the form of a pop-up that appears on a user's instant messaging service, or an email, or a message that is transmitted through a mobile communication service to a cell phone or other portable communication device.

Abstract: An exemplary flexible network simulator and related methods test the ability of electronic devices to communicate with each other on a network, especially in real-time. The flexible network simulator can establish different connectivity protocols between multiple electronic devices and test the electronic devices using customized sets of network conditions.

Abstract: An architecture is described to manufacture console-based gaming systems in a manner that allows them to be authenticated to a remote entity. The architecture involves creating a console public key and a console private key for each console-based gaming system. A digital certificate is created that contains the console public key and additional information about the console-based gaming system. The digital certificate is signed with a factory private key associated with the factory that manufactured the console-based gaming system.

Abstract: An exemplary implementation of a security gateway for online console-based gaming operates as a gateway between a public network (e.g., the Internet), and a private network (e.g., an internal data center network). The security gateway allows secure communication channels to be established with game consoles via the public network, and allows secure communication between game consoles on the public network and service devices on the private network.

Abstract: An exemplary implementation of a security gateway for online console-based gaming operates as a gateway between a public network (e.g., the Internet), and a private network (e.g., an internal data center network). The security gateway allows secure communication channels to be established with game consoles via the public network, and allows secure communication between game consoles on the public network and service devices on the private network.

Abstract: A user interface to display and manage a plurality of entities as if a single entity is provided. The user interface includes a representation of the collection of entities as a whole, and a representation of members associated with the entity. If an action is performed on the representation of the entities as a whole, then the action is propagated to the collection of entities, if the action is performed on the representation of the member associated with the entity, then the action is directed to the member.

Abstract: A console-based multi-user authentication process allows multiple users of a game console to be authenticated together in a single request/reply exchange with an authentication entity. The results of which is the possession of a single ticket that can be used to prove authenticity of multiple authentication principals to one or more online services. Also described is a handshake process that can be used to initially establish an authentication account for each game console, in which the account creation server can trust that a genuine game console is making the request.

Abstract: An architecture is described to manufacture console-based gaming systems in a manner that allows them to be authenticated to a remote entity for online participation. The architecture involves placing pre-established secrets on the game console during console manufacturing that may be subsequently used to guarantee the authenticity of the game console during registration time.

Abstract: A network architecture for console-based gaming systems enables secure communication among multiple game consoles over a local area network. The system architecture supports a three-phase secure communication protocol. The first phase involves generating shared keys that are unique to an authentic game console running an authentic game title. In the second phase, a “client” console attempts to discover existing game sessions being hosted by a “host” game console by broadcasting a request over the local area network. The broadcast request is protected using the shared keys. If the host console agrees to let the client console play, the host console generates session keys that are returned to the client console. The third phase involves a key exchange in which the client and host consoles exchange data used to derive one or more secrets for securing future communications. The key exchange is protected using the session keys.

Abstract: A virtual applications architecture is provided according to the present invention. The architecture includes a topology manager for managing applications across a plurality of members, and a virtual applications manager for defining a plurality of resources comprising the applications. The topology manager communicates with the plurality of members to initiate scaling of the applications associated with the virtual applications manager to the members. The architecture may also include a replication system for deploying the applications to the members.

Abstract: A network test system utilizes known good responses when testing responses from in-test servers. In one embodiment, the test system includes a verification server that is known to provide correct responses. In-test servers are subjected to very high rates of requests, and the responses are compared to responses from the verification server. Hash values are optionally used to represent the correct responses, and are compared to similar hash values produced from the actual responses of the in-test servers. Dynamic data is accommodated by basing the hash values on only the static portions of responses. Alternatively, dynamic data is accommodated by using search patterns—when receiving an actual response from an in-test server, the response is searched for the specified search pattern. The response is deemed to be incorrect if the search pattern does not occur. Wildcards and other variable elements are used in the search patterns.

Abstract: A system and method is provided that facilitates the administration of an application in accordance with the present invention. The system includes a resource identifier that identifies resources associated with the application and a manifest that logs the resources. An aggregator is provided that aggregates a subset of the resources into the manifest to facilitate administration of the application. The aggregator can be provided by a user interface and/or an automated builder. A graphical user interface is also provided to facilitate deployment, creation and enumeration of the application.

Abstract: Alerts are transmitted to subscribers to an alerts service in response to events that occur within a gaming environment. Communication within the gaming environment is limited to specific game consoles and the gaming service. A subscriber to the alert notification service can be alerted when a friend joins the gaming service to play a game, or can select other events for which an alert is requested to be sent to the subscriber. In response to any predetermined event occurring within the gaming environment, an alerts service provides an alert or message that is transmitted through a secure firewall and outside the gaming environment. The alert message can be in the form of a pop-up that appears on a user's instant messaging service, or an email, or a message that is transmitted through a mobile communication service to a cell phone or other portable communication device.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of match making based on proximity measures between devices, a record of distances between groups of network addresses is maintained. This record is then used as a basis for selecting an ordering for online game sessions that is to be returned to a computing device requesting information regarding current online game sessions.

Abstract: Subject matter includes an exemplary flexible network simulator and related methods for testing the ability of electronic devices to communicate with each other on a network, especially in real-time. The exemplary flexible network simulator can establish different connectivity protocols between multiple electronic devices and test the electronic devices using customized sets of network conditions.

Abstract: Content access management allows a content request to be received from a device. In response to the content request, both an identifier of a source of the content and one or more keys that allow the device to decrypt the content are sent to the device. The device is then able to retrieve, as it desires, the content from the source and decrypt and use the content.

Abstract: Discovery and distribution of game session security information includes receiving a request to generate a new game session from a computing device and maintaining a record of a game session identifier for the new game session and a game session key for the new game session, and making the new game session available for other computing devices to join. A request for information describing one or more of a plurality of game sessions may also be received and responded to with the information describing the one or more game sessions as well as a session key that can be used to communicate with at least one of the one or more other computing devices that are part of the game session.