In my review here of the Buffalo Nfiniti Wireless-N router & Access Point, I briefly touched upon Windows Rally™, a series of technological advancements built into Windows Vista which are geared towards simplifying network connectivity and giving users, and managers, what is now known universally (and affectionately) as the Windows Vista Experience.
From the review:
The Windows Rally™ program, formerly Windows Connect Now, is a new way for providing quick, more secure, and effortless connectivity for network connected devices.
This program gives hardware OEMs, developers, and service providers access to Microsoft technology, and technical guidance, and streamlines licensing of those same technologies, enabling the use of a common platform to deliver leading-edge connectivity products and services to their targeted customers, in the process lowering their cost of developing devices and software, and reducing the complexity presented to consumers. The use of Windows Rally™ technologies also allows software and hardware developers the benefit of creating products with a greater amount of differentiation and customization.
However, the Windows Rally is a lot more than just that.
Well, then, what is it, you ask?
Windows Rally provides a platform for networked devices to insure effortless setup, secure connectivity, and rich experiences. Rally technologies enable great end-to-end experiences for all elements of a user’s interaction with a device. This is accomplished by providing standard, baseline mechanisms for device discovery, configuration, management and network quality. The individual protocols and the experiences they enable are:
Windows Connect Now (WCN), Microsoft’s implementation of the WiFi Alliance’s WiFi Protected Setup, provides a simple, secure wireless setup experience for Wi-Fi enabled devices.
Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD). Any device that implements LLTD will appear on the Windows Vista Network Map with an icon representing the device, regardless of IP connectivity state, allowing users one-click access to the device’s Web User Interface. LLTD also enables Quality of Service (QoS) features to ensure that devices that need priority service can request and receive it on the network. Previously blogged about here.
Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS) enables rich, secure programmatic control of devices, and easy discovery of device capabilities.
Plug and Play Extensions (PnP-X), which enable the same plug-and-play experience users are familiar with for devices that connect via buses, over an IP network. By extending this model to network-connected devices, users get the same rapid discovery and simple “ready to use” experience for devices like NAS (Network-Attached Storage), IP Cameras, etc.
The culmination of adherence to the above is being awarded a Certified For Windows Vista™ logo, no small feat.
What does that bring you?
Effortless networked device discovery and configuration.
AKA network administrator’s nirvana.
The Certified for Windows Vista™ logo program, of which I will delve more deeply in a later post, should be the yardstick by which all new connected and connectivity devices you want to hang on your network are measured.
I would like to thank Jim B., Senior Program Manager on the Windows Rally team for his input and assistance. Mad props, Jim.
Windows Vista™. Not just a pretty face! A real and the most secure desktop operating system today!
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