This is the "Automatically Discovery Settings" for software on a per-user account bases. The account is tied to an email address. So if the user has been identified as "JoeUser@foobar.com", we then contact the appropriate servers (??.foobar.com) and get the settings to configure the appropriate software. This works really well to configure: 1) email accounts, 2) a Virtual Private Network connection, 3) Newsgroups, 4) v-Card information, and 5) a LDAP URL for further information.
AutoDiscovery Spec (Overview)
AutoDiscovery Network Protocol (For RFC)
Internal Notes (My Notes)
Shell Dev: BryanSt (contact first)
autodiscovery.windows.com: Operations: Doug Stamper, PM: Eugene Ho.
Referal Server: PM: Scott Johnson, Dev: Vincent Yung.
Outlook: Accounts PM: Tadd Giles, Marketting Stats/Product Manager: David Delisi, PSS Stats: Todd Dooley, Accounts Dev Lead: Radu Bacioiu, Dev: Julia Cai.
IEAK: RFanco
UI and PM: GSierra
RFC Spec & Standards PM: JoshCo
VPN UI: RaoS (Rao Salapaka) is probably the dev for the wizard. DavidEi is the PM. PMay (Paul Mayfield) \nt\private\net\routing\ras\ui\rasdlg\.
Shell Team:
Question: Who will maintain server? Answer: See microsoft.com.
Question: Who will buy the servers? Answer: The shell team's cost center. Office would also almost certainly be willing to pay for it. Estimated Cost: $45k.
Question: Who will maintain the content? Answer: Officially, Tadd Giles. We will probably do a one time list of the top 30 servers and not change it much or at all after that.
Question: What % of users does the referal server not handle? Answer: nnn%. Stats from David Delisi.
Question: Does the referal server team see any problems? Answer: See Referal Server
microsoft.com: (Doug Samper)
They will own the server if Debrah Black signs off on the Business Purposal.
Referal Server: (Scott Johnson)
Microsoft.com will run and maintain the servers.
Question: Will 2 or 3 ISPs say that they will find it find it useful and they are happy with the information being provided? Answer: I'm going to meet with them.
Question: Make sure the user is informed that email associations won't configure accounts in legacy apps. Answer: Easy to add to UI.
Scott says that this solution will definitely cover significate cases that the referal server won't cover today.
Design & Implemenation: The design is finished and the API is implemented. TODO: 1) We can write high level automation interfaces for each of the AutoDiscovery specific users (VPN, vCard, etc.). Currently, we only have email. Callers can use low level API if we don't do the high level API. 2) Clean up the caching of data. 3) Change implementation to use final XML format (from RFC).
XML Format After RFC suggestions: BryanSt needs to clean up the spec. JoshCo will then send it around for suggestions and submission to as an RFC.
UI & Products: GSierra needs to find out which products (e-mail in sepcific) are going to use the API.