The new support includes the Devices Profile for Web Services and the Network Connected Device Driver Development Kit (DDK).
The Devices Profile for Web Services -- co-authored by Intel, Lexmark and Ricoh -- describes a core subset of pre-existing Web services specifications that can be implemented on devices, which tend to be relatively resource-constrained compared to the desktop PCs and servers that currently utilize Web services. To enable a base level of interoperability between devices and Web services, the Devices Profile outlines established Web service specifications in core areas, and prescribes how to use them in concert to enable simple network installation and communication among devices.
As a result of the technologies provided by the Devices Profile and the Network Connected Device DDK, network-connected devices can automatically be discovered, installed, and utilized using the familiar Windows Plug and Play subsystem. Eventually, according to Microsoft, users will no longer need to concern themselves with whether they are directly connecting their devices to a PC or using an IP (Internet Protocol) connection such as 802.11 or Ethernet. In addition, enterprise IT professionals will benefit by having to spend less time installing and configuring the more sophisticated network connected devices they use.
"Web services are driving a new set of opportunities in the devices space for hardware OEMs, consumers and businesses," commented Gerald Holzhammer, Intel's vice president and general manager, Platform Architecture and Solutions Division. "We will continue to work beyond the specifications to see early device integration of Web services become a reality. Providing seamless connectivity across devices in the digital domains at home, office and while on the road is the future we are driving towards. Web services span heterogeneous environments and provide a consistent way to exchange information within home networks, corporate intranets and across the Internet."
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