Method and device for declaring and modifying the functionality of a node in a communication network

• US 20020055353A1
• Filed: 10/02/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.), University of Maryland
• Original Assignee: University of Maryland
• Inventors: Rousseau, Pascal, Nezou, Patrice, Braneci, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US09/967,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20020055353A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and device for declaring at least one functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network, a set E of data representing its functionalities and if, amongst the sets E of data sent over the network, none includes at least one data item representing a predetermined functionality, the method generates the predetermined event on the network and sends the set E of data comprising at least one data item representing the predetermined functionality on the network

Claims

1. Method of declaring at least one functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network, a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the method includes the following steps:

if amongst the sets E of data sent over the network, none includes at least one data item representing a predetermined functionality, generating the predetermined event on the network,

sending the set E of data comprising at least one data item representing the predetermined functionality on the network.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that, with the modification of a data item representing a functionality, there is associated an activation of the functionality.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the functionality is a bridge functionality.

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the set E of data includes amongst other things an identification data item.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that, following the appearance of the predetermined event, the node stores the identification data item for each other node.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that, if amongst the sets E of data sent over the network at least one includes a data item representing a predetermined functionality, the node including a data item representing the functionality performs the steps of;

comparing the identification item for the nodes having a data item representing the predetermined functionality with its own identification data item,

activating the functionality represented by a data item in the set E where its identification data item is greater than those of the other nodes in the comparison,

modifying the data item representing a functionality into a data item not representing this functionality, in the contrary case.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the steps of generating the predetermined event and sending the set of data are preceded by a step of generating a time delay with a random value.

8. Method of declaring a modification of the functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network, a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the method includes the following step:

if amongst the sets E of data sent over the network at least a second set E includes at least one data item representing a predetermined functionality, sending over the network the set E of data representing the deactivation of the functionality when a predetermined event occurs.

9. Method of modifying the functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the networks a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the method includes the following step:

if amongst the sets E of data sent over the network at least a second set E includes at least one data item representing a predetermined functionality, sending over the network the set E of data representing the deactivation of the functionality when a predetermined event occurs and deactivating the functionality.

10. Method of modifying the functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network, a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the method includes the following steps:

on the occurrence of a predetermined event, sending over the network the set E of data representing the deactivation of the functionality, and deactivating the functionality.

11. Device for declaring at least one functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network, a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the device has

means of generating the predetermined event on a network, if amongst the sets E of data sent over the network none includes at least one data item representing a predetermined functionality,

means of sending the set E of data comprising at least one data item representing the predetermined functionality on the network.

12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the device also has means of activating the functionality.

13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the functionality is a bridge functionality.

14. Device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the set E of data includes amongst other things an identification data item.

15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that, following the occurrence of the predetermined event, the device stores in storage means the identification data item for each other node.

16. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that, if amongst the set E of data sent over the network, at least one includes a data item representing a predetermined functionality, the node having the same data item representing the functionality has:

means of comparing the identification item for the nodes having a data item representing the predetermined functionality with its own identification data item,

means of activating the functionality represented by a data item in the set E where its identification data item is greater than those of the other nodes in the comparison,

means of modifying the data item representing a functionality into a data item not representing this functionality, in the contrary case.

17. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the device also has time delay means with a random value.

18. Device for declaring a modification of the functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network, a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the device has:

means of sending over the network the set E of data representing the deactivation of the functionality when a predetermined event occurs if, amongst the sets E of data sent over the network, at least one second set E includes at least one data item representing a predetermined functionality.

19. Device for modifying the functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the device has:

means of sending over the network the set E of data representing the deactivation of the functionality when a predetermined event occurs and means of deactivating the functionality if amongst the sets E of data sent over the network at least a second set E includes at least one data item representing a predetermined functionality.

20. Device for modifying the functionality of a node in a network comprising at least two nodes, each node connected to the network sending over the network, following the occurrence of a predetermined event on the network, a set E of data representing its functionalities, characterized in that the device has:

means of sending over the network the set E of data representing the deactivation of the functionality,

means of deactivating the functionality when a predetermined event occurs.