System and method for locating devices on a local area network

• US 20030163583A1
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Tarr, Stephen F.
• Granted Patent: US 6,978,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for network device location, includes an address server for associating IP addresses of devices on the network with a group name; a discoverable device located on a first subnet of the network, wherein the discoverable device has an IP address, and wherein the discoverable device'"'"'s IP address is associated with the group name; and a discovering device, located on a second subnet of the network, for creating a list of known subnets and known devices on the network; for querying the name server for a list of IP addresses associated with the group name; for contacting each returned address of a discoverable device associated with the group name for the discoverable device'"'"'s IP subnet information; for determining the discoverable device'"'"'s subnet; and for adding the discoverable device and its subnet to the list.

Claims

1. A method of locating devices on a network, comprising:

identifying a group name which may be associated with multiple addresses on the network;

creating a list of known subnets and known devices on the network;

querying a name server for a list of IP addresses associated with the group name;

contacting each returned address associated with the group name for the discovered device'"'"'s IP subnet information;

determining the discovered device'"'"'s subnet; and

adding the discovered device and its subnet to the list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using another discovery protocol to find additional devices on each identified subnet; and

adding each discovered device to the list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovered device'"'"'s IP subnet information comprises its IP netmask and its IP router address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group name comprises one or more of a device manufacturer, a model name and a model number.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the discovery protocol comprises a broadcast-based discovery protocol.

6. A system for network device location, comprising:

an address server for associating IP addresses of devices on the network with a group name;

a discoverable device located on a first subnet of the network, wherein the discoverable device has an IP address, and wherein the discoverable device'"'"'s IP address is associated with the group name; and

a discovering device, located on a second subnet of the network, for creating a list of known subnets and known devices on the network;

for querying the name server for a list of IP addresses associated with the group name;

for contacting each returned address of a discoverable device associated with the group name for the discoverable device'"'"'s IP subnet information;

for determining the discoverable device'"'"'s subnet; and

for adding the discoverable device and its subnet to the list.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the discovering device further comprises a discovery protocol for finding additional devices on each identified subnet;

and for adding each discovered device to the list.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the discovered device'"'"'s IP subnet information comprises its IP netmask and its IP router address.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the group name comprises a device manufacturer and model number.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the name server comprises a WINS server.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the discovery protocol comprises a broadcast-based discovery protocol.