System and method for supporting network devices

• US 20030184794A1
• Filed: 03/26/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lutz, Todd A., Stringham, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/106,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20030184794A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for supporting a network device. In one arrangement, the system and method pertain to establishing a network connection, communicating with a code source via the network, downloading operating code from the code source via the network, and booting using the downloaded operating code. In another arrangement, the system and method pertain to receiving a communication from the network device requesting operating code, determining which operating code to provide to the network device, and downloading operating code to the network device via the network.

Claims

1. A method for booting, comprising:

establishing a network connection;

communicating with a code source via the network;

downloading operating code from the code source via the network; and

booting using the downloaded operating code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a network connection comprises establishing a network connection using locally stored base code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating with a code source comprises identifying an address and device parameters to the code source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of downloading operating code comprises downloading operating code from a network server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of downloading operating code comprises downloading an operating system.

6. A method for facilitating booting of a network device, comprising:

receiving a communication from the network device requesting operating code;

determining which operating code to provide to the network device; and

downloading operating code to the network device via the network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of receiving a communication comprises receiving a device address and a device parameter.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of downloading operating code comprises downloading an operating system to the network device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the network device is a network printer.

10. A system for booting, comprising:

means for establishing a network connection;

means for communicating with a code source via the network;

means for downloading operating code from the code source via the network; and

means for booting using the downloaded operating code.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for establishing a network connection comprise locally stored base code.

12. A system for facilitating booting of a network device, comprising:

means for receiving a communication from the network device requesting operating code;

means for determining which operating code to provide to the network device; and

means for downloading operating code to the network device via the network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for downloading operating code comprise a code distributor.

14. A network printer, comprising:

a processing device;

a network interface device; and

non-volatile memory including base code that is configured to establish a network connection and communicate with a code source via the network to prompt the network source to download operating code to the network printer.

15. The printer of claim 14, wherein the non-volatile memory does not store printer operating code.

16. The printer of claim 14, wherein the non-volatile memory comprises a read-only memory (ROM) device.

17. The printer of claim 14, wherein the non-volatile memory comprises an internal hard disk.

18. A network server, comprising:

a processing device;

a network interface device; and

memory including an operating system and a code distributor that is configured to download operating code to a requesting network device that is used by the network device to boot.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the operating code comprises operating code for a network printer.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the printer operating code comprises a printer operating system.