Computer tracking and locking

• US 20060153167A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ETelemetry, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ETelemetry, Inc.
• Inventors: Schunemann, Alan J.
• Application Number:
  US11/283,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20060153167A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers

Abstract

A method and system are provided for locating a device connected to a network. The method comprises querying the network to determine an address of the device connected to the network; accessing network address information to determine a switch IP address and a switch port associated with the address of the device; and correlating the switch IP address and switch port with a physical location of the device within the network.

Claims

1. A method for locating a device connected to a network, comprising:

querying the network to determine an address associated with the device;

accessing network address information to determine a switch IP address and a switch port associated with the address of the device; and

correlating the switch IP address and switch port with a physical location of the device within the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the address is an IP address and/or a MAC address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlating step comprises:

correlating the switch IP address and the switch port with a patch panel port and/or a room connector to determine the physical location of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the device is monitored and updated as the device moves within the network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising locking the switch address if the address of the device does not match its intended location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the locking comprises locking a switch port if the device does not match its intended location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the locking comprises locking a switch IP address if the device does not match its intended location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising locking the switch IP address if the address of the device does not match any address in the address list.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting a hexadecimal value of an address of a desired device in the network address information into decimal values; and

utilizing the decimal values to retrieve the patch panel port corresponding to the desired device address.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is at least one of:

a computer, a personal digital assistant, a fax machine, a telephone, a voice over IP telephone, an audio device or a video device.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the room connector is an access point connector and/or a jack.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the device in the network can be found utilizing a phone number of the device.

13. A computer network system, comprising:

a switch connected to a network;

a device connected to the switch; and

a computer executing program code configured to discover a location of the device, the program code configured to;

query the network to determine an address of the device;

access network address information to determine a switch IP address and a switch port associated with the address of the device; and

correlate the switch IP address and switch port with a physical location of the device within the network.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the address is an IP address and/or a MAC address.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the correlating step in the program code comprises:

correlating the switch IP address and the switch port with a patch panel port and/or a room connector.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the location of the device is monitored and updated as the device moves within the network.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer code is further configured to lock the switch address if the address of the device does not match its intended location.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer code is configured to lock a switch port if the device does not match its intended location.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the locking step of the computer code comprises locking a switch IP address if the device does not match its intended location.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the locking step of the computer code comprises locking the switch IP address if the address of the device does not match any address in the address list.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer code is further configured to:

convert a hexadecimal value of an address of a desired device in the network address information into decimal values; and

utilize the decimal values to retrieve the patch panel port corresponding to the desired device address.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the device is at least one of:

a computer, a personal digital assistant, a fax machine, a telephone, a voice over IP telephone, an audio device or a video device.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the room connector is an access point connector and/or a jack.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the location of the device in the network can be found utilizing a phone number of the device.