IP address pools for device configuration

• US 20080016215A1
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gulland, Scott A., Ford, Daniel E.
• Application Number:
  US11/485,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016215A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

Methods, computer readable media, and system embodiments are provided for device configuration. One method embodiment includes defining a pool of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses having a pool name, defining a device configuration template having a tag that identifies the pool name, and substituting an IP address from the pool of IP addresses for the tag in the device configuration template to create a device configuration file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining a pool of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses having a pool name;

defining a device configuration template having a tag that identifies the pool name; and

substituting an. IP address from the pool of IP addresses for the tag in the device configuration template to create a device configuration file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes;

deploying multiple device configuration files created by the substitution of a different IP address from the pool of IP addresses for each tag in a number of copies of the device configuration template to create a number of device configuration files; and

deploying each device configuration file into a different device to be configured.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes adjusting the number of IP addresses in a pool of IP addresses.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes suggesting a number of IP addresses that are to be designated to a pool of IP addresses.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes at least one of the IP addresses in a pool of IP addresses with a status indicator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein tag that identifies the pool name is an XML tag.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pool of IP addresses includes a number of sequential IP addresses.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pool of IP addresses includes a range of IP addresses.

9. A computer readable medium, having instructions for causing a device to perform a method, comprising:

defining a tag for designating a pool of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses;

defining a device configuration template having the tag provided therein in a position into which an IP address is to be positioned; and

substituting an IP address from the pool of IP addresses for the tag in the device configuration template to create a device configuration file.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the method includes deploying the device configuration file to a device to be configured.

11. The medium of claim 9, wherein the method includes;

providing a number of instructions to deploy multiple device configuration files created by the substitution of a different IP address from the pool of IP addresses for each tag in a number of copies of the device configuration template to create a number of device configuration files; and

deploying each device configuration file into a different device to be configured.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the number of instructions to deploy multiple device configuration files are included in a system management application.

13. The medium of claim 9, wherein the method includes defining multiple tags for designating multiple different pools of IP addresses.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein each of the multiple tags is a subnet mask.

15. The medium of claim 13, wherein the each of the multiple pools has a different subnet mask.

16. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method includes defining multiple device configuration templates each corresponding to a different subnet and wherein the template has the tag provided therein in a position into which an IP address is to be positioned;

and

substituting an IP address from the pool of IP addresses for the tag in the device configuration template to create a device configuration file.

17. The medium of claim 13, wherein each of the pools of IP addresses is associated with a different subnet and wherein the method includes substituting an IP address from a pool of IP addresses that is associated with a particular one of the subnets for the tag in the device configuration template to create a device configuration file.

18. A configuration device comprising:

a processor;

memory having a number of instructions that are executable by the processor, the instructions provided to;

define a number of tags each associated with a different pool of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses;

define a device configuration template having at least one of the number of tags provided therein in a position into which an IP address is to be positioned; and

substitute each of the tags in the device configuration template with an IP address from its associated pool of IP addresses to create a device configuration file.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the device configuration template includes multiple instances of the same tag and wherein the same IP address in substituted for each instance of the tag.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the device configuration template includes multiple instances of the same tag and wherein each instance of the tag is substituted with a different IP address from the pool associated with the tag.