Remote network device provisioning

• US 20080229089A1
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Assouad, Simon, Shah, Hemal
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Various embodiments are disclosed relating to remote network device provisioning. A method is disclosed, the method comprising discovering a network address associated with a device on a network based on a discovery response received in response to a discovery request provided to the device. One or more configurable boot options associated with the device may be determined based at least in part on the discovery response. One or more of the configurable boot options may be configured on the device, wherein, upon reboot of the device using the configured boot options, a software image is provided to the device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

discovering a network address associated with a device on a network based on a discovery response received in response to a discovery request provided to the device;

determining one or more configurable boot options associated with the device based at least in part on the discovery response; and

configuring, on the device, one or more of the configurable boot options wherein, upon reboot of the device using the configured boot options, a software image is provided to the device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device includes a network interface service configured to communicate via the network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the network address is assigned to the device in response to an address request broadcast by the network interface service via the network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the discovering comprises:

determining the network address associated with locating the device on the network; and

assigning the network address to the device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the discovering comprises:

broadcasting one or more discovery requests to a plurality of addresses associated with the network, including the network address associated with the device; and

receiving the discovery response in response to the broadcasting.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the broadcasting comprises:

transmitting a first discovery request to the plurality of addresses;

listening, for a period of time, for the discovery response; and

transmitting, upon expiration of the period of time, a second discovery request to at least a portion of the plurality of devices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the discovering comprises:

pinging, with the discovery request, a first address associated with the network; and

receiving the discovery response in response to the pinging, wherein the pinged first address corresponds with the network address associated with the device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the discovering comprises:

pinging, with a first discovery request, a first address associated with the network;

listening for the discovery response; and

pinging, with a second discovery request, a second address associated with the network upon expiration of a period of time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises:

querying the device; and

receiving, in response to the querying, one or more query responses associated with configuring the one or more configurable boot options.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring comprises:

configuring the one or more configurable boot options, wherein an image server configures the software image on the device upon reboot of the device based on the configured boot options.

11. A method comprising:

providing a provisioning image, including a provisioning agent and security credentials, to a device based at least in part on an automated discovery of a network address associated with the device;

authenticating the device based at least in part on the security credentials as provided by the provisioning agent; and

configuring, via secured communication based upon the authenticating, the device with a software image, including an operating system and one or more applications.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the provisioning image includes a provisioning operating system configured to support the provisioning agent.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the automated discovery comprises:

receiving a discovery response, including the network address, in response to a discovery request provided to one or more addresses associated with a network, including the network address associated with the device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the providing comprises:

configuring one or more configurable boot options on the device;

providing the provisioning image to the device, based at least in part on a boot of the device using the one or more configured boot options; and

configuring the device with the provisioning image.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the authenticating comprises:

verifying the device, based at least in part upon the security credentials, to communicate via the secured communication.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the configuring comprises:

providing to the device one or more encrypted messages, including the software image, wherein the provisioning agent is configured to decode the received encrypted messages based at least in part on the security credentials.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the configuring comprises:

configuring one or more device components associated with the device based upon an anticipated operation of the device.

18. A system comprising:

an address server configured to assign a network address to a device on a network in response to an address request broadcast by a network interface service associated with the device;

a discovery engine configured to discover the network address associated with the device, based on a discovery response received in response to a discovery request transmitted to one or more network addresses associated with the network, including the network address assigned to the device;

a boot console adapted to configure one or more configurable boot options on the device;

a provisioning server configured to provide, following a boot of the device based upon a configuration of the one or more configurable boot options, a provisioning image including a provisioning agent and security credentials to the device; and

a software image server configured to provide, via secured communication based upon an authentication of the security credentials as provided by the provisioning agent, an encrypted software image to the device.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the discovery engine queries the device regarding the configurable boot options associated with the device.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the software image server is further configured to:

configure the device with the encrypted software image; and

configure one or more device components associated with an anticipated operation of the device.