NETWORK DEVICE PROVISIONING USING DOCUMENTS
First Claim
1. In a computer networking environment, a method comprising:
- detecting a device that is coupled to a network;
obtaining a description document corresponding to the device, the description document including information that describes the device; and
providing a provisioning document based on the information included in the description document, including based on at least some of any device-independent information, the provisioning document containing device configuration information by which the device may configure itself for operation with at least one other network entity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Described is a technology by which a network device uses a document to provide its device description information to a network entity upon connection to a network. From the device description information, the device is provisioned, via a provisioning document by which the device configures itself for interaction with the network. In one example, the documents are XML-based documents each referenced via a uniform resource locator. In one implementation, a discovery agent detects a device broadcasting a discovery message on a network. The discovery agent determines whether the device has been previously provisioned on the network, (and is not being re-provisioned). If so, an assigned network server is directed to take over interaction with the device. If not, the discovery agent provides data to a provisioning agent that provisions the device by providing a device provisioning document by which the device configures itself for interaction with the network.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a computer networking environment, a method comprising:
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detecting a device that is coupled to a network; obtaining a description document corresponding to the device, the description document including information that describes the device; and providing a provisioning document based on the information included in the description document, including based on at least some of any device-independent information, the provisioning document containing device configuration information by which the device may configure itself for operation with at least one other network entity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a computer networking environment having a network device coupled thereto, a system comprising:
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a discovery agent that detects when the device is initially coupled or re-coupled to the network; a provisioning agent coupled to the discovery agent that uses a device description document, including use of at least some of any device-independent information in the device description document, to provide a provisioning description document to the device when the device is not already provisioned or is being re-provisioned, the device configurable for interaction with at least one other entity on the network by the provisioning document; and a network entity that interacts with the device once the device is configured according to the provisioning description document. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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- 19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising, detecting a device coupled to a network, determining whether the device needs to be provisioned or needs to be re-provisioned on the network, and if so, communicating with a network server that is configured to interact with the device, and if not, providing data to a provisioning agent to provision the device for interaction with the network, the data corresponding to a device description document, including at least some of any device-independent information in the device description document.
Specification