Method and apparatus for automatically detecting the available network services in a network system
First Claim
1. A network service detection method for automatically detecting at least one feature of each of a plurality of nodes interconnected into a network, wherein features of said nodes include responsiveness to one or more network operating system inquiries and one or more frame types, and wherein an additional node interconnected to said network is a first computer system, the method comprising the steps of:
- broadcasting from said first computer system one or more inquiries for each of said network operating systems to said plurality of nodes, wherein each inquiry uses a frame type;
receiving responses from nodes on said network which are responsive to at least one of said network operating systems and frame type used by any of said one or more inquiries; and
examining the received responses to determine at least one of said features of said nodes on said network and to determine a most prevalent operating system being used on said network; and
configuring said first computer system to use said most prevalent operating system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for automatically detecting the prevalence of local area network operating system services and network frame type protocols that are being used on a network to which a computer system is being attached. When a computer system is newly attached to a network, the present invention transmits specific operating system broadcast inquiries using various frame type protocols across the network. The present invention then counts the network operating system specific responses for each of these supported frame types. These response counts indicate the prevalence of each network operating system and the prevalence of the network frame type protocol supported by each network operating system. The computer system then configures itself according to the most prevalent network operating system and frame type being used in the network, and thus a system administrator is not required to manually configure each computer being added to a network.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A network service detection method for automatically detecting at least one feature of each of a plurality of nodes interconnected into a network, wherein features of said nodes include responsiveness to one or more network operating system inquiries and one or more frame types, and wherein an additional node interconnected to said network is a first computer system, the method comprising the steps of:
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broadcasting from said first computer system one or more inquiries for each of said network operating systems to said plurality of nodes, wherein each inquiry uses a frame type; receiving responses from nodes on said network which are responsive to at least one of said network operating systems and frame type used by any of said one or more inquiries; and examining the received responses to determine at least one of said features of said nodes on said network and to determine a most prevalent operating system being used on said network; and configuring said first computer system to use said most prevalent operating system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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20. A method for automatically configuring a computer being added to a network having other computers, wherein said network includes one of either a first network operating system or a second network operating system, comprising the steps of:
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broadcasting from said added computer one or more inquiries for a first network operating system to said other computers on said network; receiving responses from said computers on said network using said first network operating system; broadcasting from said added computer one or more inquiries for a second network operating system to said other computers on said network; receiving responses from said other computers on said network using said second network operating system; examining said received responses to determine an existence of said other computers on said network using said first network operating system and an existence of said computers on said network using said second network operating system; determining a most prevalent network operating system of said first and second operating systems being used on said network; and after said step of determining configuring said added computer according to said most prevalent one of said first and second network operating systems being used on said network. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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21. A method for automatically configuring a computer system being added to a network having other computer systems, wherein said network includes at least one of a plurality of network operating systems, wherein each network operating system includes one or more possible frame types, the method comprising the steps of:
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broadcasting from said added computer system one or more inquiries for a first of said network operating systems, wherein each of said one or more inquiries uses a first of said frame types; receiving responses to said one or more inquiries from said other computer systems on said network, said other computer systems having said first network operating system and using said first frame type; repeating said broadcasting step for each of said network operating systems using each of said frame types until each frame type has been used with each inquiry for each network operating system; repeating said receiving step until responses to all of said inquiries have been received from said other computer systems having said network operating system for which said inquiry was broadcasted and using said frame type; examining said received responses to determine types of network operating systems and frame types being used on said network and to determine a most prevalent network operating system being used on said network; and configuring said added computer system according to said most prevalent network operating system determined in said step of examining and at least one of said frame types after said step of examining. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer system which automatically detects at least one feature of each of a plurality of nodes interconnected in a network to which said computer system is attached, wherein features of the nodes include a network operating system and a frame type, the computer system comprising:
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memory for storing one or more network operating systems; a network interface card coupled to said memory for interfacing to said network; broadcasting means coupled to said network interface card for broadcasting to said nodes one or more inquiries for each of said one or more network operating systems, wherein each inquiry uses a frame type; receiving means coupled to said network interface card for receiving responses to said one or more inquiries from said nodes on said network using said network operating system and frame type used by any of said one or more inquiries; storing means coupled to said receiving means for storing said received responses; determining means coupled to said storing means for determining said network operating systems on said network and for determining a most prevalent network operating system being used on said network using said stored responses; and configuring means coupled to said determining means for configuring said first computer system according to said most prevalent network operating system determined by said determining means. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A computer system node which automatically configures itself to a network to which the computer system is attached, comprising:
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memory for storing one or more network operating systems; a network interface card coupled to said memory for interfacing to said network; broadcasting means coupled to said network interface card for broadcasting one or more inquiries for said one or more network operating systems to other nodes on said network, wherein said one or more inquiries use different frame types appropriate for said network operating system inquiry being made; receiving means coupled to said network interface card for receiving responses from said other nodes on said network; storing means, coupled to said receiving means, for storing said received responses; determining means coupled to said storing means for determining said network operating systems and frame types being used on said network using said stored responses; and configuring means coupled to said determining means for configuring said computer system according to a particular network operating system and a particular frame type using said stored responses; wherein said means for configuring includes means for examining said stored responses to determine almost prevalent operating system being used on said network; and wherein said means for configuring configures said computer system using said most prevalent operating system determined by said means for examining. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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Specification