Method and apparatus for providing dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) tagging

• US 6,466,986 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International License Exchange of America, LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Sawyer, Wilson E., White, Gerry, Hansen, Patricia A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, David Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/475,388
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/230, 709/227, 709/223, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5053 Lease time; Renewal aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system for providing dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) tagging for employing a DHCP server as a non-volatile repository. In one embodiment, the method includes tagging one or more messages from a client computer to the DHCP server with a media access control (MAC) address of a cable modem that is attached to the client computer for storing the MAC address as part of a lease record in the DHCP server. The method further includes receiving a request for the MAC address of the cable modem based on the Internet protocol (IP) address of the client computer from a remote device for transmitting packets to the client computer, obtaining the MAC address of the cable modem corresponding to the IP address of the client computer from the DHCP server, and transmitting the MAC address to the remote device. Consequently, the client computer'"'"'s traffic through the remote device is directed to the client computer'"'"'s cable modem.

Claims

1. A method for message tagging in a system including a server and one or more client computers, comprising:

tagging one or more messages from a client computer to the server with a media access control (MAC) address of a cable modem that is attached to the client computer for storing the MAC address as part of a lease record in the server;

receiving a request for the MAC address of the cable modem based on the Internet protocol (IP) address of the client computer from a remote device for transmitting packets to the client computer;

obtaining the MAC address of the cable modem corresponding to the IP address of the client computer from the server; and

transmitting the MAC address to the remote device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein tagging one or more messages comprises appending the MAC address of a cable modem that is attached to the client computer to dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) messages transmitted from the client computer to the server.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more DHCP messages include one or more of the following:

a discover packet and a request packet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to tagging one or more messages, the method comprises:

receiving one or more messages from a client computer;

determining the MAC address of the cable modem that is coupled to the client computer responsive to receiving the one or more messages;

appending the MAC address of the cable modem to at least one of the one or more messages;

transmitting the one or more messages to the server.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining the MAC address of the cable modem comprises one of the following:

determining the time slot that a message is received from the client computer and interrogating a header of the one or more messages.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the forwarding table of the CMTS fails to contain the MAC address upon being cleared or otherwise reset.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the server comprises a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote device comprises a router.

9. A cable modem termination system (CMTS) having a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, comprising:

computer readable program code to append to at least one of one or more messages from a client computer to a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server with a media access control (MAC) address of a cable modem that is attached to the client computer for storing the MAC address as part of a lease record in the DHCP server;

computer readable program code to receive a request from a remote device for the MAC address of the cable modem based on the Internet protocol (IP) address of the client computer for transmitting packets to the client computer;

computer readable program code to query the DHCP server to obtain the MAC address of the cable modem corresponding to the IP address of the client computer; and

computer readable program code to transmit the MAC address to the remote device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the computer readable program code to append to at least one of one or more messages comprises:

computer readable program code to receive one or more messages from a client computer;

computer readable program code to determine the MAC address of the cable modem that is coupled to the client computer responsive to receiving the one or more messages;

computer readable program code to append the MAC address of the cable modem to at least one of the one or more messages;

computer readable program code to transmit the one or more messages to the DHCP server.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more DHCP messages.

12. A system comprising:

a server containing a table to include one or more lease records;

a client computer coupled to a communication medium through a modem, said client computer transmitting and receiving messages to and from the server; and

a cable modem termination system (CMTS) coupled between the client computer and the server, the CMTS to append to the at least one of the one or more messages transmitted to the server a media access control (MAC) address of the modem for storing the MAC address as part of a lease record in the server, the CMTS to query the server to obtain the MAC address of the modem in response to receiving a request from a remote device for the MAC address based on an Internet protocol (IP) address of the client computer for transmitting the MAC address to the remote device.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more messages include one or more of the following:

a discover packet and a request packet.

14. The system of claim 12 where the server comprises a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server, and the messages are DHCP messages.

15. The system of claim 14 where the modem comprises a cable modem and the communication medium comprises a cable plant where data is transmitted and received in time slots.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the remote device comprises a router.

17. A cable modem termination system (CMTS) for message tagging in a system including a server and one or more client computers, comprising:

means for tagging one or more messages from a client computer to the server with a media access control (MAC) address of a cable modem that is attached to the client computer for storing the MAC address as part of a lease record in the server;

means for receiving a request for the MAC address of the cable modem based on the Internet protocol (IP) address of the client computer from a remote device for transmitting packets to the client computer;

means for obtaining the MAC address of the cable modem corresponding to the IP address of the client computer from the server if a forwarding table of the CMTS fails to contain the MAC address; and

means for transmitting the MAC address to the remote device.

18. The cable modem termination system (CMTS) of claim 17 wherein said means for tagging comprises means for appending the MAC address of a cable modem that is attached to the client computer to dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) messages transmitted from the client computer to the server.

19. The cable modem termination system (CMTS) of claim 18 wherein the one or more DHCP messages include one or more of the following:

a discover packet and a request packet.

20. The cable modem termination system (CMTS) of claim 17 further comprising:

means for receiving one or more messages from a client computer;

means for determining the MAC address of the cable modem that is coupled to the client computer responsive to means for receiving the one or more messages;

means for appending the MAC address of the cable modem to at least one of the one or more messages; and

means for transmitting the one or more messages to the server.

21. The cable modem termination system (CMTS) of claim 20 wherein said means for determining comprises one of the following:

means for determining the time slot that a message is received from the client computer and means for interrogating a header of the one or more messages.

22. The cable modem termination system (CMTS) of claim 17 wherein the device comprises a cable modem termination system, and the server comprises a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server.

23. The cable modem termination system (CMTS) of claim 17 wherein the remote device comprises a router.

24. A method for message tagging by a cable modem termination system (CMTS), comprising:

tagging one or more messages from a client computer to a server with a media access control (MAC) address of a cable modem that is attached to the client computer for storing the MAC address as part of a lease record in the server;

receiving a request by the CMTS for the MAC address of the cable modem based on the Internet protocol (IP) address of the client computer from a remote device for transmitting packets to the client computer;

obtaining the MAC address of the cable modem corresponding to the IP address of the client computer from the server if a forwarding table of the CMTS fails to contain the MAC address; and

transmitting the MAC address to the remote device.