Method and apparatus for asset tracking of network attached devices

• US 6,507,869 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1999
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Franke, Hubertus, Pattnaik, Pratap Chandra, Baransky, Yurij Andrij
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/300,865
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 709/244, 709/220, 709/224, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• 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]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for tracking assets in a computer network. More specifically, a host identification device monitors address identification packets transmitted from host devices connected to the host identification device in a network. The host identification device then stores the physical and protocol addresses of the host devices as indicated in these packets. When receiving a request packet from another device, the host identification device transmits the stored physical and protocol addresses to the requesting device.

Claims

1. In a communications network having a plurality of devices with at least one of said devices being a host identification device connected between the network and a subset of said plurality of devices, a method of determining which of said devices are connected to said host identification device, said method comprising:

upon detecting a first signal passing through said host identification device from each of said subset of connected devices that are connected to said host identification device, said host identification device storing a physical and protocol address for each said first connected device; and

upon receiving a second signal comprising a request to said host identification device from any of said plurality of devices of said network, said host identification device transmitting said stored physical and protocol addresses, wherein information is transmitted about which of said connected devices are connected to said host identification device and the physical addresses of said connected devices.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said first signal is a message comprising a physical and protocol address of said first device and wherein said first signal is transmitted in response to a request message.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said protocol address is an IP address.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said first signal is a message comprising a control message defined in the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) as the ICMP Echo Reply message and wherein said first signal is transmitted in response to an ICMP Request message.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said second signal is a message comprising a control message defined in the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) as the ICMP Request message and wherein said second signal is received by said host identification device only if said ICMP Request message has a target physical address of said host identification device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said second signal is a request message comprising the physical destination address of said host identification device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a device is a network adapter.

8. A host identification device for determining which devices in a communications network are connected to said host identification device, said host identification device comprising:

an input for detecting a first signal from any first of said connected devices that are connected to said host identification device and obtaining physical and protocol address from said connected device;

a storage component for said host identification device to store a physical and a protocol address of any said connected device based on said first signal; and

a transmitter for transmitting said stored physical and protocol addresses, upon receiving a second signal comprising a request to said host identification device from any of said other devices of said network, wherein said other device receives information about which connected devices are connected to said host identification device and the physical address of said connected devices.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said host identification device comprises an address association table having stored therein said physical and protocol addresses of devices connected to said host identification device.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said host identification device is integrated into a network attachment point.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said transmitter also transmits the physical address of said host identification device.

12. In a communications network having a plurality of devices, with at least one of said devices being a host identification device connected between said network and a subset of said plurality of devices, a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for determining which of said devices are connected to said host identification device and the physical locations of said connected devices, said method comprising:

upon detecting a first signal passing though said host identification device from each of said connected devices that are connected to said host identification device, said host identification device storing a physical and a protocol address of any said connected device; and

upon receiving a second signal comprising a request directed to said host identification device from any said other device of said network, said host identification device transmitting said stored physical and protocol addresses, wherein a network adapter in said other device receives information about which network devices are connected devices which are connected to said host identification device and the physical locations of said connected devices.