System and method for assigning dynamic host configuration protocol parameters in devices using resident network interfaces

• US 6,892,229 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1998
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Karadogan, Baris, Lee, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US09/163,817
• Time in Patent Office: 2,414 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/220, 709/225, 709/222, 709/226, 713/201
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]

Abstract

A system and method for obtaining configuration parameters from a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server in a network device that uses an off-the-shelf operating system. The operating system has a resident client that obtains a set of configuration parameters and assigns the parameters without providing options for obtaining additional parameters. A DHCP client is provided for obtaining a desired set of configuration parameters. The DHCP client retrieves the parameters from an offer made by the DHCP server and sends the parameters to a DHCP server simulator. The DHCP client invokes the resident DHCP client to retrieve a set of configuration parameters. The DHCP server simulator intercepts the request to the server before the request is sent on the network. The DHCP server simulator simulates an offer of the configuration parameters obtained in the request by the DHCP client.

Claims

1. An improvement in a network connected to a network device and a dynamic host configuration protocol server (DHCP server), the network device having a plurality of configuration parameters, a resident dynamic host configuration protocol client (DHCP client), and a device driver, the resident DHCP client being operable to assign the plurality of configuration parameters to the network device, the improvement comprising:

a DHCP server simulator and a device DHCP client within the network device, the device DHCP client being operable to communicate over the network to query the DHCP server for at least one selected configuration parameter, to pass a message having the at least one selected configuration parameter to the resident DHCP client; and

the DHCP server simulator being operable to monitor the resident DHCP client and to intercept and analyze the message having the at least one selected configuration parameter from the device DHCP client;

the DHCP server operable to send to the resident DHCP client a plurality of DHCP messages including the message having the at least one selected configuration parameter in response to a request from the DHCP client.

2. An improvement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the resident DHCP client is a Windows DHCP client.

3. An improvement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the network device further comprises an Internet stack comprising a plurality of communication protocols for communicating over the Internet, the Internet stack operable to use the plurality of configuration parameters assigned by the resident DHCP client.

4. An improvement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the device driver is a cable modem driver having a bi-directional radio frequency interface for communicating bi-directionally over a cable modem network.

5. An improvement as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a cable modem connection application for managing the configuration of the cable modem driver.

6. An improvement as claimed in claim 5 wherein the selected configuration parameters include a trivial file transport protocol server address and a trivial file transport protocol file name.

7. A method for obtaining configuration parameters for a network device in a network connected to a dynamic host configuration server (DHCP server) comprising the steps of:

invoking a device dynamic host configuration protocol client (DHCP client) to discover the DHCP server;

receiving an offer message from the DHCP server;

sending a request message to request a plurality of selected configuration parameters from the DHCP server;

the DHCP server sending the selected configuration parameters to the device DHCP client;

passing the selected configuration parameters to a DHCP server simulator within the network device;

the DHCP server simulator sensing a discover message from a resident DHCP client within the network device;

the DHCP server simulator sending an offer message to the resident DHCP client;

the DHCP server simulator sending the selected configuration parameters; and

assigning the selected configuration parameters to permit communication by the device driver over the network.

8. A method for obtaining configuration parameters for a network device in a network connected to a dynamic host configuration server (DHCP server) comprising the steps of:

receiving an offer message from the DHCP server at a device DHCP client on the network device;

the device DHCP client sending a request message to request a plurality of selected configuration parameters from the DHCP server;

the DHCP server sending the selected configuration parameters to the network device;

storing the selected configuration parameters at a DHCP server simulator in the network device; and

the DHCP server simulator sending the selected configuration parameters to a resident DHCP client in the network device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of assigning the selected configuration parameters to a protocol stack to permit communication by the device driver over the network.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

the resident DHCP client sending a discover message to detect the DHCP server; and

the DHCP server simulator sensing the discover request.