System and method for configuring information handling system networked peripherals

• US 7,177,957 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2004
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Vance, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIN, CHRISTOPHER B
• Application Number:
  US10/798,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20050204071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-226, 710 8- 13, 717168-178
• US Class Current: 710/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator

Abstract

Information handling system peripherals, such as printers, scanners, routers, switches, are configured to communicate over a local area network with network configuration information stored on a portable flash memory device, such as a USB storage device. A network configuration utility associated with the peripheral applies selected network configuration information to the peripheral, such as a static IP address, a subnet mask and a gateway, and disables dynamic networking functions, such as DHCP, BOOTP and RARP to stabilize the peripheral configuration for communication over the local area network.

Claims

1. A system for configuring networked peripherals, the system comprising:

a portable flash memory device operable to interface with an information handling system communication port;

a peripheral configuration application running on an information handling system having a communication port, the peripheral configuration application operable to accept network configuration information for one or more peripherals and to store the network configuration information on the portable flash memory device;

a communication port associated with the peripheral and operable to interface with the portable flash memory device; and

a network configuration utility running on the peripheral, the network configuration utility operable to read the network configuration information from the portable flash memory device and apply the network configuration information to the peripheral.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the network configuration information comprises a static IP address associated with the peripheral.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the network configuration information further comprises one or more of a subnet mask and a gateway.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the network configuration utility is further operable to disable one or more dynamic IP address functions of the peripheral.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the dynamic IP address functions comprise one or more of DHCP, BOOTP or RARP.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the portable flash memory device comprises a USB storage device and the communication port comprises a USB port.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the peripheral comprises a printer.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the peripheral comprises a scanner.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the peripheral comprises a router.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the peripheral comprises a switch.

11. A method for configuring networked peripherals, the method comprising:

inputting into an information handling system network configuration information for a peripheral to communicate with a local area network;

storing the inputted network configuration information on a portable flash memory device interfaced with a communication port of the information handling system;

interfacing the portable flash memory device with a communication port of the peripheral;

transferring the network configuration information to the peripheral; and

applying the network configuration information to configure the peripheral to interface with the local area network.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

disabling one or more dynamic network configuration functions of the peripheral.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the dynamic network configuration functions of the peripheral comprise one or more of DHCP, BOOTP or RARP.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the network configuration information comprises one or more of a static IP address, a subnet mask or a gateway.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the peripheral comprises a printer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the portable flash storage devices comprises a USB storage device and the communication port comprises a USB port.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

inputting into the information handling system network configuration information for plural peripherals;

storing the networking configuration information for the plural peripherals in the portable flash memory device; and

selecting network configuration information associated with a peripheral for transferring and applying to the peripheral.

18. An information handling system printer comprising:

components operable to process information received from an local area network with a dynamic network configuration and to print the information;

a communication port operable to interface with a portable flash memory device;

a network configuration utility interfaced with the communication port to read network configuration information stored on the portable flash memory device, the network configuration utility operable to apply the network configuration information to the components to interface with the local area network and to disable the dynamic network configuration.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the communication port further comprises a USB port operable to interface with a USB portable flash memory device.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein:

the network configuration comprises one or more of a static IP address, a subnet mask and a gateway; and

the dynamic network configuration comprises one or more of DHCP, BOOTP and RARP.