Method and arrangement for configuring a device in a data network

• US 8,769,056 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Scheering, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US12/691,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods for the configuration of a device in a data network are provided. According to one method, a domain name is first stored in the device. The device then transfers an inquiry message comprising the domain name to an addressing server that serves for the conversion between the domain name and the associated internet addresses. In a further step, the addressing server transmits an address information of a parameter server associated with said device to the device as a response to said inquiry message. The device establishes a link to the parameter server on the basis of said address information. The parameter server transmits via this link parameters to the device which serve to configure the device.

Claims

1. A device connected to a data network, the data network comprising a domain name server and a parameter server, the device adapted to execute the following steps:

storing, in the device, a domain name assigned to the device and an address information for connecting to the domain name server;

transmitting a request message to the domain name server corresponding to the stored address information, the request message includes the domain name;

receiving a response message from the domain name server comprising a data record, the data record contains an IP address of the parameter server or the data record contains a fully qualified domain name of the parameter server;

using the IP address of the parameter server or the fully qualified domain name of the parameter server to set up a connection to the parameter server and to request parameters for configuring the device from the parameter server; and

receiving parameters to configure the device from the parameter server as a response to the request for the parameters.

2. The device as claimed in patent claim 1, wherein the domain name stored in the device is a fictitious domain name which does not belong to a real network domain.

3. The device as claimed in patent claim 2, wherein the fictitious domain name is stored in the device by the manufacturer and wherein the fictitious domain name is stored in the domain name server and associated therein with the parameter server.

4. The device as claimed in patent claim 2, wherein the domain name stored in the device is a fully-qualified domain name.

5. The device as claimed in patent claim 1, wherein parameters used to configure the device include a compression protocol parameter specific to voice transmission.

6. The device as claimed in patent claim 1, wherein

the data record comprises a text field containing the IP address of the parameter server or the data record contains a fully qualified domain name of the parameter server.

7. The device as claimed in patent claim 1, wherein a fictitious domain name comprising the generally known domain name of the device is stored by the manufacturer in the device and wherein the fictitious domain name is also stored in the domain name server and associated therein with a particular parameter server.

8. The device as claimed in patent claim 1, wherein

both a fictitious domain name and a real domain name are stored in the device,

the device first transmits in the request message the real domain name to the domain name server and when the device receives a negative acknowledgement because no data record was associated with the real domain name, the device thereafter sends in the request message the fictitious domain name, thereby increasing the probability that the IP address of a particular parameter server will be sent to the device.

9. A method for configuring a device in a data network, the data network comprising an domain name server, the device requiring the configuration, and a parameter server, the method comprising the following steps executed by the device:

storing, in the device, a first domain name assigned to the device and an address information for the domain name server;

transmitting a first request message from the device to the domain name server corresponding to the stored address information, the first request message includes the first domain name assigned to the device;

receiving a first response message from the domain name server, the first response message comprising a second domain name being a domain name of the parameter server;

transmitting a second request message from the device to the domain name server corresponding to the stored address information, the second request message includes the second domain name of the parameter server;

receiving, a second response message from the domain name server, the second response message comprising a IP address contained in the second data record, the IP address being the IP address of the parameter server;

setting up, by the device, a connection to the parameter server, the device using the IP address of the parameter server extracted from the second response message; and

receiving, by the device, parameters sent from the parameter server, the parameters are used to configure the device.

10. The method as claimed in patent claim 9, wherein the first domain name is a real domain name which belongs to a real network domain.

11. The method as claimed in patent claim 9, wherein the first domain name is a fictitious domain name which does not belong to a real network domain.

12. The method as claimed in patent claim 11, wherein the fictitious domain name is stored in the device by the manufacturer and wherein the fictitious domain name is stored in the domain name server and associated therein with the parameter server.

13. The method as claimed in patent claim 9, wherein the first domain name stored in the device is a fully-qualified domain name.

14. The method as claimed in patent claim 9, wherein the data network is a voice data network in which voice information is sent in data packets on the basis of Internet protocol.

15. The method as claimed in patent claim 9, wherein a fictitious domain name comprising the generally known domain name of the device is stored by the manufacturer in the device and wherein the fictitious domain name is also stored in the domain name server and associated therein with a particular parameter server.

16. The method as claimed in patent claim 9, wherein the first domain name stored in the device is a fully-qualified domain name.

17. The method as claimed in patent claim 9, wherein the data network is a voice data network in which voice information is sent in data packets on the basis of Internet protocol.

18. The method as claimed in patent claim 17, wherein parameters used to configure the device include a compression protocol parameter specific to voice transmission.