Communication device, method for setting communication device, and program

• US 9,231,905 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Funasaki, Tomoshige
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US13/995,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use

Abstract

A communication device includes an address generation unit that generates address information, a reply request transmission unit that transmits a reply request to request a reply from the other communication device having the address information generated by the address generation unit, and an address setting unit that sets the address information generated by the address generation unit as address information of the communication device when the reply to the reply request is not received, wherein the address generation unit generates address information different from the previously generated address information when the reply to the reply request is received.

Claims

1. A communication device connected to other communication devices to form a management network, the device comprising:

data storage and a processor, the processor comprising;

an address generation unit configured to generate, by executing an address generation process stored in the data storage, address information which specifies the address generation unit;

a reply request transmission unit configured to transmit, by executing a reply request transmission process stored in the data storage, a reply request to request a reply from an other communication device having the address information generated by the address generation unit;

a reply reception unit configured to receive the reply to the reply request within a predetermined time after the transmission of the reply request and to determine that the reply to the reply request is not received when no reply to the reply request is received within the predetermined time; and

an address setting unit configured to set, by executing an address setting process stored in the data storage, the address information generated by the address generation unit as address information of the communication device when the reply to the reply request is not received,

wherein the address generation unit generates address information different from the previously generated address information when the reply to the reply request is received.

2. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the address generation unit is further configured to generate the address information from device-unique information intrinsic to the communication device using a unidirectional function, and

wherein the processor further comprises:

a changing unit configured to change, by executing a changing process stored in the data storage, the unidirectional function when a reply to the reply request transmitted by the reply request transmission unit is not received.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises:

an address transmission unit configured to transmit, by executing an address transmission process stored in the data storage, address information determined by an address determination unit to the other communication device directly connected to the communication device;

an adjacent address reception unit configured to receive, by executing an adjacent address reception process stored in the data storage, the address information of the other communication device from the directly-connected other communication device;

an adjacent address recording unit configured to receive, by executing an adjacent address recording process stored in the data storage, the address information received by the adjacent address reception unit in an adjacent address storage unit; and

an adjacent address notification unit configured to transmit, by executing an adjacent address notification process stored in the data storage, the address information stored in the adjacent address storage unit to a management device managing the management network when an adjacent address notification request to request the address information of the other communication device directly connected to the communication device is received from the management device.

4. A method for setting a communication device, the communication device comprising a processor and data storage and connected to other communication devices to form a management network using the communication device, the method comprising:

an address generation unit, of the processor, generating address information which specifies the address generation unit;

a reply request transmission unit, of the processor, transmitting a reply request to request a reply from an other communication device having the address information generated by the address generation unit;

a reply reception unit of the processor determining that the reply to the reply request is received when the reply to the reply request is received within a predetermined time after the transmission of the reply request and the reply reception unit determining that the reply to the reply request is not received when no reply is received within the predetermined time;

the address generation unit generating address information different from previously generated address information when the reply to the reply request is received; and

an address setting unit, of the processor, setting the address information generated by the address generation unit as address information of the communication device when the reply to the reply request is not received.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a computer-executable program stored therein, wherein the program causes a computer of a communication device connected to other communication devices via a network to form a management network to function as:

an address generation unit configured to generate address information which specifies the address generation unit;

a reply request transmission unit configured to transmit a reply request to request a reply from the other communication device having the address information generated by the address generation unit;

a reply reception unit configured to determine that the reply to the reply request is received when the reply to the reply request is received within a predetermined time after the transmission of the replay request and to determine that the replay to the reply request is not received when no reply to the replay request is received within the predetermined time; and

an address setting unit configured to set the address information generated by the address generation unit as address information of the communication device when the reply to the reply request is not received,

wherein the address generation unit generates address information different from the previously generated address information when the reply to the reply request is received.