Methods of detecting and assigning IP addresses to devices with ARP requests

• US 9,391,948 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accedian Networks Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Accedian Networks Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robitaille, Claude, Lemieux, Guillaume
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONAMUTI, GBEMILEKE J
• Application Number:
  US14/969,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20160099909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 210 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/663 Transport layer addresses, e.g. aspects of transmission control protocol [TCP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL

Abstract

A method of discovering and assigning an IP address to a device to be discovered in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes includes continuously monitoring, by the device to be discovered, the network for address resolution protocol (ARP) requests. The discoverer node transmits a number of ARP request to the network. The device to be discovered receives the number of ARP requests. The device to be discovered determines whether the number of ARP requests are unanswered by other devices in the network. The device to be discovered answers to the number of ARP requests with an ARP reply to claim an IP address associated with the number of ARP requests. The discoverer node and the device to be discovered exchange a pair of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets to complete the detection process.

Claims

1. A method of assigning an IP address to a first device in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes, at least one discoverer node and a plurality of other devices, comprising:

transmitting, by the discoverer node to the network, a plurality of address resolution protocol (ARP) requests associated with a selected first IP address;

monitoring, by the first device, the network for ARP requests;

receiving, by the first device , the plurality of ARP requests;

determining, by the first device, whether the plurality of ARP requests are unanswered by the other devices and claiming, by the first device, via an ARP reply, the selected IP address associated with the plurality of unanswered ARP requests; and

exchanging a pair of packets between the discoverer node and the first device to assign the selected IP address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packets are User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets are marked with a proprietary identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device filters the ARP requests.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the discoverer node, the plurality of ARP requests until an ARP reply from the first device is received by the discoverer node.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of ARP requests that are transmitted by the discoverer node is determined based on at least one of

(1) configuration of the discoverer node, and

(2) the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring, by the discoverer node, for any ARP requests with a same IP address as the selected IP address from said other devices within the network.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting, by the discoverer node, a second IP address when an ARP request with the same IP address is detected.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchanging the pair of packets includes transmission of a trusted UDP packet by the discoverer node to the device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a trusted UDP packet is addressed to a uniquely assigned UDP port.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a trusted UDP packet is encrypted.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein a trusted UDP packet includes information to be used by the first device, said information including at least one of

(1) permanent or temporary configuration details,

(2) operation parameters,

(3) settings, and

(4) control commands.

12. A system for assigning an IP address to a first device in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes, a discoverer node and a plurality of other devices, the system comprising:

the discoverer node coupled to a first processor to transmit a plurality of ARP requests associated with a selected IP address to the network; and

the first device coupled to a second processor, to receive from the network said ARP requests, transmitted by the discoverer node and to determine whether the plurality of ARP requests are unanswered by said plurality other devices in the network;

wherein the first device answers the unanswered ARP requests with an ARP reply to claim the selected IP address associated with the ARP requests and wherein the discoverer node and the first device exchange a pair of packets to assign the selected IP address.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first device incorporates a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the discoverer node sends the plurality of ARP requests based on predetermined criteria.

15. The system of claim 12 where the exchanging the pair of packets includes the transmission of a trusted UDP packet by the first device to the discoverer node.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the trusted UDP packet is addressed to a uniquely assigned UDP port.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the trusted UDP packet is encrypted.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the trusted UDP packet includes information about the first device , said information including at least one of

(1) permanent or temporary configuration details,

(2) operation parameters,

(3) settings, and

(4) control commands.