NETWORK DISCOVERY USING UNICAST COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20140214939A1
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Tallinger, Douglas J., Crumrine, Robert E., Dufresne, Yves G., Hinojosa, Marcelo, Kramer, Roger T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,442,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1218 Reducing or saving of used resources, e.g. avoiding waste of consumables or improving usage of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1291 Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A first printer acquires a first network address from an external server using unicast (non-broadcast) transmissions. Then, second printers and an external computerized device also acquire the first network address from the external server, similarly using unicast transmissions. The second printers contact (e.g., say “hello” to) the first printer using a peer-to-peer network. The external computerized device contacts (again using unicast transmissions) the first printer using the first network address to cause the first printer to transmit a list of the second printers that have contacted the first printer to the external computerized device. The external computerized device then contacts (again using unicast transmissions) the second printers using the list of contacted printers (which includes network address information of the second printers) to allow the external computerized device to configure the second printers

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first printer acquiring a first network address from a first server using unicast transmissions;

a peer-to-peer network connected to said first printer;

a second printer connected to said peer-to-peer network, said second printer acquiring said first network address from said first server after said first printer acquires said first network address, said second printer communicating with said first server using said unicast transmissions, said second printer contacting said first printer using said peer-to-peer network, said first printer developing a list of contacted printers that have contacted said first printer using said peer-to-peer network; and

a first computerized device acquiring said first network address from said first server after said first printer acquires said first network address,

said first computerized device being outside said peer-to-peer network,

said first computerized device communicating with said first server using said unicast transmissions,

said first computerized device contacting said first printer using said first network address to cause said first printer to transmit said list of contacted printers to said first computerized device,

said first computerized device communicating with said first printer using said unicast transmissions,

said first computerized device contacting said second printer using said list of contacted printers to cause said first computerized device to configure said second printer, and

said first computerized device communicating with said second printer using said unicast transmissions.

2. The system according to claim 1, said second printer being on said list of contacted printers.

3. The system according to claim 1, said list of contacted printers comprising network address information of said second printer.

4. The system according to claim 1, said list of contacted printers being developed after said first printer acquires said first network address.

5. The system according to claim 1, communications on said peer-to-peer network comprising direct packet communications.

6. The system according to claim 1, said unicast transmissions comprising messages sent to a single network destination identified by a unique address.

7. A system comprising:

a first multi-function printer (MFP) acquiring a first Internet Protocol (IP) address from a Device Name System (DNS) server using unicast transmissions;

a peer-to-peer network connected to said first MFP;

a second MFP connected to said peer-to-peer network, said second MFP acquiring said first IP address from said DNS server after said first MFP acquires said first IP address, said second MFP communicating with said DNS server using said unicast transmissions, said second MFP contacting said first MFP using said peer-to-peer network, said first MFP developing a list of contacted MFPs that have contacted said first MFP using said peer-to-peer network; and

a configuration server acquiring said first IP address from said DNS server after said first MFP acquires said first IP address,

said configuration server being outside said peer-to-peer network,

said configuration server communicating with said DNS server using said unicast transmissions,

said configuration server contacting said first MFP using said first IP address to cause said first MFP to transmit said list of contacted MFPs to said configuration server,

said configuration server communicating with said first MFP using said unicast transmissions,

said configuration server contacting said second MFP using said list of contacted MFPs to cause said configuration server to configure said second MFP, and

said configuration server communicating with said second MFP using said unicast transmissions.

8. The system according to claim 7, said second MFP being on said list of contacted MFPs.

9. The system according to claim 7, said list of contacted MFPs comprising network address information of said second MFP.

10. The system according to claim 7, said list of contacted MFPs being developed after said first MFP acquires said first IP address.

11. The system according to claim 7, communications on said peer-to-peer network comprising direct packet communications.

12. The system according to claim 7, said unicast transmissions comprising messages sent to a single network destination identified by a unique address.

13. A method comprising:

acquiring, by a first printer, a first network address from a first server using unicast transmissions;

acquiring said first network address from said first server by a second printer after said first printer acquires said first network address, said second printer being connected to said first printer by a peer-to-peer network, and said second printer communicating with said first server using said unicast transmissions;

contacting said first printer by said second printer, using said peer-to-peer network;

developing, by said first printer, a list of contacted printers that have contacted said first printer using said peer-to-peer network;

acquiring said first network address from said first server by a first computerized device after said first printer acquires said first network address, said first computerized device being outside said peer-to-peer network, and said first computerized device communicating with said first server using said unicast transmissions;

contacting said first printer by said first computerized device using said first network address to cause said first printer to transmit said list of contacted printers to said first computerized device, said first computerized device communicating with said first printer using said unicast transmissions; and

contacting said second printer by said first computerized device using said list of contacted printers to cause said first computerized device to configure said second printer, said first computerized device communicating with said second printer using said unicast transmissions.

14. The method according to claim 13, said second printer being on said list of contacted printers.

15. The method according to claim 13, said list of contacted printers comprising network address information of said second printer.

16. The method according to claim 13, said list of contacted printers being developed after said first printer acquires said first network address.

17. The method according to claim 13, communications on said peer-to-peer network comprising direct packet communications.

18. The method according to claim 13, said unicast transmissions comprising messages sent to a single network destination identified by a unique address.

19. A method comprising:

acquiring, by a first multi-function printer (MFP), a first Internet Protocol (IP) address from a Device Name System (DNS) server using unicast transmissions;

acquiring said first IP address from said DNS server by a second MFP after said first MFP acquires said first IP address, said second MFP being connected to said first MFP by a peer-to-peer network, and said second MFP communicating with said DNS server using said unicast transmissions;

contacting said first MFP by said second MFP, using said peer-to-peer network;

developing, by said first MFP, a list of contacted MFPs that have contacted said first MFP using said peer-to-peer network;

acquiring said first IP address from said DNS server by a configuration server after said first MFP acquires said first IP address, said configuration server being outside said peer-to-peer network, and said configuration server communicating with said DNS server using said unicast transmissions;

contacting said first MFP by said configuration server using said first IP address to cause said first MFP to transmit said list of contacted MFPs to said configuration server, said configuration server communicating with said first MFP using said unicast transmissions; and

contacting said second MFP by said configuration server using said list of contacted MFPs to cause said configuration server to configure said second MFP, said configuration server communicating with said second MFP using said unicast transmissions.

20. The method according to claim 19, said second MFP being on said list of contacted MFPs.

21. The method according to claim 19, said list of contacted MFPs comprising network address information of said second MFP.

22. The method according to claim 19, said list of contacted MFPs being developed after said first MFP acquires said first IP address.

23. The method according to claim 19, communications on said peer-to-peer network comprising direct packet communications.

24. The method according to claim 19, said unicast transmissions comprising messages sent to a single network destination identified by a unique address.