System and method for automatically determining whether a product is compatible with a physical device in a network

• US 6,735,625 B1
• Filed: 05/29/1998
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ponna, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDELMAN, BRADLEY E
• Application Number:
  US09/087,383
• Time in Patent Office: 2,174 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208, 709/217, 709/250, 709/201, 709/223-224, 709/220-221, 395/712, 717/11, 717/176-178
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal 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

A system and method for interfacing with a component located in a network environment is provided. A user in a network environment can connect to a device on the network and automatically learn at least one detail regarding the device software image details. Examples of the software image details may include software version number, size in bytes, device model/family name, software filename, interface hardware details, and supported software feature set such as Internet Protocol (IP), Internet Packet Exchange (IPX), and AppleTalk. The invention provides capability of determining whether the software image version or feature set is supported by a product which the user desires to use, suggesting an upgrade to an appropriate software version or feature set to accommodate the product if the current version is not supported by the product, and automatically upgrading the software if the user approves of such action.

Claims

1. A method for a node to interface with a physical device located in a network environment, the method comprising:

receiving, substantially at the time of its entry, user input entered at the node identifying a physical device located in a network environment;

initiating at the node communication with the physical device, automatically in response to receiving said user input, to obtain directly from the physical device in real time a first device characteristic of the physical device;

receiving from the physical device the first device characteristic of the physical device;

using the first device characteristic to query a database not stored on the physical device to obtain a second device characteristic stored in the database, the second device characteristic not being available to the node directly from the physical device; and

determining automatically whether said physical device and a product will operate properly when used together based at least in part on said second device characteristic.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said physical device is remote to said node.

3. A method as in claim 1 further including:

obtaining information about current operating software on the physical device.

4. A method as in claim 3 further including:

determining whether the current operating software on the physical device is compatible with the product.

5. A method as in claim 4 further including:

upgrading the current operating software on the physical device to a version compatible with the product if the current operating software is not compatible with the product.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device characteristic is a device model.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining automatically whether a product is compatible with said physical device comprises:

querying a second database, the second database comprising information about the product; and

determining whether the product is compatible with the physical device based on the second characteristic and information from the second database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a device specific command to the physical device based on the second device characteristic.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device specific command requests a third device characteristic.

10. A system for a node to interface with a physical device located in a network environment, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory is configured to store code for operating the system, said code comprising instructions operable to;

receive substantially at the time of its entry user input entered at the node comprising an identification of the physical device;

initiate at the node communication with the physical device, automatically in response to receiving said user input, to obtain directly from the physical device in real time a first device characteristic of the physical device;

receive the first device characteristic of the physical device from the physical device;

use the first device characteristic to query a database not stored on the physical device to obtain a second device characteristic stored in the database, the second device characteristic not being accessible to the node directly from the physical device; and

determine automatically whether said physical device and a product will operate properly when used together based at least in part on said second device characteristic.

11. A system for a node to interface with a physical device located in a network environment, the system comprising:

means for receiving, substantially at the time of its entry, user input entered at the node identifying a physical device located in a network environment;

means for initiating at the node communication with the physical device, automatically in response to receiving said user input, to obtain directly from the physical device in real time a first device characteristic of the physical device;

means for-receiving the first device characteristic of the physical device from the physical device;

means for using the first device characteristic to query a database not stored on the physical device to obtain a second device characteristic stored in the database, the second device characteristic not being accessible to the node directly from the physical device; and

means for determining automatically whether said physical device and a product will operate properly when used together based at least in part on said second device characteristic.

12. A computer program product for a node to interface with a physical device located in a network environment, the computer program product comprising computer code stored in a computer readable medium, the computer code being configured to:

receive, substantially at the time of its entry, user input entered at the node identifying the physical device;

initiate at the node communication with the physical device, automatically in response to receiving said user input, to obtain directly from the physical device in real time a first device characteristic of the physical device;

receive the first device characteristic of the physical device from the physical device;

use the first device characteristic to query a database not stored on the physical device to obtain a second device characteristic stored in the database, the second device characteristic not being accessible to the node directly from the physical device; and

determine automatically whether said physical device and a product will operate properly when used together based at least in part on said second device characteristic.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable medium is selected from the group consisting of CD-ROM, floppy disk, tape, flash memory, system memory, hard drive, and data signal embodied in a carrier wave.