Bootstrapping devices using automatic configuration services

• US 8,085,695 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kushalnagar, Nandakishore, Hazra, Mousumi, Chharba, Jasmeet, Krishnamurthy, Lakshman
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): AREVALO, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US11/043,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,527 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208, 709/250, 709/238, 709/220, 709/223, 709/709, 709/713, 709/150, 709/151, 709/203, 709/221, 709/227, 455/517, 455/405, 455/574, 455/41.3, 455/343.1, 455/518, 455/411, 455/41.1, 455/435.1, 455/575.1, 455/410, 713/153, 713/151, 713/150, 379/114.01, 379/106.08, 379/111, 370/338, 370/401, 370/236, 370/389, 370/238, 370/388
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to attempting to automatically configure an unconfigured device utilizing a previously configured device and, more specifically, to attempting to bootstrap a universal plug-and-play (UPnP) access point utilizing a previously configured access point.

Claims

1. An article comprising:

a non-transitory machine accessible medium having a plurality of machine accessible instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed, the instructions provide for;

establishing point-to-point communication utilizing a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol over a secure out-of-band channel between a configured access point having a configuration server, and an unconfigured access point with the unconfigured access point automatically in response to introduction of the unconfigured access point into the wireless mesh network, wherein configuration provides network communication parameters to the unconfigured access point, wherein the secure out-of-band channel comprises a wired point-to-point connection directly between the unconfigured access point and the configured access point, wherein the parameters comprise one or more of a service set identifier (SSID), a channel number, and/or a transmit power level, wherein the access point provides network access to a user device and the unconfigured access point to provide network access to the user device in response to being configured, wherein automatically configuring the unconfigured access point comprises attempting to configure the unconfigured access point such that the access point may operate within the same wireless mesh network as the configured device by making a single request to the configuration server to configure the unconfigured access point that includes an action that allows for setting all the configuration data necessary to bootstrap the unconfigured access point into the wireless mesh network utilizing a variable list of parameters;

discovering a configuration server running on the configured access point with the unconfigured access point via the secure out-of-band channel;

utilizing the configuration server to automatically configure the unconfigured access point; and

communicating over the wireless mesh network with the access point using configuration information from the configuration server.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the instructions providing for establishing communication includes instructions providing for:

connecting the configured device and unconfigured access point via the wired cable;

detecting the connection; and

detecting that the connection has disconnected and then reconnected.

3. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions providing for:

determining if the unconfigured access point is properly configured; and

if the access point is not properly configured, providing a physical indication that a proper configuration of the unconfigured access point needs to occur.

4. An apparatus capable of facilitating a wireless mesh network comprising:

a transceiver to communicate via a wireless protocol;

configuration data for facilitating the operation of the apparatus within a wireless network;

a configuration client to;

discovering a configuration server running on a configured access point; and

utilizing the configuration server within the configured access point to automatically configure the apparatus as an access point within the wireless mesh network by providing one or more of a service set identifier (SSID), a channel number, and/or a transmit power level, wherein the access point provides network access to a user device and the unconfigured access point to provide network access to the user device in response to being configured, wherein the configuration client configures the apparatus such that the apparatus may operate within the same wireless mesh network as the configured device, wherein automatically configuring the apparatus includes making a single request to the configuration server to configure the apparatus, wherein the single request includes an action that allows for setting all the configuration data necessary to bootstrap the apparatus into the wireless mesh network utilizing a variable list of parameters;

a wired Ethernet interface to establish point-to-point communication directly between the configuration server and the configuration client utilizing a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the point-to-point interface establishes communication by:

connecting the configured device and unconfigured device via a wired cable;

detecting the connection; and

detecting that the connection has disconnected and then reconnected.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the point-to-point interface establishes communication utilizing a secure out-of-band channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein configuration client discovers the configuration server utilizing a protocol compliant with the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) family of protocols.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the configuration client further to:

determining if the apparatus is properly configured; and

if the apparatus is not properly configured, providing a physical indication that a proper configuration of the apparatus needs to occur.