Computer system comprising a communication device

• US 8,443,094 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2005
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Martikian, Pablo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCKENZIE, MARCUS A
• Application Number:
  US11/127,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,924 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709230-237, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

In a system, a communication device capable of exchanging messages through a local network, such messages being exchanged according to a given network protocol; a discovery agent capable of sending a first message according to the network protocol through the communication device, the first message comprising an identification data and a first message content satisfying a second protocol, and the second protocol implying a response from another computer to the first message; an analysis agent capable of recovering a second message received in response to first message, and of extracting from the second message a second message content according to the second protocol, the second protocol implying a further response to be sent to the second message; and a controller capable of operating said discovery agent and the analysis agent over a selected period of time, while refraining the computer system from sending a response to the second message.

Claims

1. An emulation computer system for emulating a client computer on a network, said emulation computer system comprising:

a communication device configured to exchange messages over the network, said messages being exchanged with a server according to a first protocol, wherein said first protocol is a network protocol;

a discovery agent configured to send a first message to said server according to said first protocol with said communication device, wherein said first message includes (i) a selected identification data comprising a selected MAC address that identifies the client computer to be emulated on the network and (ii) a first message content satisfying a second protocol, and wherein said first message indicates a request that a response to said first message be sent from the server to the client computer to be emulated in accordance with said second protocol;

an analysis agent configured to intercept a second message sent for receipt at the client computer to be emulated received in response to the first message, and to extract, from said second message, a second message content, wherein contents of said second message content is in accordance with said second protocol, wherein said second message content indicates a request for a response to said second message to be sent to said server, and wherein said second message includes said selected identification data; and

a controller configured to operate said discovery agent and said analysis agent so as to emulate said client computer being emulated over a selected period of time, wherein said controller refrains the emulation computer system from sending a response to said second message.

2. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface operable to selectively display the message content of each second message.

3. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein said first protocol is TCP/IP.

4. The emulation computer system according to claim 3, wherein said second protocol is DHCP, and wherein said server is a DHCP server.

5. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein the selected period of time is acquired from the user.

6. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a header according to the first protocol set at least partly in accordance with the first message content.

7. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein the first message comprises computer hardware information.

8. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein the first message content is set according to a set of options.

9. The emulation computer system according to claim 8, wherein the set of options is at least partly acquired from the user.

11. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein said first message is an initial message of a handshaking protocol.

15. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis agent is configured to:

listen for messages directed to the selected identification data of the client computer being emulated; and

grab one of the listened-to messages, wherein the one of the listened-to messages comprises the second message.

16. The emulation computer system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis agent is configured to analyze the extracted second message content.

10. A method for emulating a client computer on a network, said method comprising the steps of:

generating, by a discovery agent of an emulation computer system, a first message that includes (i) a selected identification data comprising a selected MAC address that identifies the client computer to be emulated on the network and (ii) a first message content that satisfies a second protocol, wherein said first message indicates a request that a response to said first message be sent from the server to the client computer to be emulated in accordance with said second protocol;

sending, by said discovery agent system, said first message over the network to a server according to a first protocol, wherein said first protocol is a network protocol;

intercepting, with an analysis agent of the emulation computer system, a second message sent for receipt at the client computer to be emulated in response to said first message, wherein said second message includes the selected identification data;

extracting, with said analysis agent, from said second message, a second message content, wherein contents of said second message content is in accordance with said second protocol, and wherein said second message content indicates a request for a response to said second message to be sent to said server; and

operating, during said sending and recovering steps, with a controller of the emulation computer system, said discovery agent and said analysis agent so as to emulate said client computer being emulated over a selected period of time, wherein said controller refrains said emulation computer system from sending a response to said second message.

12. The method for emulating a client computer on a network according to claim 10, wherein said first message is an initial message of a handshaking protocol.

13. The method for emulating a client computer on a network according to claim 10, wherein the intercepting comprises:

listening for messages directed to the selected identification data of the client computer being emulated; and

grabbing one of the listened-to messages, wherein the one of the listened-to messages comprises the second message.

14. The method for emulating a client computer on a network according to claim 10, further comprising:

analyzing, with the emulation computer system, the extracted second message content.