Cloud device and method for network device discovering

• US 9,749,184 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloud Network Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lin, Jui-Lung, Chen, Pei-Ling, Wu, Zhen-Hong, Chang, Kuo-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hao
• Application Number:
  US14/196,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 709223, 709224, 709226, 709229, 709245, 370241, 370252, 370352, 370356, 370401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables

Abstract

A network device discovery method receives registration information from the network devices which are registered to the cloud device, and generates a management list for recording the registration information and a management status of each of the registered network devices. When a request of searching for specified network devices of a specified network manager from a specified client device is received, the discovery method retrieves specified network devices managed by the specified network manager from the management list. The discovery method further searches for target network devices which have the same public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses with the specified network devices, and presents one or more target network devices which have not been managed by any network manager to the specified client device for the specified network manager.

Claims

1. A method for discovering network devices using a cloud device, the cloud device being connected to one or more client devices and the network devices through a network, the method comprising:

receiving registration information from the network devices which have been registered to the cloud device through the network, converting private Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the network devices into public IP addresses;

generating a management list for recording the registration information and a management status of each of the registered network devices, the management status comprising a status representing whether each of the registered network devices has been managed by a network manager, and identification information of the network manager which managed the each of the registered network devices;

receiving a request of searching for available network devices of a specified network manager from a specified client device;

retrieving specified network devices managed by the specified network manager from the management list according to identification information of the specified network manager;

searching for target network devices which have the same public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses as the specified network devices by comparing the public IP address of each specified network device with the public IP address of each registered network device; and

presenting one or more target network devices which have not been managed by any network manager to the specified client device for the specified network manager, and eliminating and not presenting target networks devices which have been managed by any other network manager.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the registration information of each of the registered network devices comprises device information and a public IP address of each of the registered network devices.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the management list comprises a log of each of the registered network devices for recording the device information, the pubic IP address, and the management status of each of the registered network devices.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying specified network devices managed by the specified network manager on a display device of the specified client device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more target network devices which have not been managed by any network manager is presented to the specified network manager by popping-up a prompt window or pushing a message on a display of the specified client device.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving notifications of updating the registration information or the management status from each of the registered network devices; and

updating the registration information or the management status of each of the registered network devices in the management list.

7. A cloud device, the cloud device being connected to one or more client devices and the network devices through a network, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a storage device storing one or more programs, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations of;

receiving registration information from the network devices which have been registered to the cloud device through the network, converting private Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the network devices into public IP addresses;

generating a management list for recording the registration information and a management status of each of the registered network devices, the management status comprising a status representing whether each of the registered network devices has been managed by a network manager, and identification information of the network manager which managed the each of the registered network devices;

receiving a request of searching for available network devices of a specified network manager from a specified client device;

retrieving specified network devices managed by the specified network manager from the management list according to identification information of the specified network manager;

searching for target network devices which have the same public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses as the specified network devices by comparing the public IP address of each specified network device with the public IP address of each registered network device; and

presenting one or more target network devices which have not been managed by any network manager to the specified client device for the specified network manager, and eliminating and not presenting target networks devices which have been managed by any other network manager.

8. The cloud device according to claim 7, wherein the registration information of each of the registered network devices comprises device information and a public IP address of each of the registered network devices.

9. The cloud device according to claim 8, wherein the management list comprises a log of each of the registered network devices for recording the device information, the pubic IP address, and the management status of each of the registered network devices.

10. The cloud device according to claim 7, further comprising:

displaying specified network devices managed by the specified network manager on a display device of the specified client device.

11. The cloud device according to claim 7, wherein the one or more target network devices which have not been managed by any network manager is presented to the specified network manager by popping-up a prompt window or pushing a message on a display of the specified client device.

12. The cloud device according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving notifications of updating the registration information or the management status from each of the registered network devices; and

updating the registration information or the management status of each of the registered network devices in the management list.

13. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a cloud device, cause the processor to perform a method for discovering network devices using the cloud device, the cloud device being connected to one or more client devices and the network devices through a network, the method comprising:

receiving registration information from the network devices which have been registered to the cloud device through the network, converting private Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the network devices into public IP addresses;

generating a management list for recording the registration information and a management status of each of the registered network devices, the management status comprising a status representing whether each of the registered network devices has been managed by a network manager, and identification information of the network manager which managed the each of the registered network devices;

receiving a request of searching for available network devices of a specified network manager from a specified client device;

retrieving specified network devices managed by the specified network manager from the management list according to identification information of the specified network manager;

searching for target network devices which have the same public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses as the specified network devices by comparing the public IP address of each specified network device with the public IP address of each registered network device; and

presenting one or more target network devices which have not been managed by any network manager to the specified client device for the specified network manager, and eliminating and not presenting target networks devices which have been managed by any other network manager.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the registration information of each of the registered network devices comprises device information and a public IP address of each of the registered network devices.

15. The storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the management list comprises a log of each of the registered network devices for recording the device information, the pubic IP address, and the management status of each of the registered network devices.

16. The storage medium according to claim 13, further comprising:

displaying specified network devices managed by the specified network manager on a display device of the specified client device.

17. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the one or more target network devices which have not been managed by any network manager is presented to the specified network manager by popping-up a prompt window or pushing a message on a display of the specified client device.

18. The storage medium according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving notifications of updating the registration information or the management status from each of the registered network devices; and

updating the registration information or the management status of each of the registered network devices in the management list.