US6490617B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Active self discovery of devices that participate in a network
Assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
•
Filing: 1998-06-09
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Granted: 2002-12-03
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Expires: 2018-06-09
Abstract
Abstract An active self discovery system and method for a network. The network includes a management server having a corresponding server address and one or more managed devices. The management server includes a management database that is used to store management information and corresponding network addresses for each of the managed devices. Each managed device includes an active discovery agent that initiates management by sending its management information and network address to the management server. The managed device sends its management information upon initialization or anytime after the device becomes active on the network. Also, the managed device sends updated management information to the management server if and when the management information changes. Such changes include any status or configuration changes of the managed device or a new network address if the device's address is dynamically changed. Communication may be according to HTTP, where the management information is sent using HTTP post transactions. The HTTP post transactions may comprise HTML forms field formatted data and/or a tagged entity body with a MIME descriptor.
Inventors
- 👤 John M. Hemphill
- 👤 Steven E. Fairchild
- 👤 James A. Rozzi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 08:40
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L41/00; H04L41/02; H04L41/0213; H04L41/0246; H04L41/0273; H04L41/04; H04L41/046; H04L41/12; H04L41/0286
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
177 words
A network management active self discovery system for a network, comprising: a management server, for coupling to the network and having a corresponding server address, that includes a management database that is used to store management information and corresponding network addresses received from the network; and at least one managed device, for coupling to the network, that includes an active discovery agent which initiates its management by the management server by sending management information including its network address via the network using the server address, wherein the management server further comprises: a network interface for coupling to the network; and a back end module coupled to the network interface and the management database that processes management information and network addresses received by the network interface into the management database, wherein the back end module further comprises: a transaction file; a first module coupled to the network interface that transfers management information and addresses into the transaction file as received; and a second module that processes management information and addresses from the transaction file into the management database.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
177 words
A network management active self discovery system for a network, comprising: a management server, for coupling to the network and having a corresponding server address, that includes a management database that is used to store management information and corresponding network addresses received from the network; and at least one managed device, for coupling to the network, that includes an active discovery agent which initiates its management by the management server by sending management information including its network address via the network using the server address, wherein the management server further comprises: a network interface for coupling to the network; and a back end module coupled to the network interface and the management database that processes management information and network addresses received by the network interface into the management database, wherein the back end module further comprises: a transaction file; a first module coupled to the network interface that transfers management information and addresses into the transaction file as received; and a second module that processes management information and addresses from the transaction file into the management database.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one managed device sends its management information and its network address upon initialization.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 1 , further comprising: the at least one managed device sending updated management information to the management server using the server address if and when the management information changes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 3 , wherein changes of the management information include status and configuration changes of the at least one managed device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one managed device sends a new network address to the management server if the network address of the at least one managed device is changed.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 1 , further comprising: the active discovery agent supporting the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP); the management server including a web server that supports the HTTP; and the active discovery agent and the web server communicating according to HTTP.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 6 , wherein the server address is in symbolic form and is resolved into an Internet Protocol address.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 6 , further comprising: the active discovery agent formulating the management information and the network address of the at least one managed device into an HTTP post transaction that is sent to the web server.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The network management active self discovery system of claim 8 , wherein the HTTP post transaction includes an entity body with an HTTP descriptor tag.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
143 words
A method of active self discovery of devices of a network that includes at least one managed device and a management server, comprising steps of providing a managed device with a server address corresponding to the management server; formulating, by the managed device, management information and a network address corresponding to the managed device into a management package; and sending, by the managed device, the management package to the management server using the server address to initiate management of the managed device by the management server; processing, by the management server, any management packages received via the network into a management database, wherein said processing further comprises steps of: transferring, by the management server, any management packages received via the network into an intermediate file; and processing by the management server, any management packages written to the intermediate file into the management database.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
143 words
A method of active self discovery of devices of a network that includes at least one managed device and a management server, comprising steps of providing a managed device with a server address corresponding to the management server; formulating, by the managed device, management information and a network address corresponding to the managed device into a management package; and sending, by the managed device, the management package to the management server using the server address to initiate management of the managed device by the management server; processing, by the management server, any management packages received via the network into a management database, wherein said processing further comprises steps of: transferring, by the management server, any management packages received via the network into an intermediate file; and processing by the management server, any management packages written to the intermediate file into the management database.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 10 , further comprising steps of: during operation and upon a change of the management information of the managed device, formulating, by the managed device, an updated management package; and sending, by the managed device, the updated management package to the management server using the server address.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 11 , further comprising steps of: during operation and upon a change of the network address of the managed device, formulating, by the managed device, an updated management package including a new network address for the managed device; and sending, by the managed device, the updated management package to the management server using the server address.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 10 , further comprising steps of: said formulating comprising formulating a management package into a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) post transaction; and said sending comprising sending the HTTP post transaction to the management server according to HTTP.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 13 , wherein said formulating comprises formulating a management package into an HTTP post transaction including a entity body and a descriptor tag.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of formulating further comprises encrypting the management information.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of formulating further comprises a step of compressing the management information.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-12-02 | 2006-06-03 | 2006-12-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-12-02 | 2010-06-03 | 2010-12-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-12-02 | 2014-06-03 | 2014-12-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |