United States Patent
US Patent 7904712: Service licensing and maintenance for networks
US 7904712 · granted 2011-03-08
Abstract
A technique is disclosed that allows different computers in a network to create an identifier that uniquely identifies the network. The technique allows the unique identifier to be consistently created over time, regardless of the particular make up of the computing devices in the network at any particular point time. In some implementation, a computer within the network hosts the identification creation tool. In order to create a unique identifier for the network, the tool identifies each network adapter used by the host computer. Using this information, the tool identifies a gateway device used by the network adapter or adapters, and then determines the physical network address of that gateway device. For example, if the network is an Ethernet network, the tool will determine the medial access control (MAC) address for the gateway device. The tool then creates a unique identifier for the network based upon the physical address. The unique network identifier can then be used to associate the billing a usage fee, such as a licensing fee, with the network rather than with an individual computer within the network. Alternately or additionally, the unique network identifier can be used to maintain and support the gateway device for the network.
| Patent Number | 7904712 |
|---|---|
| Title | Service licensing and maintenance for networks |
| Filed | 2004-08-10 |
| Granted | 2011-03-08 |
| Inventor(s) | Bush; Steve M., Kerns; Dan R., Butcher; Thomas C., Heymann; Harry J., Skelly; Roxanne C. |
| Assignee | Cisco Technology, Inc. |
| CPC Classification | H04L 29/06 |
| Number of Claims | 82 |
Abstract
A technique is disclosed that allows different computers in a network to create an identifier that uniquely identifies the network. The technique allows the unique identifier to be consistently created over time, regardless of the particular make up of the computing devices in the network at any particular point time. In some implementation, a computer within the network hosts the identification creation tool. In order to create a unique identifier for the network, the tool identifies each network adapter used by the host computer. Using this information, the tool identifies a gateway device used by the network adapter or adapters, and then determines the physical network address of that gateway device. For example, if the network is an Ethernet network, the tool will determine the medial access control (MAC) address for the gateway device. The tool then creates a unique identifier for the network based upon the physical address. The unique network identifier can then be used to associate the billing a usage fee, such as a licensing fee, with the network rather than with an individual computer within the network. Alternately or additionally, the unique network identifier can be used to maintain and support the gateway device for the network.
Claim 1
A method of creating a unique identifier of a first network, the method comprising: identifying, with a first device of the first network, a gateway device of the firstnetwork; determining, with the first device, a value uniquely associated with the gateway device; creating, with the first device, a unique identifier for the network based upon the determined value, wherein the determined value is a physical addressfor the gateway device, and wherein identifying the gateway device for the first network includes identifying at least one network adapter employed by the first device to communicate with the gateway device, wherein the first device is configured todelete an address resolution protocol (ARP) entry maintained by an operating system of the first device and corresponding to a logical address of the gateway device, and wherein the first device is configured to communicate an ARP request message to thegateway device and to receive a media access control (MAC) address from the gateway device that is stored as a new entry in an ARP table of the first device, and wherein the determining of the value uniquely associated with the gateway device is executedonly if the first device d
Claims
82 totalA method of creating a unique identifier of a first network, the method comprising: identifying, with a first device of the first network, a gateway device of the firstnetwork; determining, with the first device, a value uniquely associated with the gateway device; creating, with the first device, a unique identifier for the network based upon the determined value, wherein the determined value is a physical addressfor the gateway device, and wherein identifying the gateway device for the first network includes identifying at least one network adapter employed by the first device to communicate with the gateway device, wherein the first device is configured todelete an address resolution protocol (ARP) entry maintained by an operating system of the first device and corresponding to a logical address of the gateway device, and wherein the first device is configured to communicate an ARP request message to thegateway device and to receive a media access control (MAC) address from the gateway device that is stored as a new entry in an ARP table of the first device, and wherein the determining of the value uniquely associated with the gateway device is executedonly if the first device d