DHCP Relay Agent Message Logging for IP Assignment Diagnosis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Network attached devices often fail to obtain IP addresses due to issues with DHCP message delivery, leading to operational burdens for service operators, especially in IPv4 networks where unassigned addresses are limited, and diagnosing intermittent failures is difficult.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a DHCP relay agent that captures and logs DHCP message exchanges between clients and servers, enabling network operators to identify and diagnose failures by displaying and logging message states, thus facilitating the identification of issues and improving IP address assignment processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If DHCP message delivery is implemented without relay agent monitoring, then the DHCP protocol can assign IP addresses to network attached devices, but network operators cannot effectively identify or diagnose failures when devices fail to obtain IP addresses

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveDHCP IP address assignment reliabilityVSAvoidDifficulty of diagnosing DHCP failures

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a DHCP relay agent that acts as an intermediary between DHCP clients and servers. This relay agent monitors and logs DHCP message exchanges, providing visibility into the DHCP transaction process without interfering with the normal DHCP operation. The relay agent captures message states and makes them accessible to network operators for diagnosis purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the DHCP relay agent logs and reports the state of DHCP messages exchanged between clients and servers. This feedback loop allows network operators to see what messages were sent, received, and their outcomes, enabling effective diagnosis of DHCP assignment failures while maintaining reliable IP address distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If static IP address configuration is used for network attached devices, then devices can have unique IP addresses for communication, but service operators bear operational burden of maintaining lists of assigned and unassigned IP addresses

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveIP address uniqueness and communication capabilityVSAvoidOperational burden of maintaining IP address lists

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements DHCP-based automatic IP address assignment where network attached devices self-configure their IP addresses through the DHCP protocol. The DHCP server automatically manages the pool of available IP addresses, assigning them to clients as needed and tracking their status. This eliminates the manual operational burden on service operators while ensuring unique IP address allocation for communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If DHCP protocol is used to provide IP addresses to network attached devices, then automatic IP address assignment is achieved, but unassigned IPv4 addresses are limited and any issues with DHCP client, relay, or server can prevent IP address acquisition

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAutomatic IP address assignment efficiencyVSAvoidIP address acquisition success rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a DHCP relay agent as an intermediary component that monitors DHCP transactions between clients and servers. This relay agent provides visibility into the DHCP message exchange process, allowing operators to identify where failures occur in the IP address acquisition process. By logging message states, the relay agent helps diagnose issues without interfering with the automatic DHCP assignment process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements monitoring and logging of DHCP message states by the relay agent, creating a feedback mechanism that reports on the health and status of DHCP transactions. This feedback enables operators to identify and resolve issues affecting IP address acquisition success rates, thereby improving reliability while maintaining automatic assignment efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS9621413B1Displaying dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) transaction states using a DHCP relay agent

Publication Date: 2017.04.11 ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC

AI summary

Systems and methods can operate to improve the identification and diagnoses of DHCP client IP address assignment failures. The DHCP protocol can require a plurality of DHCP messages to be exchanged by DHCP server, relay agent and clients. Failure of DHCP message delivery can result in a DHCP client not obtaining an IP address. DHCP information can be displayed and captured in the DHCP relay agent that can assist in the identification and diagnosing of DHCP client IP address assignment failures.