Network Address Allocation via UDCI Lookup
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited availability of IP addresses, especially reserved ones for enterprise use, often results in network devices being unable to obtain a network address when needed, such as during meetings or presentations, due to the scarcity of public IP addresses.
Innovation Solution
A method where a network address providing server assigns a designated network address from a reserved pool to non-network devices with a Unique Device Capability Identifier (UDCI), which is stored in a lookup table, allowing network devices to obtain an IP address by physically connecting to these non-network devices, ensuring availability even when public addresses are scarce.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If IP addresses are allocated from a public pool, then network devices can obtain network addresses, but the limited availability of reserved IP addresses causes shortages during critical usage scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-allocating and reserving specific IP addresses for non-network devices before they are needed. The network address providing server designates particular network addresses as designated network addresses for specific non-network devices, storing these associations in advance in a lookup table. This ensures that when a network device connects to a non-network device, the IP address is already reserved and immediately available, eliminating the need to compete for limited public IP addresses during critical usage scenarios.
2Reliability
If IP addresses are reserved for specific non-network devices, then network devices can reliably obtain addresses when connected, but the complexity of address management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - a lookup table - that mediates between the network address providing server and the pool of IP addresses. The lookup table stores associations between designated network addresses and Unique Device Capability Identifiers (UDCIs) of non-network devices. When a network device requests an IP address, the server queries the lookup table using the UDCI as a key, automatically retrieving the pre-designated network address. This intermediary structure automates the management complexity, making the system easier to operate despite the sophisticated reservation logic.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and/or computer program product allocates network addresses to network devices. A network address providing server designates a particular network address as a designated network address for use with a specific non-network device, where the specific non-network device has a Unique Device Capability Identifier (UDCI), and where the non-network device is not connected to a network. The designated network address is stored in a lookup table containing the UDCI, such that the lookup table associates the designated network address with the UDCI. In response to a request from a network device for a network address including the UDCI, the network address providing server retrieves the designated network address from the lookup table based on the UDCI found in the request for a network address. The designated network address is then sent to the network device for use as a network address of the network device.