Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data addressing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-20
2002-10-22
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2758)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data addressing
C709S208000, C709S209000, C709S237000, C709S236000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06470395
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method to impose execution of a predefined command as described in the preamble of claim
1
, to a first terminal and a second terminal realizing such a method as described in the preamble of claim
10
and claim
11
, respectively, and a communication network including such a first terminal or such a second terminal as described in the preamble of claim
12
.
A possible predefined command to be imposed by a first terminal upon a second terminal like e.g. an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line Network Terminator ANT is e.g. the configuration of the ANT with a predefined internet protocol address. Indeed, the assignment of an internet protocol address for an internet protocol terminal is required in order to enable this terminal to communicate in the internet protocol network. Even more, reconfiguration might be necessary in the event of misconfiguration. Indeed when such a terminal is to be coupled to a small existing Local Area Network, called LAN network, it is assumed to assimilate the network internet protocol number and the subnetwork internet protocol number of the existing network in order to avoid the use of routers.
Methods to impose execution of such a predefined command are already known in the art. Indeed dedicated hardware interfaces e.g. a serial interface to impose a predefined command upon a second terminal such as the above mentioned internet protocol address configuration of a network terminator are well known in the art. However such a dedicated hardware interface requires extra hardware and cables which might provide wiring problems.
Furthermore, many dedicated data link layer protocols of the second layer according to the seven layer open system interconnections OSI model can be developed which are however mostly proprietary solutions and wherefore however specific user interfaces have to be written in order to be used for multiple platforms.
It has to be remarked that an expression “physical layer address” is normally used according to the OSI model. An alternative term which is also used in the literature and which includes the same meaning is “hardware address”. This term is preferred to be used in this application.
Also specific protocols which are working in a client/server mode like the Reverse Address Resolution Protocol RARP and the Bootstrap Protocol/Dynamic Host configuration BOOTP/DHCP which are initially using broadcast IP addresses in order to hand out IP addresses are used to impose execution of a predefined command such as configuration of a terminal with a predefined internet protocol address. These protocols are for example described in the book “
TCP/IP Illustrated
, Volume 1: The Protocols, written by W. Richard Stevens and published October 1996”. The RARP protocol is described in chapter 5 of this book and the BOOTP is described in Chapter 16 of this book. However, these protocols require the presence of a server in the network which is not obvious in small e.g. private configurations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method to impose execution of a predefined command by a first terminal upon a second terminal such as the above known methods but which do not have the above mentioned drawbacks of the need for an extra dedicated hardware interface or a dedicated server or development of proprietary user interfaces in order to enable use on multiple platforms.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by the method of claim
1
which is realized by the first terminal of claim
10
and the second terminal of claim
11
and by the communication network of claim
12
which includes such a first terminal or such a second terminal.
Indeed, the object is achieved due to the fact that the method of the invention includes the steps of:
a) entering in a first memory of the first terminal a relation between a second hardware and an intended internet protocol address. This second terminal is presubscribed to the second hardware address and the first memory is adapted to include at least one relation between a hardware address and an internet protocol address; and
b) instructing the first terminal with a predefined instruction including an argument which is the intended internet protocol address. The first terminal includes an instructing means in order to receive and to execute the predefined instruction. It has to be remarked that in a further paragraph it will become clear that depending of the kind of predefined command this intended internet protocol address might have a value of any internet protocol address or that the intended internet protocol address must have a value of a predefined intended internet protocol address; and
c) upon receiving of the predefined instruction by the first terminal transmitting a command packet to a terminal having a hardware address associated to the argument according to a relation in the first memory. The first terminal includes a transmitting means which is coupled to the instructing means in order to transmit the command packet which is received from the instructing means. The hardware address is associated to the intended internet protocol address according to the contents of the first memory. Indeed, due to the predefined instruction, the first memory is checked upon the presence of a relation with the internet protocol address of the argument of the predefined instruction which is the intended internet protocol address. It has to be explained that the first memory might include more than one relation concerning the intended internet protocol address. A hardware address which is associated to the intended internet protocol address is determined. Furthermore as a consequence of the predefined instruction the command packet is generated. The hardware address is included in the command packet and is the destination address whereby the command packet is launched on the medium towards the terminal which is subscribed to this hardware address; and
d) in the event when the hardware address is the second hardware address whereby its terminal is the second terminal, upon receiving of the command packet by a receiving means of the second terminal, providing the included second hardware address to a function means of the second terminal. According to prior art protocols, once a data packet reaches the destination according to its hardware address, the hardware address is not used anymore. According to the method of the invention the hardware address i.e. the second hardware address is extracted from the command packet and provided to the function means. The second terminal includes an extracting means coupled to the receiving means in order to extract the second hardware address from the command packet and to provide the second hardware address to the function means; and
e) upon receiving of the second hardware address by the function means generating the predefined command in order to be executed by the second terminal. Indeed, the received hardware address which is the second hardware address determines the predefined command. The address itself is the message.
In this way the basic idea of the invention is the fact that by inserting in a translation table i.e. the first memory of a first terminal a relation between an intended internet protocol address and the hardware address of the second terminal i.e. the second hardware address and by associating to the second hardware address a reference to a predefined command, the predefined command is imposed by the first terminal upon the second terminal and is to be executed in the event of being addressed by a predefined message which includes the second hardware address.
A further characteristic feature is described in claim
2
. This feature is a possible implementation of the step of generating the predefined command which includes determining the predefined command according to a second memory included in the second terminal. Indeed, the second memory associates the second hardware address to the predefined command.
This feature becomes clear when looki
Gadeyne Walter
Van Aken Dirk
Alcatel
Dinh Dung C.
Le Hieu C.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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