Systems and methods of discovering and controlling devices without explicit addressing

1. A method of discovering a device in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes, the method comprising:

continuously monitoring, by a device to be discovered, any IP packets sent by a discoverer;

transmitting, by the discoverer, an IP packet destined for a downstream device;

receiving, by the device to be discovered, the IP packet;

determining, by the device to be discovered, whether the IP packet is intended for the device to be discovered; and

if the IP packet is not intended for the device to be discovered, retransmitting, by the device to be discovered, the IP packet to the downstream device via an egress port of the device to be discovered.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the discoverer is a testing unit, a router, a remote node that is local or remote to a subnet where the device to be discovered is located.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device to be discovered does not require a unique IP or MAC address for the discoverer to send messages to the device to be discovered.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IP packet from the discoverer includes a destination IP address of the downstream device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IP packet includes an identifier within its header portion to denote that the IP packet originates from the discoverer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IP packet includes a management domain identifier within its header to denote that the IP packet originates from the discoverer from the same management domain defined in the device to be discovered.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IP packet further includes a device identifier within its payload portion to denote that the packet is destined for the device to be discovered.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device to be discovered replies to an IP packet with unique information about the device using a borrowed IP and MAC address as its source IP address and source MAC address.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a payload of the IP packet is sent in an encrypted or in a non-encrypted form.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

if the IP packet is intended for the device to be discovered:

acknowledging, by the device to be discovered, the receipt of the IP packet by transmitting to the discovered a second IP packet;

receiving, by the discoverer, the second IP packet;

transmitting, by the discoverer to the device to be discovered, a management packet using an IP address of the downstream device; and

entering, by the device to be discovered, into a discovered state.

11. A method of discovering a device in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes, the method comprising:

continuously monitoring, by a device to be discovered any IP packets sent by a discoverer inside a layer-3 tunnel established between the discoverer and a remote node;

transmitting, by the discoverer, an IP packet to the remote node;

receiving, by the device to be discovered, the IP packet;

determining, by the device to be discovered, whether the IP packet is intended for the device to be discovered; and

if the device to be discovered determined that the IP packet is not intended for the device to be discovered, retransmitting to the remote node, by the device to be discovered, the IP packet via an egress port of the device to be discovered.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the discoverer is a testing unit, a router, a remote node that is local or remote to a subnet where the device to be discovered is located.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the device to be discovered does not require a unique IP or MAC address for the discoverer to send messages to the device to be discovered.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the IP packet from the discoverer includes a destination IP address of the remote node.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the IP packet includes an identifier within its header portion to denote that the IP packet originates from the discoverer.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the IP packet includes a management domain identifier within its header to denote that the IP packet originates from the discoverer from the same management domain defined in the device to be discovered.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the IP packet further includes an identifier within its payload portion to denote that the IP packet is destined for the device to be discovered.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the device to be discovered replies to the IP packet with unique information about the device to be discovered using a borrowed IP and MAC address of the remote node as its source IP address and source MAC address.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein a payload of the IP packet is sent in an encrypted or non-encrypted form.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

if the IP packet is intended for the device to be discovered:

acknowledging, by the device to be discovered, the receipt of the IP packet by transmitting to the discovered a second IP packet;

receiving, by the discoverer, the second IP packet;

transmitting, by the discoverer to the device to be discovered, a management packet using an IP address of the downstream device; and

entering, by the device to be discovered, into a discovered state.

21. A method of discovering a device in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes, the method comprising:

continuously monitoring, by a first device to be discovered, any IP packets sent by a discoverer;

transmitting, by the discoverer, a first IP packet with a frame to a downstream device;

receiving, by the first device to be discovered, the first IP packet with the frame;

determining, by the first device to be discovered, whether the first IP packet has a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port number that matches an internet assigned numbers authority (IANA) assigned UDP port number;

processing, by the first device to be discovered, the first IP packet with the frame to verify that the packet is a discovery type packet; and

if the first device to be discovered detects that the first IP packet is a discovery type packet:

verifying, by the first device to be discovered, that discovery is activated for the first device to be discovered; and

if the discovery is activated for the first device to be discovered, sending, by the first device to be discovered, an advertisement to the discoverer,

if the first device to be discovered detects that the IP packet is not a discovery type packet or if the discovery is not activated for the first device to be discovered, retransmitting, by the first device to be discovered, the first IP packet to the downstream device via an egress port of the first device to be discovered.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the discoverer is a testing unit, a router, a remote node that is local or remote to a subnet where the device to be discovered is located.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the device to be discovered does not require a unique IP or MAC address for the discoverer to send messages to the device to be discovered.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first IP packet from the discoverer includes a destination IP address of the downstream device.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first IP packet includes an identifier within its header portion to denote that the IP packet originates from the discoverer.

26. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first IP packet includes a management domain identifier within its header to denote that the first IP packet originates from the discoverer from the same management domain defined in the first device to be discovered.

27. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first IP packet further includes an identifier within its payload portion to denote that the first IP packet is destined for the first device to be discovered.

28. The method of claim 21 , wherein the device to be discovered replies to the IP packet with unique information about the first device to be discovered using a borrowed IP and MAC address from the downstream device as its source IP address and source MAC address.

29. The method of claim 21 , wherein a payload of the first IP packet is sent in an encrypted or in a non-encrypted form.

30. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:

continuously monitoring, by a second device to be discovered, any IP packets sent by a discoverer, wherein the second device to be discovered is downstream of the first device to be discovered;

transmitting, by the discoverer, a second IP packet with a frame to a downstream device;

determining, by the first device to be discovered, whether the second IP packet is destined for the first device to be discovered;

if the second IP packet is not destined for the first device to be discovered or if discovery for the first device is not activated:

receiving, by the second device to be discovered, the second IP packet with the frame;

determining, by the second device to be discovered, whether the second IP packet has a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port number that matches an internet assigned numbers authority (IANA) assigned UDP port number;

processing, by the second device to be discovered, the second IP packet with the frame to verify that the packet is a discovery type packet;

if the device detects that the second IP packet is a discovery type packet:

verifying, by the second device to be discovered, that discovery is activated for the second device to be discovered;

if the discovery is activated for the second device to be discovered, sending, by the second device to be discovered, an advertisement to the discoverer and

if the second device to be discovered detects that the second IP packet is not a discovery type packet or if the discovery for the second device to be discovered is not activated, retransmitting, by the second device to be discovered, the second IP packet to the downstream device via an egress port of the second device to be discovered.

31. A system of discovering a device in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes, the system comprising:

a first device to be discovered including a first egress port;

a discoverer; and

a downstream device, wherein the first device to be discovered is located between the discoverer and the downstream device,

wherein the first device to be discovered is configured to continuously monitor any IP packets sent by the discoverer destined for the downstream device, the first device to be discovered being further configured to receive a first IP packet and to determine whether the first IP packet has a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port number that matches an internet assigned numbers authority (IANA) assigned UDP port number and whether the first IP packet is a discovery type packet, and

wherein the first device is configured to send an advertisement to the discoverer if the first device to be discovered detects that the first IP packet is a discovery type packet and if discovery is activated for the first device to be discovered; or

wherein the first device to be discovered is configured to retransmit the first IP packet to the downstream device via the first egress port if the first IP packet is not a discovery type packet or if discovery is not activated.

32. The system of claim 31 , further comprising a second device to be discovered located between the first device to be discovered and the downstream device, wherein if the first IP packet is retransmitted by the first device to be discovered to the downstream device, the first IP packet is received by the second device to be discovered, the second device to be discovered being configured to receive the first IP packet and to determine whether the first IP packet has a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port number that matches an internet assigned numbers authority (IANA) assigned UDP port number and whether the first IP packet is a discovery type packet.