Automatic management network provisioning
View Patent ↗According to one embodiment, a method for automatic management network provisioning includes: broadcasting a provisioning request to one or more devices; receiving at least one provisioning reply from the device(s); and broadcasting a provisioning configuration packet to device(s) from which a provisioning reply was received. In another embodiment, a method for peer-based automatic management network provisioning includes broadcasting network configuration information corresponding to a particular device to one or more other devices of a network environment; determining, after the broadcast, whether such network configuration information was modified; and requesting, from one or more of the other devices, the network configuration information corresponding to the particular device. The request is made in response to determining the particular device network configuration information was modified after broadcasting the network configuration information to the one or more other devices. Corresponding systems and computer program products are also disclosed.
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
broadcasting a provisioning request to one or more devices of a network environment;
receiving at least one provisioning reply from at least one of the one or more devices; and
broadcasting a provisioning configuration packet to at least the device(s) from which the at least one provisioning reply was received,
wherein the provisioning request comprises an instruction configured to cause each of the one or more devices of the network environment exhibiting a default network configuration parameter to broadcast one of the provisioning replies.
2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the provisioning request comprises identifying information corresponding to a network provisioning management server of the network environment.
3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the default network configuration parameter comprises a default IP address.
4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 , wherein each provisioning reply comprises:
an indication that the device from which the provisioning reply was received exhibits a default network configuration parameter; and
identifying information corresponding to the device exhibiting the default network configuration parameter.
5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the default network configuration parameter comprises a default IP address; and
wherein the identifying information uniquely identifies the device exhibiting the default IP address within the network environment.
6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the provisioning configuration packet comprises:
at least one unique value of a network configuration parameter.
7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the network configuration parameter comprises an IP address; and
wherein each different one of the unique values is assigned to a different one of the devices from which the provisioning replies were received; and
wherein the unique values are assigned based on information identifying each different one of the devices from which the provisioning replies were received.
8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7 , comprising:
verifying some or all of the unique values assigned to the different devices.
9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the information identifying each different one of the devices from which the provisioning replies were received is individually selected from the group consisting of: a device serial number; a device type; and a device MAC address.
10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the broadcasting the provisioning configuration packet to the device from which the provisioning reply was received is performed automatically in response to receiving the provisioning reply from the device.
11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 , wherein one or more of the provisioning request, the at least one provisioning reply, and the provisioning configuration packet comprises a magic packet style header.
12. An automatic management network provisioning system comprising a management server including a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor to cause the management server to perform the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 ; and
wherein each of the broadcasting the provisioning request, the receiving the at least one provisioning reply, and the broadcasting the provisioning configuration packet are performed by the management server.
13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable program instructions executable by an automatic management network provisioning server to cause the server to perform a method comprising:
broadcasting a provisioning request to one or more devices of a network environment;
receiving at least one provisioning reply from at least one of the one or more devices; and
broadcasting a provisioning configuration packet to each device from which one of the provisioning replies was received,
wherein the provisioning request comprises an instruction configured to cause each of the one or more devices of the network environment exhibiting a default network configuration parameter to broadcast one of the provisioning replies.
14. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
broadcasting a provisioning request to one or more devices of a network environment;
receiving at least one provisioning reply from at least one of the one or more devices; and
broadcasting a provisioning configuration packet to at least the device(s) from which the at least one provisioning reply was received,
wherein each provisioning reply comprises:
an indication that the device from which the provisioning reply was received exhibits a default network configuration parameter, and
identifying information corresponding to the device exhibiting the default network configuration parameter.
15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the provisioning request comprises identifying information corresponding to a network provisioning management server of the network environment.
16. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the provisioning request comprises an instruction configured to cause each of the one or more devices of the network environment exhibiting a default network configuration parameter to broadcast one of the provisioning replies.
17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the default network configuration parameter comprises a default IP address.
18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the default network configuration parameter comprises a default IP address; and
wherein the identifying information uniquely identifies the device exhibiting the default IP address within the network environment.
19. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the provisioning configuration packet comprises:
at least one unique value of a network configuration parameter.
20. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the network configuration parameter comprises an IP address; and
wherein each different one of the unique values is assigned to a different one of the devices from which the provisioning replies were received; and
wherein the unique values are assigned based on information identifying each different one of the devices from which the provisioning replies were received.
21. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 20 , comprising: verifying some or all of the unique values assigned to the different devices.
22. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the broadcasting the provisioning configuration packet to the device from which the provisioning reply was received is performed automatically in response to receiving the provisioning reply from the device.
23. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 , wherein one or more of the provisioning request, the at least one provisioning reply, and the provisioning configuration packet comprises a magic packet style header.
24. An automatic management network provisioning system comprising a management server including a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor to cause the management server to perform the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 ; and
wherein each of the broadcasting the provisioning request, the receiving the at least one provisioning reply, and the broadcasting the provisioning configuration packet are performed by the management server.
25. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable program instructions executable by an automatic management network provisioning server to cause the server to perform a method comprising:
broadcasting a provisioning request to one or more devices of a network environment;
receiving at least one provisioning reply from at least one of the one or more devices; and
broadcasting a provisioning configuration packet to each device from which one of the provisioning replies was received,
wherein each provisioning reply comprises:
an indication that the device from which the provisioning reply was received exhibits a default network configuration parameter, and
identifying information corresponding to the device exhibiting the default network configuration parameter.