Relative location determination for auto-configuration of computing systems in a network environment

A computing device configured to automatically establish a configuration based upon a relative location of the computing device in a network environment, the system comprising:

• a processor and memory;
• at least two near field transmitter-receivers disposed a correspondingly different positions on a surface of the computing device and coupled to the processor and memory, the transmitter-receivers cooperatively communicating data in respectively different electromagnetic near fields;
• and,
• an auto-configuration module executing in the memory by the processor, the module comprising program code enabled upon execution in the memory to broadcast into one of the electromagnetic near fields from at least one of the surface positions an identification of the computing device, and a position identification of a corresponding one of the surface positions, to receive in at least one of the transmitter-receivers from a corresponding electromagnetic near field, an identification of another computing device, and a corresponding position from which the identification had been broadcast, to determine a position relative of the computing device relative to another computing device transmitting the received identification and corresponding position, and to establish a device configuration in the computing device based upon the determined relative position.

A computer program product for auto-configuring computing devices disposed in a network environment based upon a relative location of each of the computing devices, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to perform a method comprising:

• broadcasting by the device into an electromagnetic near field from at least two surface positions of a computing device an identification of the computing device, and a position identification of a corresponding one of the surface positions;
• receiving by the device in a receiver disposed on at least one of the surface positions, an identification of another computing device, and a corresponding position from which the identification had been broadcast;
• repeating by the device the broadcasting and receiving in a multiplicity of other computing devices;
• determining by the device in each of the computing devices a position relative to another of the computing devices;
• and,
• establishing a device configuration in each of the computing devices based upon a correspondingly determined relative position.