Locating network servers using media access control (mac) addresses
AssigneeSling Media Pvt Ltd
InventorsSHRUTHI SHANKAR, VIKAS YELAGONDA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various systems, device and automated processes allow video streaming hosts or other server devices to submit their media access control (MAC) addresses to a backend address server operating on a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. Client devices attempting to subsequently contact the server device can contact the address to obtain the MAC address of the target server, thereby allowing the client device to locate and contact the server device using the obtained MAC address.
Claims15
An automated process executed by a processor of a client device to establish a connection with a server device, the automated process comprising:
- initially authenticating the client device with a backend server via a wide area network;
- upon successfully authenticating with the backend server, receiving a media access control (MAC) address of the server device from the backend server via the wide area network and storing the received MAC address of the server device by the client device;
- after receiving the MAC address of the server device, the client device connecting to a second network that is separate from the wide area network;
- identifying, by the client device, the previously-stored MAC address of the server operating on the second network;
- and
- connecting to the server device via the second network using the previously-stored MAC address of the server device.
The automated process of claim 5 wherein the second network is a local area network that is hosted by the server device, and wherein the client device recognizes the server device on the second network by the MAC address.
The automated process executed by a processor of a backend computer system that communicates via a digital network, the automated process comprising:
- receiving, by the backend computer system, a media access control (MAC) address associated with a server device;
- storing the received MAC address associated with the server device in a database;
- subsequently receiving a request from a client device;
- and
- in response to the request, retrieving the MAC address associated with the server device from the database and delivering the retrieved MAC address associated with the server device to the client device to thereby permit the client device to store the MAC address associated with the server device locally and thereby recognize the server device on a second network that is separate from the digital network.
A server device comprising:
- a first data interface to a host device that communicates via a wide area network;
- a second data interface having a MAC address, wherein the second data interface is configured to host a second network that is separate from the wide area network;
- and
- a processor configured to initially provide the MAC address of the second data interface to the host device via the first data interface to thereby transmit the MAC address of the second data interface to a backend server on the wide area network, and wherein the processor is further configured to receive a request for a connection from a client device via the second data interface using the MAC address and to establish a connection to the client device via the second network, wherein the client device obtains the MAC address of the second network interface from the backend server via the wide area network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.