Device and method for using MAC address of networked devices to set IP addresses

An IP address setting system, comprising:

• a plurality of nodes of a network;
• an IP address setting device;
• and
• a router, the plurality of nodes and the IP address setting device communicating via the router,
• wherein each node of the plurality of nodes has a storing unit that prestores a particular multicast address prior to being included as a node on the network, each node providing notification that the node is a member of the particular multicast address prestored in the storing unit;
• wherein the IP address setting device comprises:
• a request packet transmitting unit that transmits a request packet to the particular multicast address prestored in the storing unit of each node, the request packet requesting transmission of MAC addresses from the nodes of the network,
• wherein the each node has a response transmitting unit that transmits, in response to the request packet, a response to a multicast address, to which the IP address setting device has joined, each response including the MAC address of the each node;
• and
• wherein the IP address setting device further comprises:
• a response reception unit that receives responses from the nodes to the request packet transmitted by the request packet transmitting unit;
• an address information designation unit (1) that, based on the responses received from the nodes by the response reception unit, designates one node, which has not yet been set with address information that is required for the one node to communicate with the plurality of nodes in the network, to be set with address information including an IP address and (2) that designates the address information,
• wherein the address information designation unit includes:
• a display that displays a list of nodes that transmitted responses;
• a selection unit that enables a user to designate the one node to be set with address information from the list;
• and
• an address information setting unit that designates the address information for the one node;
• and
• a setting packet transmission unit that transmits a setting packet to the particular multicast address, the setting packet including the address information set by the address information designation unit and the MAC address included in the response of the one node.