Method and arrangement for configuring a device in a data network

A method for configuring a device in a data network, the data network comprising an address server, one or more devices requiring configuration, and one or more parameter servers, the method comprising:

• storing a domain name for a device in the device, the stored domain name is a fictitious domain name which does not belong to a real domain;
• storing in the device a real domain name with which the device is associated;
• storing in an address server on the data network a data record comprising an IP address of a particular parameter server of the one or more parameter servers, wherein the particular parameter server is associated with the domain name;
• transmitting a first request message to the addressing server by the device, the first request message comprising the domain name;
• ascertaining by the address server the data record associated with the domain name in the received message;
• transmitting the IP address of the particular parameter server to the device by the addressing server in response to a receipt of the first request message,
• wherein the device uses the IP address to set up a connection to the particular parameter server, and
• wherein the particular parameter server uses this connection to transmit to the device parameters which are used to configure the device,
• prior to transmitting the first request message:
• transmitting a second request message to the addressing server, the second request message comprising the real domain name;
• and
• receiving a negative acknowledgement by the device from the addressing server when address information for the parameter server cannot be ascertained in the domain name system server based on the real domain name transmitted in the second request message,
• wherein the transmission of the first request message with the fictitious domain name to the addressing server is in response to the receipt of the negative acknowledgement message.

An arrangement for configuring a device in a data network, the data network comprising an address server, one or more devices requiring configuration, and one or more parameter servers, the device having a memory, the arrangement comprising:

• an addressing server for converting between a domain name of a device and an Internet protocol (IP) address of a particular parameter server comprising the parameters to configure the device;
• wherein the device, the addressing server, and the parameter server are connected via the data network, wherein
• the device is designed to:
• store a fictitious domain name and a real domain name, the fictitious domain name is a fully-qualified domain name, the real domain name is associated with the device,
• transmitting a first request message to the addressing server, the first request message comprising the real domain name;
• receiving a negative acknowledgement from the addressing server when address information cannot be ascertained, by the address server, for the real domain name transmitted, and
• transmit, after receiving the negative acknowledgement, a second request message to the addressing server, said second request message comprising the fictitious domain name stored in the device, wherein
• the addressing server is designed to:
• use the domain name transmitted by the device to look up a text field associated with the transmitted domain name, the text field having address information of the particular parameter server, the address information including a port number,
• form a response message comprising the looked address information of the particular parameter server assigned to the device, the response being a negative acknowledgement when the address information cannot be ascertained, the response message transmitted to the device in response to the request message,
• wherein the device is further designed to connect to the particular parameter server based on the response message, and
• wherein the particular parameter server is adapted to send parameters to the device.