US 9,432,329 B2Granted

Network address assignment with duplication detection

AssigneeNetApp, Inc.

InventorsTimothy Eric Nicholson, Eric Peter Dutko, Jeffrey Alan Fultz, Brian Hackworth

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Abstract

Network storage system configuration via a network is disclosed. A network address assignment component is configured to listen for network discovery requests over the network. Responsive to receiving a network discovery request from a network storage system, one or more candidate network addresses are (e.g., randomly) generated until an available candidate network address is generated. For example, if a first candidate network address is determined as available (e.g., not used by another device within the network), then the first candidate network address is offered and/or assigned to the network storage system as an initial configuration network address that may be used to provide configuration access to the network storage system, otherwise a second candidate network address is generated and/or evaluated for availability. As such, configuration access may be provided over the network to the network storage system regardless of whether the network comprises an IP address assigning (e.g., DHCP) server.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for offering a network address to a network storage system within a network without using a dynamic host control protocol (DHCP) server, comprising:

a memory containing non-transitory, machine readable medium comprising machine executable code having stored thereon instructions;
and a hardware-based processor module coupled to the memory executes a network address assignment component that is configured to:
listen for network discovery requests directly from the network storage system over the network having a plurality of devices without an operational DHCP server;
responsive to receiving a network discovery request from the network storage system:
generate one or more candidate network addresses until an available candidate network address is generated, comprising:
generate a first candidate network address;
determine whether the first candidate network address is being utilized by at least one device on the network by sending an address resolution protocol request associated with the first candidate network address to the plurality of devices of the network and receiving an address resolution protocol reply before an occurrence of a timeout with respect to the address resolution protocol request;
and
responsive to the first candidate network address not being utilized by at least one device on the network after an occurrence of the timeout with respect to the address resolution protocol request, determine that the first candidate network address is the available candidate network address, otherwise determine that the first candidate network address is not the available candidate network address;
send a network assignment offer to the network storage system, the network assignment offer specifying the available candidate network address for use by the network storage system;
and
assign the available candidate network address to the network storage system as an initial configuration network address;
wherein the initial configuration network address is used to provide configuration access to the network storage system for configuring the network storage system by a storage system configuration tool to use a storage protocol and configure storage devices of the network storage system for storing data.

10 more elements

A method for offering a network address to a network storage system within a network having a plurality of devices without using a dynamic host control protocol (DHCP) server, comprising:

listening for network discovery requests from the network storage system over the network;
responsive to receiving a network discovery request from the network storage system:
generating one or more candidate network addresses until an available candidate network address is generated, the generating comprising:
generating a first candidate network address;
determining whether the first candidate network address is being utilized by at least one device on the network by sending an address resolution protocol request across the network;
and receiving an address resolution protocol reply before an occurrence of a timeout with respect to the address resolution protocol request;
and
responsive to the first candidate network address not being utilized by least one device on the network after identifying an occurrence of the timeout with respect to the address resolution protocol request, determining that the first candidate network address is the available candidate network address, otherwise determining that the first candidate network address is not the available candidate network address;
sending a network assignment offer to the network storage system, the network assignment offer specifying the available candidate network address for use by the network storage system;
and
assigning the available candidate network address to the network storage system as an initial configuration network address;
wherein the initial configuration network address is used to provide configuration access to the network storage system for configuring the network storage system by a storage system configuration tool to use a storage protocol and configure storage devices of the network storage system for storing data.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.