There is a need to be able to discover any number of devices in any directly or indirectly reachable networks when such devices do not have any layer-2 and/or layer-3 addressing information since they not actively participate in any of the normal network protocols in use.
Often the IDs or labels used by the protocols are not the same in both directions. If the device is not participating in the underlying protocols (e.g., MPLS, L2TPv3, GTP-U, etc.), the device, such as a Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) with a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Network Interface Device (NID), module or other platform does not know what ID or label to use to communicate.
The device must also be able to be discovered without (but not excluding) being pre-programmed with information specific to the network or the control infrastructure.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds