Patent ID: 9736530
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04N

Claim:
1. A network device for a network comprising circuitry configured to provide communication capability, generate a database containing information about a network device of said network, the information comprising a date and time at which the network device has logged into the network, a logical address, a physical address, and a unique identifier of the respective network device, the unique identifier being independent of both the logical address and the physical address such that the unique identifier does not change when either the logical address or the physical address changes, wherein the database includes an operation history data table having first information indicating a source/sink operation in which a particular network device operates as a source and another particular network device operates as a sink for the source, second information indicating the logical address and the physical address of each of the source and the sink, third information indicating a time and date of the source/sink operation and fourth information indicating the unique identifier of each of the source and the sink, and add a data record to the operation history data table each time the source/sink operation has been carried out.