Patent ID: 7302484
Filing Date: 2007-11-27
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of providing network addresses for hosts on a network, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: generating and storing, as part of a subnet management process, network configuration information indicating a plurality of network addresses to be distributed among a plurality of network devices, wherein a subnet is a set of contiguous network addresses; generating and storing policy information indicating a policy set of one or more policy processes, each policy process for selecting an available subnet from a plurality of available network addresses of the plurality of network addresses; wherein each policy process manages a plurality of available network addresses of the plurality of network addresses; receiving, from a subnet requesting process, a request for a subnet to be used by a particular network device; invoking a particular policy process to determine a particular subnet based on the network configuration information, the request, and the policy set, wherein the particular policy process manages a particular plurality of available network addresses of the plurality of network addresses and determines the particular subnet by performing: sending a response indicating the particular subnet to the subnet requesting process.