Patent ID: 6493767
Filing Date: 2002-12-10
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A network address supply system comprising:a plurality of terminal equipment; a server; and a switching HUB to which said plurality of terminal equipment and said server are connected via communication lines, each of said plurality of terminal equipment comprising: an address supply requesting unit, when a terminal equipment does not have a network address of the terminal equipment itself, broadcasting an address supply request broadcast packet to said switching HUB, said switching HUB comprising: a plurality of interfaces, a first line data storing unit storing information about an interface receiving an address broadcast packet broadcasted from said server as interface information; and a communication line control unit, when one of said plurality of interfaces receives an address supply request broadcast packet from one of said plurality of terminal equipment, transmitting the address supply request broadcast packet to only an interface corresponding to the interface information stored in said first line data storing unit, said server comprising: a network address storing unit storing unused network addresses in said network system, and an address supplying unit, when receiving the address supply request broadcast packet, broadcasting an address broadcast packet containing an unused network address stored in said network address storing unit as a response packet to the address supply request broadcast packet.