A method comprising: sending a DHCP discovery message via a network, wherein the sending is performed by a first network device (114-2), and the sending is performed in response to the first network device being associated with a first machine; and wherein the DHCP discovery message does not comprise a designated field for storing a network name; receiving the DHCP discovery message, at a machine switch (111), via the network, wherein the DHCP discovery message is received from the first network device (114-2), and the machine switch adds a designated field for storing a network name to the DHCP discovery message, the designated field being the DHCP option field; determining a network name representing the name of the first network device, wherein the network name is determined by the machine switch; transmitting the DHCP discovery message to a server via a plurality of network routing elements, the method further comprising determining at each network routing element a network name associated with the preceding network routing element and modifying and adding the network name to the designated field, the modified network name including a value representing the physical location of the previous network routing element within the topology of the network; sending a DHCP offer message via the network, wherein the DHCP offer message is sent by the server, and the DHCP offer message comprises the network name; receiving at the first network device the DHCP offer message via the network, wherein the DHCP offer message comprises the network name, wherein the network name indicates a physical location of the first network device within a topology of the network, wherein the network comprises a plurality of organizational levels, and the network name comprises information describing each of the plurality of organizational levels. sending a DHCP discovery message via a network, wherein the sending is performed by a first network device (114-2), and the sending is performed in response to the first network device being associated with a first machine; and wherein the DHCP discovery message does not comprise a designated field for storing a network name; receiving the DHCP discovery message, at a machine switch (111), via the network, wherein the DHCP discovery message is received from the first network device (114-2), and the machine switch adds a designated field for storing a network name to the DHCP discovery message, the designated field being the DHCP option field; determining a network name representing the name of the first network device, wherein the network name is determined by the machine switch; transmitting the DHCP discovery message to a server via a plurality of network routing elements, the method further comprising determining at each network routing element a network name associated with the preceding network routing element and modifying and adding the network name to the designated field, the modified network name including a value representing the physical location of the previous network routing element within the topology of the network; sending a DHCP offer message via the network, wherein the DHCP offer message is sent by the server, and the DHCP offer message comprises the network name; receiving at the first network device the DHCP offer message via the network, wherein the DHCP offer message comprises the network name, wherein the network name indicates a physical location of the first network device within a topology of the network, wherein the network comprises a plurality of organizational levels, and the network name comprises information describing each of the plurality of organizational levels.