Patent ID: 7317693

Claim:
A method for passively and automatically identifying a router on a network, comprising: reading a first packet transmitted on the network; decoding the first packet into a first plurality of protocol fields; identifying a first one of address resolution protocol and dynamic host configuration protocol from the first plurality of protocol fields; identifying a first Internet protocol address and a first primary media access control address from the first one of address resolution protocol and dynamic host configuration protocol; reading a second packet transmitted on the network; decoding the second packet into a second plurality of protocol fields; identifying a second one of address resolution protocol and dynamic host configuration protocol from the second plurality of protocol fields; identifying a second Internet protocol address and a second primary media access control address from the second one of address resolution protocol and dynamic host configuration protocol; reading a third packet transmitted on the network; decoding the third packet into a third plurality of protocol fields; identifying an Internet protocol address and a media access control address from the third plurality of protocol fields; and if the Internet protocol address comprises the second Internet protocol address and the media access control address comprises the first primary media access control address, then identifying an initiator of the first packet as the router.