Patent ID: 7881224

Claim:
An access unit for coupling a plurality of subscribers to a data communication network, said access unit comprising: an auto-configuration control unit, including an associated processor and memory, and configured to learn, from first auto-configuration data issued by an auto-configuration server and transiting through said access unit to first subscriber coupled to said access unit, a first network address dynamically assigned to said first subscriber, and from second auto-configuration data transiting through said data communication network, a second network address assigned to a second subscriber, the second network address being assigned and arriving at the access unit later in time as compared to the first network address; and an auto-configuration preemption unit, including an associated processor and memory, and coupled to said auto-configuration control unit, and configured to issue an auto-configuration control signal to said first subscriber if said first network address is a same network address as said second network address, the auto configuration control signal forcing a new auto-configuration session to be initiated between said first subscriber and said auto-configuration server and forcing a new network address to be dynamically assigned to said first subscriber.