Patent ID: 7203954

Claim:
In a Set-Top Box configured with a modem and a Main Circuit Board where the Main Circuit Board is connected to the modem via an interconnection, a method of enabling the Main Circuit Board to determine the IP address of the modem, comprising: at the modem: periodically broadcasting a Discovery Packet over the interconnection from the modem to the Main Circuit Board, by addressing the Discovery Packet to a broadcast address that can be received by the Main Circuit Board, the Discovery Packet comprising at least the IP address of the modem in order to permit the Main Circuit Board to learn the modem's IP address; and at the Main Circuit Board: monitoring the interconnection for receipt of broadcast Discovery Packets addressed to the broadcast address; receiving the broadcast Discovery Packet addressed to the broadcast address at the Main Circuit Board from the modem over the interconnection; and ascertaining the IP address of the modem from the broadcast Discovery Packet.