Patent ID: 8774056

Claim:
A method for automatically discovering devices on a network, the method comprising: utilizing a neighbor discovery protocol for communicating a one way unacknowledged neighbor discovery protocol message by a neighbor discovery protocol transmitting device to a neighbor discovery protocol receiving device in a power management system wherein the neighbor discovery protocol transmitting device is power meter, an intelligent electronic device (IED) or a Modbus device which is operable to update message data and periodically or dynamically transmit a neighbor discovery protocol message for receiving device information about the neighbor discovery protocol transmitting device; receiving a neighbor discovery protocol message from one or more neighbor discovery protocol transmitting devices over the network, wherein the neighbor discovery protocol message for a particular neighbor discovery protocol transmitting device includes device information for that particular transmitting device and each neighbor discovery protocol transmitting device comprises, at least, a power meter, an intelligent electronic device (IED) or a Modbus device; reviewing the neighbor discovery protocol message from the one or more neighbor discovery protocol transmitting devices to identify at least one or more of the transmitting devices on the network; and listening for another neighbor discovery protocol message from each of one or more neighbor discovery protocol transmitting devices on the network, wherein the receiving and reviewing are repeated for each of the neighbor discovery protocol messages that are received.