Patent ID: 8078576

Claim:
A network method comprising: receiving, at a registrar host, a query for particular network management information (NMI) from a consumer device; determining, at the registrar host, if first metadata associated with the particular network management information (NMI) is included in a first registry record in registry memory; providing, when included in the registry memory, the first metadata associated with the particular network management information (NMI) and including a particular NMI identifier for the particular network management information (NMI) and an address associated with a producer device from the registrar host to the consumer device, wherein the first metadata identifies the producer device as a source of the particular network management information (NMI) that is identified by the NMI identifier; receiving second metadata associated with the particular network management information (NMI) from the consumer device wherein the second metadata includes the particular NMI identifier for the particular network management information (NMI) and an address associated with the consumer device, wherein the second metadata identifies the consumer device as a source that duplicates the particular network management information (NMI) that is identified by the NMI identifier; and storing the second metadata associated with the particular network management information (NMI) and including the particular NMI identifier for the particular network management information (NMI) and the address associated with the consumer device in a second registry record in the registry memory, wherein after storing the second metadata, the registry memory includes the first and second registry records, wherein the first registry record includes the particular NMI identifier for the particular network management information (NMI) and the address associated with the producer device, and wherein the second registry record includes the particular NMI identifier for the particular network management information (NMI) and the address associated with the consumer device, so that the first and second registry records in the registry memory at the registry host identify the producer device and the consumer device as different sources duplicating the same particular network management information identified by the NMI identifier.