Patent ID: 8358648

Claim:
A computer system for assigning network identifiers to client devices in a network, the system comprising: a first client device that includes a first set of functional capabilities; a second client device that includes a second set of functional capabilities; and a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server that allocates a first socket IP address including an IPv4 address and a first group of ports and that allocates a second socket IP address including the IPv4 address and a second group of ports, wherein the DHCP server assigns the first socket IP address to the first client device and the second socket IP address to the second client device, wherein the DHCP server temporarily stores at an address resolution protocol (ARP) table the first socket IP address in association with the first client device and the second socket IP address in association with the second client device, wherein a number of ports within the first group of ports is a function of either network traffic or the first set of functional capabilities exhibited by the first client device, and wherein a number of ports within the second group of ports is a function of either the network traffic or the second set of functional capabilities exhibited by the second client device.