Patent ID: 7509324

Claim:
A system for sharing configuration information among a plurality of devices, the system comprising: a network; a plurality of consumer devices in communication with the network; and a plurality of producer devices in communication with the network the plurality of producer devices able to communicate with the plurality of consumer devices via the network, each of the plurality of producer devices including an active configuration information protocol having an active incrementable CONFIG ID corresponding to an active data that is independent of configuration information protocol of other producer devices without a common database of configuration information protocol or a central configuration information repository that when provided to one of the plurality of consumer devices allow the receiving consumer device to properly configure the corresponding active data received from the producer device from which the configuration information protocol was received, one of the plurality of producer devices having configuration information that can be different than the configuration information in another of the plurality of producer devices, the consumer device configured to compare the active incrementable CONFIG ID to a previously obtained incrementable CONFIG ID that corresponds to a previously obtained configuration information protocol, each of the plurality of consumer devices able to automatically request the active configuration information protocol from one of the plurality of producer devices in response to a mismatch between the active incrementable CONFIG ID and the previously obtained incrementable CONFIG ID detectable by the consumer, the one of the plurality of the producer devices being responsive to the request without alteration of data or configuration information produced from the one of the plurality of producer devices.