Patent ID: 8478891

Claim:
A computer system for determining data-link layer addresses of client devices in a local network, the system comprising: a destination host device that is active on the local network; an originating host device that broadcasts a request message to a plurality of nodes connected via the local network, wherein the request message includes an IPv4 address; and a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server that assigns a first socket IP address to the destination host device and a second socket IP address to the originating host device, wherein the first socket IP address includes the IPv4 address and a first group of ports, wherein the second socket IP address includes the IPv4 address and a second group of ports, and wherein the second group of ports that does not overlap the first group of ports, and wherein the DHCP server temporarily stores at an address resolution protocol (ARP) table the first socket IP address in association with the destination host device and the second socket IP address in association with the originating host device; wherein the originating host device writes an entry into a host table utilizing a response from the destination host device or the DHCP server to the request message, the entry including a data-link layer address mapped to the IPv4 address and the first group of ports assigned to the destination host device, wherein the originating host device incorporates the data-link layer address into a header of one or more data packets, wherein the destination host device receives the one or more data packets upon transmission from the originating host device, and wherein the first socket IP address uniquely identifies the destination host device from other host devices that are associated with the IPv4 address within the plurality of nodes connected via the local network.