Patent ID: 7640334

Claim:
An apparatus for physical detection and tracking of devices on a computer network disposed within a building comprising a first room and plurality of rooms, distinct from the first room, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of outlets, each outlet thereof housed within a room of the plurality of rooms and containing substantially exclusively, as its electronically active elements, electrical conductors carrying data signals unprocessed therethrough; a network infrastructure device operably connected to the network and selected from the group consisting of a switch, a router, and a hub; the network infrastructure device housed within the first room and comprising a plurality of ports, each port thereof operably connected to an outlet of the plurality of outlets corresponding exclusively thereto; a plurality of workstations, each workstation thereof located in a room of the plurality of rooms and operably connected to an outlet of the plurality of outlets housed therein; the network infrastructure device, further storing and automatically updating a connection table mapping each port of the plurality of ports to an identification corresponding to a workstation of the plurality of workstations connected thereto and independent from any identification of any room of the plurality of rooms; a processor connected to the network, for executing executable data structures; and a memory device operably connected to the processor for storing the executable data structures and associated operational data structures, the executable and operational data structures comprising: a reporting module configured to query the network infrastructure device and obtain end point connection information corresponding to a first workstation of the plurality of workstations, the end point connection information comprising information from the connection table identifying a port of the plurality of ports through which the first workstation connects to the network infrastructure device; and a correlation module storing a correlation table relating end point connection information to the plurality of rooms, the correlation module programmed to receive from the reporting module the end point connection information and consult the correlation table to identify a room of the plurality of rooms housing the first workstation.