Patent ID: 7568048

Claim:
An apparatus for assigning a first IP address to a first informational processing device connected to a network, the first informational processing device comprising the apparatus and configured as a client, the apparatus comprising: a network interface card electronically connecting the first informational processing device to the network and allowing communication over the network; a computer readable recording medium storing a program; a Central Processing Unit (CPU) coupled to the network interface card and executing the program, the program comprising: an IP setting module receiving a range of IP addresses allocated to the network, storing the range of IP addresses allocated to the network on the first informational processing device, sending IP address request data packet over the network requesting a second IP address assigned to a second informational processing device connected to the network, operating in an address setting mode for a specific time-out period after the IP address request data packet has been send over the network, the time-out period is sufficient to receive response from the second informational processing device, receiving the second IP address from the second informational processing device, creating an IP address table, the IP address table comprising a computer identifier corresponding to a currently assigned the received second IP address of the second each responding informational processing device, wherein the computer identifier comprises an identification number assigned to the second informational processing device, which is usable to identify the second informational processing device on the network, and assigning an unassigned first IP address to the first informational processing device from range of IP addresses allocated to the network upon expiration of the specific time-out period, wherein the unassigned first IP address is distinct from the second IP address of the second informational processing device, updating the IP address table to contain the computer identifier and the unassigned first IP address of the first informational processing device; an IP address notification module communicating the unassigned first IP address over the network in response to assigning the unassigned first IP address to the first informational processing device, wherein communicating the unassigned first IP address over the network comprising transmitting an IP address notification data packet using UDP.