METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RESOLVING CONFLICTING DEVICES ON A NETWORK

摘要

A method and apparatus are disclosed for automatically detecting and resolving conflicts between devices on a security network by comparing the IP addresses of all devices on the network. When one or more conflicts are detected, the user is presented with the option of reassigning the conflicting device to a DHCP address, or to a new static IP address. The new static IP address can be configured to lie within a user defined range. In one embodiment, a default changes the address to any free address on the network. The disclosed method and apparatus automates the conflict resolution process without requiring that network devices (e.g., cameras, camera encoders) be individually and sequentially connected to the security network in order to resolve conflicts. The disclosed approach results in reduced human interaction and is much faster than the traditional approach of adding devices one at a time to the network. Other embodiments are also disclosed.