CN114390029A

CN114390029A - Electronic device, method for executing the same, and computer-readable medium

Info

Publication number: CN114390029A
Application number: CN202011111520.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李居
Original assignee: Arris Enterprises LLC
Current assignee: Arris Enterprises LLC
Priority date: 2020-10-16
Filing date: 2020-10-16
Publication date: 2022-04-22

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a method performed by the same, and a computer-readable medium. An electronic device, comprising: a memory having instructions stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: the method includes transmitting a request message to a second device based on a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) in response to the electronic device being connected to the second device, the request message requesting configuration information of the second device, wherein the electronic device is connected to the second device as a DHCP client, and receiving a DHCP-based response message from the second device, by which the electronic device can obtain the configuration information of the second device.

Description

Electronic device, method for executing the same, and computer-readable medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to Wi-Fi networks and, more particularly, to obtaining configuration information for a wireless Access Point (AP) device of a Wi-Fi network.

Background

Wi-Fi networks are widely used today. Typically, a user requests to join a Wi-Fi network of a wireless Access Point (AP) through a client device and successfully joins the Wi-Fi network of the AP via a trust credential. To obtain a better usage experience, the user may use a new AP device, for example, to replace an old router device with a new router device. Typically, when a user uses a new router device, the new router device needs to be configured. For example, it is often necessary to configure a Wi-Fi network name and password for connecting to a Wi-Fi network via the router device.

However, there is still a need to improve the convenience of a user configuring an AP device.

Disclosure of Invention

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device, comprising: a memory having instructions stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: the method includes the steps of responding to the connection of the electronic device to a second device, sending a request message to the second device based on a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), the request message requesting Configuration information of the second device, wherein the electronic device is connected to the second device serving as a DHCP server in a DHCP client form, and receiving a response message based on the DHCP from the second device, and the electronic device can obtain the Configuration information of the second device through the response message.

In some aspects, the electronic device further comprises a wide area network interface, wherein connecting the electronic device to the second device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client is achieved by connecting the wide area network interface of the electronic device with the local area network interface of the second device.

In some aspects, connecting the electronic device to a second device that is a DHCP server in a DHCP client form is enabled by a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) connection, wherein the electronic device connects as a WPS registrar and the second device connects as a WPS registrar.

In some aspects, the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: enabling the electronic device to make a WPS connection as a WPS registrar in response to a user input.

In some aspects, a first flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the first flag is a first value, the electronic device is allowed to request configuration information of another device from the other device based on DHCP, and when the first flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from requesting configuration information of the other device from the other device based on DHCP, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: and when the first flag bit of the electronic equipment is a first value, responding to the connection of the electronic equipment to the second equipment, and sending the request message to the second equipment based on DHCP.

In some aspects, the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: setting a first flag bit of the electronic device to a second value in response to configuration information of the electronic device being modified.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device, comprising: a memory having instructions stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: receiving a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) -based request message requesting configuration information of the electronic device from a second device connected to the electronic device, wherein the second device is connected to the electronic device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client, and transmitting a DHCP-based reply message to the second device in response to receiving the request message, by which the second device can obtain the configuration information of the electronic device.

In some aspects, the electronic device further comprises a local area network interface, wherein the second device is connected to the electronic device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client by connecting the wide area network interface of the second device with the local area network interface of the electronic device.

In some aspects, the second device is enabled to connect to an electronic device as a DHCP server in a DHCP client form through a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) connection, wherein the electronic device connects as a WPS registrar and the second device connects as a WPS registrar.

In some aspects, a second flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the second flag is a first value, the electronic device is allowed to provide configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and when the second flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from providing configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: and when the second flag bit of the electronic equipment is a first value, responding to the received request message and sending the response message to the second equipment.

In some aspects, the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: modifying a second flag of the electronic device in response to a user input.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method performed by an electronic device, comprising: the method includes transmitting a request message to a second device based on a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) in response to the electronic device being connected to the second device, the request message requesting configuration information of the second device, wherein the electronic device is connected to the second device as a DHCP client, and receiving a DHCP-based response message from the second device, by which the electronic device can obtain the configuration information of the second device.

In some aspects, connecting the electronic device to the second device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client is accomplished by connecting a wide area network interface of the electronic device with a local area network interface of the second device.

In some aspects, a first flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the first flag is a first value, the electronic device is allowed to request configuration information of another device from another device based on DHCP, and when the first flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from requesting the configuration information of the another device from another device based on DHCP, the method further comprising: and when the second flag bit of the electronic equipment is a first value, responding to the received request message and sending the response message to the second equipment.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method performed by an electronic device, comprising: receiving a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) -based request message requesting configuration information of the electronic device from a second device connected to the electronic device, wherein the second device is connected to the electronic device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client, and transmitting a DHCP-based reply message to the second device in response to receiving the request message, by which the second device can obtain the configuration information of the electronic device.

In some aspects, a second flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the second flag is a first value, the electronic device is allowed to provide the configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and when the second flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from providing the configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and the method further comprises: and when the second flag bit of the electronic equipment is a first value, responding to the received request message and sending the response message to the second equipment.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to: the method includes transmitting a request message to a second device based on a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) in response to the electronic device being connected to the second device, the request message requesting configuration information of the second device, wherein the electronic device is connected to the second device as a DHCP client, and receiving a DHCP-based response message from the second device, by which the electronic device can obtain the configuration information of the second device.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to: receiving a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) -based request message requesting configuration information of the electronic device from a second device connected to the electronic device, wherein the second device is connected to the electronic device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client, and transmitting a DHCP-based reply message to the second device in response to receiving the request message, by which the second device can obtain the configuration information of the electronic device.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus implemented by an electronic device, comprising means for performing the steps of the aforementioned method.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the present disclosure, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary network environment, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary signaling flow diagram for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) based communications;

fig. 4 shows an example diagram of connecting a new AP device and an old AP device in a wired manner as a DHCP client and a DHCP server, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 5 is an exemplary signaling flow diagram illustrating DHCP-based communication between AP devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Note that like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawings. Further, multiple instances of the same part are specified by a common prefix separated from the instance number by a dash.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings and is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The following description includes various details to aid understanding, but these details are to be regarded as examples only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. The words and phrases used in the following description are used only to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known structures, functions, and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the examples described herein can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As described above, when a user uses a new AP device, the AP device needs to be configured first, for example, a name and a password for accessing the Wi-Fi network through the AP device need to be set. In general, it is desirable to configure a new AP device using configuration information of an original AP device, which may enable all client devices accessing a Wi-Fi network through the original AP device in a current network environment to automatically access the Wi-Fi network without modifying the client devices one by one. Otherwise, if the Wi-Fi network name and password are modified, the user has to look up the new Wi-Fi network name and enter a new password on each client device.

In order to configure a new AP device, a user needs to access a configuration page of the AP device, set a name and a password of the Wi-Fi network. This is often time consuming because the user does not need to access the configuration page of the AP device often, and thus the access path to the configuration page is not familiar with or may be forgotten. On the other hand, manually entering the name and password of a Wi-Fi network is also time consuming. Moreover, because client devices are typically password-free to log onto a Wi-Fi network without requiring the user to manually enter a password, the user may not record the password required to connect to the Wi-Fi network. At this time, the user has to access the configuration page of the old AP device to obtain the password of the Wi-Fi network and then use the password to configure the new AP device.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method of automatically synchronizing a new AP device using an old AP device. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the term "old AP device" is used herein to refer to a device that desires to use its configuration information, and the term "new AP device" refers to a device that desires to use to obtain configuration information of other AP devices. These terms are for convenience of description only and are not intended to be limiting in any way. The inventive concept of the present disclosure is to enable a new AP device to automatically obtain configuration information of an old AP device using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) based communication.

Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 presents a block diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device 100 in accordance with some embodiments.

The electronic device 100 may be used to perform various embodiments of methods according to the present disclosure described below. Electronic device 100 may include a processing subsystem 110, a memory subsystem 112, and a networking subsystem 114. Processing subsystem 110 includes one or more devices configured to perform computing operations. For example, processing subsystems 110 may include one or more microprocessors, ASICs, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, Graphics Processor Units (GPUs), and/or one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs).

Memory subsystem 112 includes one or more devices for storing data and/or instructions for processing subsystem 110 and networking subsystem 114. For example, memory subsystem 112 may include Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), and/or other types of memory (sometimes collectively or individually referred to as "computer-readable storage media").

In some embodiments, memory subsystem 112 is coupled to one or more high capacity mass storage devices (not shown). For example, the memory subsystem 112 may be coupled to a magnetic or optical drive, a solid state drive, or another type of mass storage device. In these embodiments, electronic device 100 may use memory subsystem 112 for fast-access storage of frequently used data, while mass storage devices are used to store infrequently used data.

Networking subsystem 114 includes one or more devices configured to couple to and communicate over a wired and/or wireless network (i.e., to perform network operations), including: control logic 116, interface circuitry 118, and one or more antennas 120 (or antenna elements). (although fig. 1 includes one or more antennas 120, in some embodiments, electronic device 100 includes one or more nodes, such as node 108, which may be coupled to one or more antennas 120. thus, electronic device 100 may or may not include one or more antennas 120.) for example, networking subsystem 114 may include a bluetooth networking system, a cellular networking system (e.g., a 3G/4G/5G network, such as UMTS, LTE, etc.), a USB networking system, a networking system based on standards described in IEEE 802.11 (e.g., a Wi-Fi networking system), an ethernet networking system, and/or another networking system.

Within electronic device 100, processing subsystem 110, memory subsystem 112, and networking subsystem 114 are coupled together using bus 128. Bus 128 may include electrical, optical, and/or electro-optical connections that subsystems may be used to communicate commands, data, and the like. Although only one bus 128 is shown for clarity, different embodiments may include different numbers or configurations of electrical, optical, and/or electro-optical connections among the subsystems.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 includes a display subsystem 126 for displaying information on a display, which may include a display driver and a display, such as a liquid crystal display, multi-touch screen, or the like.

Although electronic device 100 is described using specific components, in alternative embodiments, different components and/or subsystems may be present in electronic device 100. For example, electronic device 100 may include one or more additional processing subsystems, memory subsystems, networking subsystems, and/or display subsystems. Additionally, one or more of the subsystems may not be present in the electronic device 100. Furthermore, in some embodiments, electronic device 100 may include one or more additional subsystems not shown in fig. 1. Additionally, although separate subsystems are shown in fig. 1, in some embodiments, some or all of a given subsystem or component may be integrated into one or more of the other subsystems or components in electronic device 100. For example, in some embodiments, program instructions 122 are included in operating system 124 and/or control logic 116 is included in interface circuitry 118.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example network environment 100 including the electronic device shown in FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The example network environment 200 may include an AP 210 and one or

more client devices

220A, 220B, 220C (hereinafter collectively referred to as client devices 220 for simplicity). The electronic device 100 shown in fig. 1 may be implemented as the AP 210 shown in fig. 2 or a portion thereof, or may be implemented as a client device or a portion thereof.

An AP refers to an access point specified according to, for example, the 802.11 protocol. AP 210 is used to provide wireless network connectivity for client device 220. In particular, AP 210 may receive/route various types of communications from client device 220 and/or transmit/route various types of communications to client device 220. It should be noted that the AP described herein may include a router, a gateway, a home controller, and other devices having the AP function.

In some embodiments, client device 220 may be any electronic device having at least one network interface. For example, client device 220 may be: a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a server, a mainframe computer, a cloud-based computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a wearable device, a consumer electronic device, a portable computing device, a radio node, a router, a switch, a repeater, an access point, and/or other electronic devices. The client device 220 communicates with the AP 210 using its network interface to access the external network 230 via the AP 210. Although three client devices are shown in fig. 2, it should be understood that the number of client devices to which AP 210 may connect may be less than or more than three, depending on the network capacity supported by AP 210.

External Network 230 may be a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as the Internet.

Next, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) will be briefly described. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol for local area networks. According to the dynamic host configuration protocol, the DHCP server controls a section of IP address range, and when a DHCP client logs in the DHCP server, the IP address and the subnet mask distributed by the server equipment can be automatically obtained. That is, when the DHCP client connects to the DHCP server, DHCP-based communication will be performed.

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary signaling flow diagram for DHCP-based communications. For example, in DHCP-based communications, a DHCP client first sends a DHCP DISCOVER message to look up a DHCP server in the network. Through the DHCP DISCOVER message, the DHCP client may request an IP address. In addition, the DHCP client may also request other messages via DHCP DISCOVER messages. For example, the DHCP client may request the domain name server address using a parameter request list (6) (parameter request list (6)) in an option (55) (option (55)) in the DHCP DISCOVER message.

Next, the DHCP server in the network may respond to the DHCP client sending a DHCP OFFER message. The DHCP OFFER message sent may include IP address information that the DHCP server is capable of providing, as well as associated lease terms and other configuration information. When the DHCP client requests a domain name server address using option (55) (option (55)), the DHCP OFFER message sent by the DHCP server may include the domain name server address (e.g., 10.89.255.8).

A DHCP client may receive multiple DHCP OFFER messages from different DHCP servers. Typically, the DHCP client selects the first DHCP server to reply as its target server and sends a DHCP REQUEST message to the DHCP server notifying it of the selection of the DHCP server and the desire to obtain the assigned IP address. After receiving the DHCP REQUEST message, the DHCP server may send a DHCP ACK message to the DHCP server upon determination to notify the user that the assigned IP address may be used.

The above only illustrates DHCP based communication by way of example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that DHCP based communications may also include sending and receiving other types of messages.

In the technical scheme of the disclosure, a new AP device to be configured and an old AP device which desires to acquire configuration information thereof are respectively used as a DHCP client and a DHCP server to connect, so as to start DHCP-based communication between the new AP device and the old AP device. In the DHCP-based communication performed, the new AP device as a DHCP client can obtain its configuration information from the old AP device as a DHCP server, so that the new AP device can duplicate the configuration of the old AP device. Because the communication based on the DHCP is automatically carried out without manual input, the technical scheme disclosed by the invention can realize the automatic synchronization of the configuration information of the old AP equipment to the new AP equipment, the operation is simple, and the user experience is improved. On the other hand, since the DHCP-based communication is a common communication procedure for the AP device and the client device to be connected to the network, the technical solution of the present disclosure utilizes the common communication procedure and does not interfere with the original DHCP-based communication. This minimizes modifications to the electronic device, saves costs, and stabilizes the structure and operation of the electronic device.

The connection between the old and new AP devices as described above may be implemented by wire or wirelessly, which will be described in detail in the following embodiments.

Fig. 4 shows an exemplary diagram of connecting a new AP device and an old AP device in a wired manner as a DHCP client and a DHCP server, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the wide area network interface 401-a of the old AP device 401 is connected to the internet 404, and the old AP device may operate as a DHCP server. A client device 403 such as a notebook computer connects to the lan interface 401-b of the old AP device to connect to the internet. The wide area network interface 402-a of the new AP device 402 is also connected to the local area network interface 401-b of the old AP device 401 in such a way that the new AP device 402 operates as a DHCP client. The connection will trigger DHCP based communication between the new AP device 402 and the old AP device 401. DHCP-based communication between a new AP device and an old AP device according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be set forth in detail in examples that follow.

In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the new AP device and the old AP device may be connected in a wireless manner as a DHCP client and a DHCP server, respectively. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that client devices (e.g., laptops or cell phones) may be connected to AP devices in a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) manner generally. In the WPS connection mode, generally, the AP device may operate as a WPS registrar (Enroller), and the client device (e.g., a laptop or a mobile phone) may operate as an Enrollee (Enrollee). During the WPS process, when a registrar attempts to join a Wi-Fi network, a WPS request is triggered, and the AP device as the registrar determines whether to allow the registrar to join the Wi-Fi network. If so, the AP device configures an identity (e.g., MAC address) of the registrar in the AP device, thereby allowing the registrar to join the Wi-Fi network. There are a number of ways to trigger a WPS request based on different WPS operating modes. For example, in a Push Button Configuration (PBC) mode, a WPS request may be triggered by pressing a physical WPS button (e.g., a dedicated WPS button or a button configured to perform a WPS function according to a particular operation (e.g., a long press)) or a logical WPS button (e.g., a soft key or icon displayed on a screen) on both the client device and the AP device to indicate the intent of the client device to wish to connect to the Wi-Fi network.

In the technical scheme of the disclosure, a new AP device may be switched to a mode in which WPS connection can be performed as a WPS registrar by a user input. The user input may be that the user accesses a configuration page of the AP device to configure the AP device. A shortcut may also be set for the switching via which the user may switch the AP device to a mode in which WPS connection is possible as a WPS registrar. For example, the shortcut may be to press the WPS button three times quickly. After the new AP device switches to the WPS registrar mode, a WPS connection between the devices may be established by long-pressing the WPS button of the new AP device and the old AP device.

When a new AP device connects to an old AP device, which is a DHCP server, in the form of a DHCP client, DHCP based communication will be triggered. A procedure of DHCP-based communication between the new AP device and the old AP device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below.

Fig. 5 is an exemplary signaling flow diagram illustrating a process for DHCP-based communication between electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5, after the new AP device and the old AP device are connected as a DHCP client and a DHCP server, respectively, the new AP device transmits a request message requesting configuration information of the old AP device to the old AP device based on a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) in response to at least the new AP device being connected to the old AP device in the above-described manner. On the other side of the signaling diagram, the old AP device sends a reply message to the new AP device in response to at least receiving the request message, by which the new AP device can obtain the configuration information of the old AP device.

The above signaling procedure may be implemented by using an option (55) (option (55)) in the DHCP DISCOVER message. For example, a parameter request list (253) may be added to an option (55) of the DHCP DISCOVER message to request to retrieve the configuration information of the old AP device as the DHCP server. After the old AP device receives the DHCP DISCOVER message, it will bring an address, e.g., "http:// 192.168.0.1/user _ configure/" in the reply DHCP OFFER message. The new AP device may read the configuration information of the old AP device from the address.

It should be noted that the options in the DHCP messages used as described above are only exemplary and not limiting. Other options in the DHCP message may be used to request the configuration information. The address in the DHCP OFFER message as described above is also an example and not a limitation, and other forms of messages may be sent to enable the new AP device to obtain the configuration information of the old AP device.

In addition, if the old AP device to which the new AP device is connected is not an AP device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the AP device will not recognize the above-mentioned option (e.g., parameter request list (253)) in the DHCP request message, and the old AP device will not reply to the configuration information address. In this case, the new AP device may obtain an IP address according to general DHCP-based communication. That is to say, the technical solution of the present disclosure does not affect the general DHCP message interaction process by modifying the DHCP message. Therefore, the technical scheme of the present disclosure can implement synchronization of the configuration information of the AP device in a manner of making a minor change to the AP device, which makes the operation of the AP device stable and minimizes the cost.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a flag bit may be set on the AP device, and the flag bit may be implemented in software or hardware. The flag bit will be described in detail below.

In one embodiment, in order to avoid malfunction or not to desire to synchronize configuration information every time an AP device is connected to another AP device in the form of a DHCP client, the transmission of the request message may be limited. The synchronization flag bit may be set for the AP device. In a factory setting, the synchronization flag may default to 1, for example. In the above signaling procedure, the new AP device transmits a request message requesting the configuration information of the old AP device based on DHCP in response to the new AP device being connected to the old AP device in the aforementioned manner and the flag bit of the new AP device being 1. That is, if the synchronization flag is not 1, the new AP device will not transmit the above-described request message requesting the configuration information of the old AP device. For example, in the case where the synchronization flag is not 1, the parameter request list requesting the configuration information of the AP device is not included in the DHCP DISCOVER message transmitted in the DHCP-based communication. The synchronization flag may be modified to 0 when the configuration parameters of the AP device have been modified, for example, the user has configured with the obtained configuration information of the old AP device or the user has configured by accessing the configuration page of the AP device. It should be understood that the above-mentioned values of the synchronization flag bit are merely examples, and other values may be adopted as needed.

In one embodiment, to protect data security, a security flag bit may be set for the AP device. In a factory setting, the security flag may default to 1, for example. The old AP device transmits a response message to the new AP device in response to receiving the above-described request message requesting the configuration information from the new AP device with the security flag bit of 1. The security flag of the electronic device may be modified in response to a user input. For example, when the user of the old AP device does not expect the configuration information of the old AP device to be copied, the user may set the security flag bit to 0 by accessing the configuration page of the old AP device, at which time the configuration information cannot be obtained from the old AP device. It should be understood that the above values of the safety flag bit are merely examples, and other values may be adopted as needed.

Although the technical solution of the present disclosure is described by taking the AP device as an example in the foregoing embodiments, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the AP device. Embodiments of the present disclosure may include any electronic device capable of implementing the above-described technical solutions. For example, the technical solution of the present disclosure may be implemented as a client device, such as a notebook computer or a mobile phone. For example, when a notebook computer is connected to the AP device in a wired or wireless manner to connect to the network or a mobile phone is connected to the AP device in a wireless manner to connect to the network, the DHCP-based communication process in the embodiment of the present disclosure as described above may be performed to obtain the configuration information of the connected AP device. Similarly, the notebook computer connected as the DHCP server may also transmit the configuration information stored therein to the other electronic device as the DHCP client by performing the DHCP-based communication process in the embodiment of the present disclosure as described above. In the case where an electronic device other than the AP device serves as a DHCP server or a DHCP client according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a synchronization flag and/or a security flag on the electronic device, such as a notebook computer or a mobile phone, may be set by a user to allow or prohibit the electronic device from requesting configuration information of the AP device and/or providing stored configuration information thereof. For example, the synchronization flag and the security flag may be set to 0 by default, i.e., the electronic device is prohibited from requesting configuration information of another device from another device based on DHCP, and the electronic device is prohibited from providing the configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP. When the electronic device needs to request configuration information of the connected AP device, the synchronization flag is set to 1 by the user. The security flag is set to 1 by the user when the electronic device is allowed to provide the configuration information stored thereon. It should also be understood that the values of the synchronization flag and the security flag are merely examples, and other values may be used as desired.

While some of the operations in the foregoing embodiments are implemented in software, in general, the operations in the foregoing embodiments may be implemented in a variety of configurations and architectures. Accordingly, some or all of the operations in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in hardware, software, or both. For example, at least some of the operations in the communication techniques may be implemented using program instructions 122 of the electronic device 100, an operating system 124 (such as a driver for the interface circuitry 118), or in firmware in the interface circuitry 118. Alternatively or additionally, at least some operations in the communication techniques may be implemented in hardware in a physical layer, such as in interface circuitry 118 of electronic device 100.

The present disclosure may be implemented as any combination of apparatus, systems, integrated circuits, and computer programs on non-transitory computer readable media. One or more processors may be implemented as an Integrated Circuit (IC), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI), a system LSI, or a super LSI, or as an ultra LSI package that performs some or all of the functions described in this disclosure.

The steps of the method according to the present disclosure may also be performed separately by a plurality of components comprised in the device. According to one embodiment, these components may be implemented as computer program modules created to implement the steps of the method, and the apparatus comprising these components may be a framework of program modules implementing the method by means of a computer program.

The present disclosure includes the use of software, applications, computer programs or algorithms. Software, applications, computer programs, or algorithms may be stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium to cause a computer, such as one or more processors, to perform the steps described above and depicted in the figures. For example, one or more memories store software or algorithms in executable instructions and one or more processors may associate a set of instructions to execute the software or algorithms to enhance security in any number of wireless networks according to embodiments described in this disclosure.

Software and computer programs (which may also be referred to as programs, software applications, components, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and may be implemented in a high-level procedural, object-oriented, functional, logical, or assembly or machine language. The term "computer-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, apparatus or device, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, solid state storage devices, memories, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions or data to a programmable data processor, including a computer-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a computer-readable signal.

By way of example, computer-readable media can comprise Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), electrically erasable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired computer-readable program code in the form of instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Disk or disc, as used herein, includes Compact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

In one or more embodiments, use of the terms "can," "operable" or "configured" refer to some apparatus, logic, hardware, and/or element that is designed to be used in a specified manner. The subject matter of the present disclosure is provided as examples of apparatus, systems, methods, and programs for performing the features described in the present disclosure. However, other features or variations are contemplated in addition to the features described above. It is contemplated that the implementation of the components and functions of the present disclosure may be accomplished with any emerging technology that may replace the technology of any of the implementations described above.

Additionally, the above description provides examples, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in other embodiments.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a memory having instructions stored thereon; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

sending a request message to a second device based on a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) in response to the electronic device connecting to the second device, the request message requesting configuration information of the second device, wherein the electronic device connects to the second device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client, and

and receiving a response message based on DHCP from the second equipment, wherein the electronic equipment can obtain the configuration information of the second equipment through the response message.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a wide area network interface, wherein the electronic device is connected to the second device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client by connecting the wide area network interface of the electronic device with the local area network interface of the second device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is enabled to connect to a second device as a DHCP server in a DHCP client via a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) connection, wherein the electronic device connects as a WPS registrar and the second device connects as a WPS registrar.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

enabling the electronic device to make a WPS connection as a WPS registrar in response to a user input.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a first flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the first flag is a first value, the electronic device is permitted to request configuration information of the other device from the other device based on DHCP, and when the first flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from requesting configuration information of the other device from the other device based on DHCP, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

and when the first flag bit of the electronic equipment is a first value, responding to the connection of the electronic equipment to the second equipment, and sending the request message to the second equipment based on DHCP.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

setting a first flag bit of the electronic device to a second value in response to configuration information of the electronic device being modified.

7. An electronic device, comprising:

a memory having instructions stored thereon; and

receiving a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) based request message requesting configuration information of the electronic device from a second device connected to the electronic device, wherein the second device is connected to the electronic device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client, and

sending a DHCP-based reply message to the second device in response to receiving the request message, by which the second device can obtain configuration information of the electronic device.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a local area network interface, wherein the second device is connected to the electronic device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client by connecting the wide area network interface of the second device with the local area network interface of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the second device is enabled to connect to the electronic device as a DHCP server in a DHCP client via a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) connection, wherein the electronic device connects as a WPS registrar and the second device connects as a WPS registrar.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein a second flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the second flag is a first value, the electronic device is permitted to provide configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and when the second flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from providing configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

and when the second flag bit of the electronic equipment is a first value, responding to the received request message and sending the response message to the second equipment.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

modifying a second flag of the electronic device in response to a user input.

12. A method performed by an electronic device, comprising:

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic device is connected to the second device as a DHCP server in the form of a DHCP client by connecting a wide area network interface of the electronic device with a local area network interface of the second device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic device is enabled to connect to a second device that is a DHCP server in a DHCP client via a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) connection, wherein the electronic device connects as a WPS registrar and the second device connects as a WPS registrar.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a first flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the first flag is a first value, the electronic device is allowed to request configuration information of another device from another device based on DHCP, and when the first flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from requesting the configuration information of the another device from another device based on DHCP, the method further comprising:

16. A method performed by an electronic device, comprising:

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a second flag is set on the electronic device, wherein when the second flag is a first value, the electronic device is allowed to provide the configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and when the second flag is a second value, the electronic device is prohibited from providing the configuration information of the electronic device to another device based on DHCP, and the method further comprises:

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

20. An apparatus implemented by an electronic device comprising means for performing the steps in the method of any of claims 12-17.