Automatic server discovery
Encyclopedia
Automatic server discovery is a software licensing feature that allows client applications to find license servers
automatically on the network
, thus eliminating the need for end users to manually configure server information and allowing system administrators to perform their tasks more easily and efficiently. If you have, for example, over 70 machines then the configuration process will take a long time if it is done manually.
Automatic server discovery often uses Multicast
UDP
to send broadcasts, to which available license servers respond with information about their network location. When a license server is discovered, the information is locally cached on the client machine, so automatic server discovery does not have to be performed at each application startup.
The newest version of NTP
also supports Automatic server discovery. There are three schemes provided by NTPv4:
Automatic server discovery typically works only on local networks, and will not work on WAN
or VPN
connections.
Key server (software licensing)
Key server for software licensing is a colloquial or generic description that refers to a centralized computer software system which provides tokens, or keys, to client computers in order to enable licensed software to run on them....
automatically on the network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
, thus eliminating the need for end users to manually configure server information and allowing system administrators to perform their tasks more easily and efficiently. If you have, for example, over 70 machines then the configuration process will take a long time if it is done manually.
Automatic server discovery often uses Multicast
Multicast
In computer networking, multicast is the delivery of a message or information to a group of destination computers simultaneously in a single transmission from the source creating copies automatically in other network elements, such as routers, only when the topology of the network requires...
UDP
User Datagram Protocol
The User Datagram Protocol is one of the core members of the Internet Protocol Suite, the set of network protocols used for the Internet. With UDP, computer applications can send messages, in this case referred to as datagrams, to other hosts on an Internet Protocol network without requiring...
to send broadcasts, to which available license servers respond with information about their network location. When a license server is discovered, the information is locally cached on the client machine, so automatic server discovery does not have to be performed at each application startup.
The newest version of NTP
Network Time Protocol
The Network Time Protocol is a protocol and software implementation for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. Originally designed by David L...
also supports Automatic server discovery. There are three schemes provided by NTPv4:
- Broadcast / MulticastMulticastIn computer networking, multicast is the delivery of a message or information to a group of destination computers simultaneously in a single transmission from the source creating copies automatically in other network elements, such as routers, only when the topology of the network requires...
- Manycast
- Server pool
Automatic server discovery typically works only on local networks, and will not work on WAN
Wide area network
A wide area network is a telecommunication network that covers a broad area . Business and government entities utilize WANs to relay data among employees, clients, buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations...
or VPN
Virtual private network
A virtual private network is a network that uses primarily public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or traveling users access to a central organizational network....
connections.