Patent attributes
A data communication device automatically configures its own communication ports based on attributes of a remote device with which it communicates. The process of configuring the communication ports includes monitoring a communications protocol associated with a remote device on a given communication port of the data communication device without participating in the communications protocol. The data communication device detects an attribute such as a network address associated with the remote device based on the monitored communications. In response to detecting the attribute of the remote device, the data communication device selects one of multiple configuration profiles depending on the detected attribute of the remote device to configure the given communication port.