Discovery systems in ubiquitous computing

Ubiquitous computing introduces unique requirements for discovery technologies, which let services and devices become aware of each other without explicit human administration. Discovery lets services and devices spontaneously become aware of the availability and capability of peers on the network without explicit administration. In practice, this means that a client can discover and potentially use a device without prior knowledge of it. Although discovery is a necessary component of ubiquitous computing, the wide range of discovery systems in use today reflects the varied needs of the communities from which they originated. Some of these features are appropriate for ubiquitous computing, but others require further research and development.