Java APIs

Interesting problem, I could use some advise on and help with.
I have written a Java Application that acts as a configuration utility for some proprietary hardware our company produces.
I connect to these devices using TCP Sockets and communicate using the CIM protocol.

One of the configuration tasks I perform is to assign/change the static IP Address assignments associated with our hardware.
Currently, I have to require the customer network match IP Address types with the client on which my Java application is executing.
For example, if the customer network has no DCHP when a hardware component is added to the network, it will be assigned an APIPA address. For my Java Application to be able to communicate with this Hardware, the client on which it is running must be set up such that it has only APIPA Addresses (i.e. no static or DHCP addresses). Once I set I IP Addresses on the Hardware, the Configuration client must be reconfigured to a non-APIPA configuration to be able to communicate with the hardware.

The problem, I am trying to resolve is to allow the Configuration client to communicate both with Hardware on which static IP Addresses have been designated and with new Hardware that is added to the network. What I need to do is to be able to tell set the static IP Addresses on the APIPA Hardware while at the same time being able to monitor/communicate with the Hardware on which static IP Addresses have already been designated.
My engineering specialty is User Interface design and I am not to �schooled� in Networking so my main question is: Is this even possible? If so, could you point me to a tutorial or example I could use to meet this requirement?

Thanks in advance for any advise