Method and apparatus to detect configuration information for a digital subscriber line device

• US 20030078999A1
• Filed: 10/24/2001
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Beier, Niels, Lund, Sven O.
• Granted Patent: US 7,263,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2883 ATM DSLAM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5625 Operations, administration and maintenance [OAM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus to detect configuration information that may be used to configure a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) between a digital subscriber line (DSL) customer premise equipment (CPE) and a DSL access module (DSLAM) is described.

Claims

1. A method to configure a network device, comprising:

receiving a request to configure a first permanent virtual circuit (PVC) between a digital subscriber line (DSL) device and a DSL access module (DSLAM); and

automatically configuring said first PVC using a list of probe values to probe for configuration information for said PVC, and using said configuration information to configure said first PVC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically configuring comprises:

sending test packets to said DSLAM using said probe values;

receiving a response packet to one of said test packets;

retrieving said configuration information from said response packet; and

configuring said PVC using said retrieved configuration information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein for each probe value in said probe table said sending comprises:

retrieving a probe value from said list of probe values, wherein said probe value represents a virtual circuit;

enabling said virtual circuit; and

sending a test packet over said virtual circuit.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising disabling each virtual circuit that did not receive a response packet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to configure a second PVC for said DSL device;

receiving configuration information for said second PVC; and

configuring said second PVC using said configuration information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuration information may comprise a virtual channel identifier (VCI) and a virtual path identifier (VPI).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a terminating condition has occurred prior to automatically configuring said first PVC;

sending a message that said first PVC was not configured to a user; and

receiving said configuration information for said first PVC from a user.

8. A system to configure a network device, comprising:

a digital subscriber line (DSL) customer premise equipment (CPE);

a DSL access module (DSLAM) connected to said DSL CPE; and

a DSL probing module to use probe values to detect configuration information for use in configuring a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) between said DSL CPE and said DSLAM.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said DSL CPE comprises a DSL CPE consisting essentially one of the following:

a DSL/asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) router, an asymmetric DSL (ADSL)/ATM router, a DSL/ATM bridge, an ADSL/ATM bridge, a DSL modem, and an ADSL modem.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said PVC may be configured using configuration information comprising a virtual channel identifier (VCI) and a virtual path identifier (VPI).

11. A probing module for a network device, comprising:

an event management module to send test packets using probe values from a digital subscriber line (DSL) device to a DSL access module (DSLAM);

a detection module to detect a packet received in response to at least one of said test packets; and

an extraction module to retrieve configuration information from said received packet.

12. The probing module of claim 11, further comprising a configuration module to configure a permanent virtual connection between said DSL and said DSLAM using s aid configuration information.

13. The probing module of claim 11, wherein said configuration information may comprise a virtual channel identifier (VCI) and a virtual path identifier (VPI).

14. An article comprising:

a storage medium;

said storage medium including stored instructions that, when executed by a processor, result in configuring a network device by receiving a request to configure a first permanent virtual circuit (PVC) between a digital subscriber line (DSL) device and a DSL access module (DSLAM), and automatically configuring said first PVC using alist of probe values to probe for configuration information for said PVC, and using said configuration information to configure said first PVC.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, result in automatically configuring said first PVC by sending test packets to said DSLAM using said probe values, receiving a response packet to one of said test packets, retrieving said configuration information from said response packet, and configuring said PVC using said retrieved configuration information.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, result in sending test packets, for each probe value in said probe table, by retrieving a probe value from said list of probe values, wherein said probe value represents a virtual circuit, enabling said virtual circuit, and sending a test packet over said virtual circuit.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, further result in disabling each virtual circuit that did not receive a response packet.

18. The article of claim 14, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, further result in receiving a request to configure a second PVC for said DSL device, receiving configuration information for said second PVC, and configuring said second PVC using said configuration information.

19. The article of claim 14, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, further result in determining that a terminating condition has occurred prior to automatically configuring said first PVC, sending a message that said first PVC was not configured to a user, and receiving said configuration information for said first PVC from a user.