Method for setting up a connection

• US 20050013301A1
• Filed: 07/14/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Janssens, Nico Alfred Anna, Six, Erwin Alfons Contant, Ooghe, Sven Maurice Joseph, Bouchat, Christele
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.500
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2878 Access multiplexer, e.g. DSLAM generic distributed time multiplexers, e.g. TDM/TDMA H04J3/1694
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]

Abstract

In methods for setting up communications between digital-subscriber-line terminal modems (13) and internet-service-providers (30) via digital-subscriber-line-access-multiplexers (2,20) and forwarders (3) of asynchronous-transfer-mode-networks (1) further comprising dynamic-host-configuration-protocol-relay-agents (4,40), first messages are sent from the terminal modems (13) to the agents (4,40) via the access multiplexers (2,20), which first messages comprise incoming logical identifiers defining couplings (14) between the terminal modems (13) and the access multiplexers (2,20), second messages are sent from the agents (4,40) to dynamic-host-configuration-protocol-servers (5) for receiving internet-protocol-addresses to be supplied to the terminal modems (13) via the agents (4,40). To be able to locate the agents (4,40) outside the forwarders (3), the agents (4,40) convert the first messages into the second messages at least by inserting outgoing logical identifiers defining couplings (6) between the access multiplexers (2,20) and the forwarders (3), and the forwarders (3) are informed about relationships between the Internet-Protocol-addresses and the outgoing logical identifiers. The forwarders (3) then have sufficient knowlegde to find the right (part of the) access multiplexer (2,20).

Claims

1. Method for setting up a communication between a terminal modem (13) and an internet-service-provider (30) via an access multiplexer (2,20) and a forwarder (3) of an access network (1) further comprising an agent (4,40), with a coupling (14) between the terminal modem (13) and the access multiplexer (2,20) being defined by an incoming logical identifier and with a coupling (6) between the access multiplexer (2,20) and the forwarder (3) being defined by an outgoing logical identifier, which method comprises the steps of

sending a first message from the terminal modem (13) to the agent (4,40) via the access multiplexer (2,20), which first message comprises the incoming logical identifier;

and

sending a second message from the agent (4,40) to a server (5) for receiving an internet-protocol-address to be supplied to the terminal modem (13) via the agent (4,40);

characterised in that the method comprises the steps of

converting the first message into the second message at least by inserting the outgoing logical identifier;

informing the forwarder (3) about the internet-protocol-address and the outgoing logical identifier.

2. Method as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the method comprises the steps of

sending a third message comprising the internet-protocol-address and the outgoing logical identifier from the server (5) to the agent (4,40);

and

sending the internet-protocol-address from the agent (4,40) to the terminal modem (13) via the access multiplexer (2,20).

3. Method as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the server (5) is a dynamic host configuration protocol server.

4. Method as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the terminal modem (13) is a digital subscriber line terminal modem, with the access multiplexer (2,20) being a digital subscriber line access multiplexer.

5. Method as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the access network (1) is an asynchronous transfer mode network, with the outgoing logical identifier comprising a virtual path identifier and a virtual circuit identifier.

6. Method as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the agent (40) forms part of the access multiplexer (20).

7. Agent (4,40) for setting up a communication between a terminal modem (13) and an internet-service-provider (30) via an access multiplexer (2,20) and a forwarder (3) of an access network (1) further comprising the agent (4,40), with a coupling (14) between the terminal modem (13) and the access multiplexer (2,20) being defined by an incoming logical identifier and with a coupling (6) between the access multiplexer (2,20) and the forwarder (3) being defined by an outgoing logical identifier, which agent (4,40) comprises

a receiver (44) for receiving a first message from the terminal modem (13) via the access multiplexer (2,20), which first message comprises the incoming logical identifier;

and

a sender (46) for sending a second message from the agent (4,40) to a server (5) for receiving an internet-protocol-address to be supplied to the terminal modem (13) via the agent (4,40);

characterised in that the agent (4,40) comprises

a converter (45) for converting the first message into the second message at least by inserting the outgoing logical identifier;

wherein the forwarder (3) is informed about the Internet-Protocol-address and the outgoing logical identifier.

8. Processor program product for setting up a communication between a terminal modem (13) and an internet-service-provider (30) via an access multiplexer (2,20) and a forwarder (3) of an access network (1) further comprising the processor program product, with a coupling (14) between the terminal modem (13) and the access multiplexer (2,20) being defined by an incoming logical identifier and with a coupling (6) between the access multiplexer (2,20) and the forwarder (3) being defined by an outgoing logical identifier, which processor program product comprises

a receiving function for receiving a first message from the terminal modem (13) via the access multiplexer (2,20), which first message comprises the incoming logical identifier;

and

a sending function for sending a second message from the processor program product to a server (5) for receiving an internet-protocol-address to be supplied to the terminal modem (13) via the processor program product;

characterised in that the processor program product comprises

a converting function for converting the first message into the second message at least by inserting the outgoing logical identifier;

wherein the forwarder (3) is informed about the Internet-Protocol-address and the outgoing logical identifier.

9. Access multiplexer (20) comprising an agent (40) for setting up a communication between a terminal modem (13) and an internet-service-provider (30) via an access multiplexer (20) and a forwarder (3) of an access network (1) further comprising the agent (40), with a coupling (14) between the terminal modem (13) and the access multiplexer (20) being defined by an incoming logical identifier and with a coupling (6) between the access multiplexer (20) and the forwarder (3) being defined by an outgoing logical identifier, which agent (40) comprises

a receiver (44) for receiving a first message from the terminal modem (13) via the access multiplexer (20), which first message comprises the incoming logical identifier;

and

a sender (46) for sending a second message from the agent (4) to a server (5) for receiving an internet-protocol-address to be supplied to the terminal modem (13) via the agent (40);

characterised in that the agent (40) comprises

a converter (45) for converting the first message into the second message at least by inserting the outgoing logical identifier;

wherein the forwarder (3) is informed about the Internet-Protocol-address and the outgoing logical identifier.

10. Server (5) for setting up a communication between a terminal modem (13) and an internet-service-provider (30) via an access multiplexer (2,20) and a forwarder (3) of an access network (1) further comprising an agent (4,40), with a coupling (14) between the terminal modem (13) and the access multiplexer (2,20) being defined by an incoming logical identifier and with a coupling (6) between the access multiplexer (2,20) and the forwarder (3) being defined by an outgoing logical identifier, which server (5) comprises

a receiver for (54) receiving a second message from the agent (4,40) for receiving an internet-protocol-address destined for the terminal modem (13), which second message is generated by the agent (4,40) in response to a reception of a first message from the terminal modem (13) via the access multiplexer (2,20), which first message comprises the incoming logical identifier;

characterised in that the server (5) comprises

a sender (56) for sending the Internet-Protocol-address to the terminal modem (13) via the agent (4), which agent (4,40) has converted the first message into the second message at least by inserting the outgoing logical identifier.