Automated DSL performance adjustment

• US 20050163286A1
• Filed: 01/20/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Wu, Xidong, Van Slyke, John Porter, Jiang, Baofeng Frank, Otsuka, Jim Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,272,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/1.40
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2209 for lines also used for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/305 testing of physical copper line parameters, e.g. capacitance or resistance locating faults in cables G01R31/08

Abstract

The present application discloses an automated digital subscriber line performance control system comprising a computer system including a logic module to evaluate performance of a plurality of DSL lines and to automatically select a set of DSL lines from the plurality of DSL lines, a line profile database responsive to the computer system, the line profile database providing a plurality of line profiles in response to a request from the computer system, and a digital subscriber line access multiplexer coupled to the computer system. The digital subscriber line access multiplexer is configured to measure a performance parameter of a plurality of physical DSL lines and to change a profile for at least one of the plurality of DSL lines. The set of DSL lines has degraded performance characteristics based on historical performance data.

Claims

1. An automated method of adjusting digital subscriber line (DSL) performance, the method comprising:

evaluating performance of a plurality of DSL lines using a computer based system;

automatically selecting a set of DSL lines from the plurality of DSL lines, the set of DSL lines having degraded performance characteristics based on historical performance data accessible with respect to the computer based system;

retrieving a plurality of line profiles from a profile database;

measuring a performance parameter for each of the set of DSL lines;

removing from the set of DSL lines any DSL lines that have suitable performance based on the measured performance parameter to create a revised set of DSL lines with degraded performance; and

applying one of the plurality of line profiles to each of the physical DSL lines identified by the revised set of DSL lines.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data associated with the set of DSL lines.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising reporting the stored data using a remote internet browser reporting tool.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data reported includes a list of problem lines selected, a list of lines that fail in the profile application process, an identity of lines that are adjusted, and performance data before and after application of the line profiles to each of the physical DSL lines.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the set of DSL lines is associated with one of the plurality of line profiles before the step of measuring a performance parameter for each of the set of DSL lines.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least some of the plurality of line profiles associated with the set of DSL lines are the same profiles that are applied to each of the physical DSL lines.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein application of one of the plurality of line profiles to a physical DSL lines fails and where an error message is reported.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of line profiles is an interleaved channel profile.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a second of the plurality of line profiles is a reduced speed profile.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of line profiles is an interleaved channel profile. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data associated with the set of DSL lines.

10. An automated digital subscriber line performance control system comprising:

a computer system including a logic module to evaluate performance of a plurality of DSL lines and to automatically select a set of DSL lines from the plurality of DSL lines, wherein the set of DSL lines has degraded performance characteristics based on historical performance data;

a line profile database responsive to the computer system, the line profile database providing a plurality of line profiles in response to a request from the computer system, and

a digital subscriber line access multiplexer coupled to the computer system, the digital subscriber line access multiplexer configured to measure a performance parameter of a plurality of physical DSL lines and to change a profile for at least one of the plurality of DSL lines.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a remote reporting system, the remote reporting system providing DSL performance data to a user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the DSL performance data includes an identification of DSL lines selected, a first set of data, and a second set of data for the DSL lines selected.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first set of data is captured before application of a line profile and the second set of data is captured after application of the line profile.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising a display terminal to report stored performance data using a remote internet browser reporting tool.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data reported includes a list of problem lines selected, a list of lines that fail in the profile application process, an identity of lines that are adjusted, and performance data before and after application of the line profiles to each of the physical DSL lines.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the set of DSL lines is associated with one of the plurality of line profiles.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least some of the plurality of line profiles associated with the set of DSL lines are the same profiles that are applied to each of the physical DSL lines.