System and method for mapping end user identififiers to access device identifiers

• US 20050246754A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: PhyFlex Networks, Inc. (Ciena Corporation)
• Inventors: Rege, Kiran M., Dravida, Subrahmanyam, Tandon, Manas, Desai, Gautam, Wu, DeQuan, Gupta, Satya V., Kumar, Ravi S.
• Application Number:
  US11/179,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20050246754A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• 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 12/2859 Point-to-point connection between the data network and the subscribers encapsulation H04L12/4633; virtual LANs H04L12/4641; routing of packets H04L45/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5605 Fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5606 Metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/561 Star, e.g. cross-connect, concentrator, subscriber group equipment, remote electronics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5651 Priority, marking, classes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5679 Arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/215 using token-bucket
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 : for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 : Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 : relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 : Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 : by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 : Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/521 : Static queue service slot or fixed bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6225 : Fixed service order, e.g. Round Robin
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/623 : Weighted service order
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 : Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 : at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 : Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 : Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 : QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 : Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/829 : Topology based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 : Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 : using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6402 : Address allocation for clients address allocation in data networks H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 : Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

Hybrid fiber/coax networks employ the existing cable plant used for cable TV and transmit data signals in a frequency bandwidth above that which is used for cable TV. As this cable plant was deployed in a tree and branch topology, data transmissions may be susceptible to noise, variable transmission loss and frequency dispersion, particularly in the upstream direction. Further, due to the tree and branch topology, homes at the far end of the network experience much greater loss than do the homes that are near to the headend/ONU. The present system, which uses point-to-point data links between intelligent network elements located in the feeder/distribution network to provide reliable, secure, bi-directional broadband access. Digital signals, or messages, are terminated at the intelligent network elements, switched and regenerated for transmission across additional upstream or downstream data links as needed to connect a home to a headend or router. Messages indicative of an end user routing ID (RID) are identified and the information extracted for user with successive messages. In this manner, the data links are made over relatively short runs of coax cable, which can provide greater bandwidth than the typical end-to-end feeder/distribution connection between a home and the headend or optical network unit.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting messages comprising:

connecting an end user access device between each of a plurality of end user devices and a network media provider, each of the end user access devices having an identifier;

intercepting messages received from an end user for transmission to the network media provider;

identifying an address resolution message;

setting control bits for all identified messages;

intercepting messages in which control bits are set; and

extracting and storing an association of the end user device identifier and the end user access device identifier from the intercepted messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network media provider is in communication with a head end operable for multimedia information distribution.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising attaching the end user access device identifiers to other messages being transmitted to the network media provider.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the address resolution message is an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) request message.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the response to the address resolution message is an ARP response message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the control bits correspond to a predetermined protocol.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the end user access device is the last network element before the end user device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier of the end user access device is a routing identifier (RID).

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the RID corresponds to a plurality of end user devices.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the end user access device is a network interface unit (NIU).

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the network media provider is an optical network distribution switch (ONDS).

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the address resolution messages are one of either address resolution requests or responses from the end user to address resolution requests.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising reading layer 2 information in the network media provider.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the end user device identifier corresponds to a MAC (Media Access Control) address.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the RID is unique among the plurality of end user access devices.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the end user device corresponds to an IP address;

the IP address independent of the RID.

17. A system for learning and maintaining a mapping between an end user identifier and an end user access device identifier in an access network comprising:

at least one network media provider operable for message transmission between the network media provider and a plurality of end user devices;

an end user access device connected between each of the end user devices and the network media provider, the end user access device adapted to be connected to a plurality of end user devices, each of the end user access devices having an identifier;

an input port at the end user access device operable to intercept messages received from the end user via the end user device for transmission to the network media provider;

a processor at the end user access device and operable to identify messages which are address resolution messages, the processor further operable to set control bits in a pre-determined fashion for the identified messages; and

a mapping data base adapted to store an association of the end user device to the end user access device, the network media provider operable to intercept the messages with the pre-determined control bit setting, and further operable to extract and store, in the mapping database, the association of the end user device identifier and the end user access device identifier from the intercepted messages.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the network media provider is in communication with a head end operable for multimedia information distribution.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is further operable to attach the end user access device ID to other messages being transmitted to the network media provider.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the address resolution message is an ARP request message.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein the response to the address resolution message is an ARP response message.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is further operable to set the control bits according to a predetermined protocol.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the end user access device is connected directly to at least one end user device.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the identifier of the end user access device is a routing identifier (RID).

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the RID corresponds to a plurality of the end user devices.

26. The system of claim 17 wherein the end user access device is a network interface unit (NIU).

27. The system of claim 17 wherein the network media provider is an optical network distribution switch (ONDS).

28. The system of claim 17 wherein the address resolution messages are one of either address resolution requests or responses from the end user to address resolution requests.

29. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is further operable to read the layer 2 info in the network media provider.

30. The system of claim 17 wherein the end user device identifier corresponds to a MAC (Media Access Control) address.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the RID is unique among the plurality of end user access devices.

32. The system of claim 24 wherein the end user device corresponds to an IP address, the IP address independent of the RID.

33. A computer program product having computer program code for transmitting messages comprising:

computer program code for recognizing a connection between an end user access device between each of a plurality of end user devices and a network media provider, each of the end user access devices having an identifier;

computer program code for intercepting messages received from an end user for transmission to the network media provider;

computer program code for identifying an address resolution message;

computer program code for setting control bits for all identified messages;

computer program code for intercepting messages in which control bits are set; and

computer program code for extracting and storing an association of the end user device identifier and the end user access device identifier from the intercepted messages.

34. A computer data signal including program code for transmitting messages comprising:

program code for recognizing a connection between an end user access device between each of a plurality of end user devices and a network media provider, each of the end user access devices having an identifier;

program code for intercepting messages received from an end user for transmission to the network media provider;

program code for identifying address resolution messages;

program code for setting control bits for all identified messages;

program code for intercepting messages in which the control bits are set; and

program code for extracting and storing an association of the end user device identifier and the end user access device identifier from the intercepted messages.

35. A system for learning and maintaining a mapping between an end user identifier and an end user access device identifier in an access network comprising:

means for providing a network media provider operable for message transmission between the network media provider and a plurality of end user devices;

means for recognizing a connection between an end user access device between each of the end user devices and the network media provider, the end user access device adapted to be connected to a plurality of end user devices, each of the end user access devices having an identifier;

means for intercepting, at the end user access device, messages received from the end user for transmission to the network media provider;

means for identifying, at the end user access device, messages which are address resolution messages;

means for setting control bits in a pre-determined fashion for the identified messages;

means for intercepting at the network media provider messages with the pre-determined control bit setting; and

means for extracting and storing at the network media provider, the association of the end user device identifier and the end user access device identifier from the intercepted messages.

36. A method of learning and maintaining a mapping between an end user identifier and an end user access device identifier in an access network comprising:

providing a network media provider operable for message transmission between the network media provider and a plurality of end user devices;

connecting an end user access device between each of the end user devices and the network media provider, the end user access device adapted to be connected to a plurality of end user devices, each of the end user access devices having an identifier;

intercepting, at the end user access device, messages received from the end user for transmission to the network media provider;

identifying, at the end user access device, messages which are address resolution messages;

setting control bits in a pre-determined fashion for the identified messages;

intercepting, at the network media provider, messages with the pre-determined control bit setting; and

extracting and storing, at the network media provider, the association of the end user device identifier and the end user access device identifier from the intercepted messages.