Methods and apparatus to determine digital subscriber line configuration parameters

• US 20070002758A1
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Van Slyke, John, Blackburn, Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,213 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to determine digital subscriber line (DSL) configuration parameters based on current and historical DSL performance characteristics are disclosed. A disclosed method comprises obtaining first data representative of a current maximum attainable DSL speed for a telephone line, collecting second data representative of historical maximum attainable DSL speeds for the telephone line, and determining a maximum capable DSL speed for the telephone line based on the first and the second data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining first data representative of a current digital subscriber line (DSL) performance characteristic;

collecting second data representative of historical values of the DSL performance characteristic; and

determining a DSL configuration parameter based on the first and the second data.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second data includes at least one data point;

and further comprising discarding at least one of the at least one data point if either DSL service for a telephone line is reported as malfunctioning, or a DSL configuration parameter for the telephone line is modified.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second data corresponds to a time period having a pre-determined characteristic.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first data, the second data, and the DSL configuration parameter are associated with a single telephone line.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the DSL performance characteristic is a maximum attainable DSL speed;

and wherein the DSL configuration parameter represents a maximum capable DSL speed.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein determining the maximum capable DSL speed based on the first and the second data comprises determining a minimum in the first and the second data.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein determining the maximum capable DSL speed based on the first and the second data comprises multiplying a scale factor and the minimum in the first and the second data.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the scale factor is selected based upon a number of data points in the second data.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the DSL performance characteristic is a count of receiver errors over a time period;

and wherein the DSL configuration parameter represents whether or not interleaving is enabled for a telephone line.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein adjusting the DSL configuration parameter based on the first and the second data comprises determining a maximum in the first and the second data.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein adjusting the DSL configuration parameter based on the first and the second data comprises enabling interleaving for the telephone line if the maximum in the first and the second data is greater than a threshold.

12. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

obtain a first parameter representative of a digital subscriber line (DSL) performance characteristic;

collect additional parameters representative of historical values of the DSL performance characteristic; and

determine a DSL configuration parameter based on the first and the additional parameters.

13. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 12:

wherein the DSL performance characteristic is a maximum attainable DSL speed;

wherein the DSL configuration parameter represents a maximum capable DSL speed; and

wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine the DSL configuration parameter based on the first and the additional parameters by determining a minimum in the first and the additional parameters.

14. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 12:

wherein the DSL performance characteristic is a count of receiver errors over a time period;

wherein the DSL configuration parameter represents interleaving enablement; and

wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine the DSL configuration parameter based on the first and the additional parameters by;

determining a maximum in the first and the additional parameters; and

enabling interleaving if the determined maximum is greater than a threshold.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a digital subscriber line (DSL) maintenance device to collect current and historical DSL performance characteristics; and

a DSL speed computing device to determine a DSL configuration parameter based on the collected current and historical DSL performance characteristics.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the DSL speed computing device is integrated with the DSL maintenance device.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the DSL speed computing device determines a maximum capable DSL speed based on the collected current and historical DSL performance characteristics.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the DSL speed computing device determines if interleaving is required based on the collected current and historical DSL performance characteristics.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising a database to store the historical DSL performance characteristics.

20. A system comprising:

a digital subscriber line (DSL) access multiplexer (DSLAM) to connect via a plurality of DSL lines to respective ones of a plurality of DSL modems;

a DSL maintenance device to collect DSL performance data for the plurality of DSL lines from the DSLAM;

a database to store the collected performance data;

a client device to request a DSL configuration parameter for a specified one of the plurality of DSL lines; and

a DSL speed computing device to determine the requested DSL configuration parameter for the specified one of the plurality of DSL lines based on the DSL performance data.

21. A system as defined in claim 20, wherein the DSL speed computing device and the DSL maintenance device are a single device.

22. A system as defined in claim 20, wherein the DSL configuration parameter represents a maximum capable DSL speed or interleaving enablement.