Method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device

• US 20070180484A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Siripunkaw, Pak, Weber, Emery, Avirneni, Srinivas, Brzozowski, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device includes sending a customized configuration file to the cable modem. The configuration file contains service provisioning information and further includes information indicative of a network address type for the customer premise equipment device. A message is passed from the cable modem to the customer premise equipment device indicative of the network address type. The customer premise equipment device is provided with a network address in accordance with the network address type indicated in the message. In this way, the customer premise equipment device knows what kind of address to obtain, and excessive transactions are avoided.

Claims

1. A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device, the customer premise equipment device being connected to the cable modem, the cable modem being connected to a cable modem termination system, the cable modem termination system being connected to a provider network, the method including initializing the cable modem connection to the cable modem termination system, providing the cable modem with a network address, and the cable modem receiving a cable modem configuration file from a network server, wherein the configuration file contains service provisioning information, the cable modem passing certain contents of the configuration file to the cable modem termination system, and the cable modem termination system passing certain identifiers back to the cable modem, the method further comprising:

wherein the configuration file further includes information indicative of a network address type for the customer premise equipment device, passing a message from the cable modem to the customer premise equipment device indicative of the network address type;

receiving the message at the customer premise equipment device; and

providing the customer premise equipment device with a network address in accordance with the network address type indicated in the message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer premise equipment device is a network addressable set-top box, the method further comprising:

requesting a network address for the set-top box in accordance with the network address type indicated in the message.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the set-top box and the cable modem are both embedded in a subscriber gateway.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the provider network is an Internet Protocol network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the network address type indicated in the configuration file is a type of Internet Protocol address.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the network address type is selected from a group including IPv4 and IPv6.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the provider network includes a dynamic host configuration server, the method further comprising:

the customer premise equipment device requesting a network address in accordance with the network address type indicated in the message by sending a request to the dynamic host configuration server.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the cable modem has a hardware address, and wherein the network address type indicated by information in the cable modem configuration file sent from the network server is based at least in part on the hardware address of the cable modem.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

establishing a plurality of network address types;

for a plurality of cable modem/customer premise equipment device pairs, selecting a network address type for each customer premise equipment device; and

relating the network address type for each customer premise equipment device to the hardware address of the cable modem in the respective pair.

10. A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a set-top box, the set-top box being connected to the cable modem, the cable modem being connected to a cable modem termination system, the cable modem termination system being connected to a provider network, the provider network including a dynamic host configuration server, the method including initializing the cable modem connection to the cable modem termination system, providing the cable modem with a network address, and the cable modem receiving a cable modem configuration file from a network server, wherein the configuration file contains service provisioning information, the cable modem passing certain contents of the configuration file to the cable modem termination system, and the cable modem termination system passing certain identifiers back to the cable modem, the method further comprising:

wherein the configuration file further includes information indicative of a network address type for the set-top box, passing a message from the cable modem to set-top box indicative of the network address type;

receiving the message at the set-top box;

requesting a network address for the set-top box in accordance with the network address type indicated in the message by sending a request to the dynamic host configuration server; and

wherein the set-top box and the cable modem are both embedded in a subscriber gateway.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the provider network is an Internet Protocol network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the network address type indicated in the configuration file is a type of Internet Protocol address.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the network address type is selected from a group including IPv4 and IPv6.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the cable modem has a hardware address, and wherein the network address type indicated by information in the cable modem configuration file sent from the network server is based at least in part on the hardware address of the cable modem.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

establishing a plurality of network address types;

for a plurality of subscriber gateways, selecting a network address type for each embedded set-top box; and

relating the network address type for each embedded set-top box to the hardware address of the cable modem in the respective subscriber gateway.

16. A subscriber gateway device for connecting to a provider network, wherein a cable modem termination system is connected to the provider network, the provider network includes a dynamic host configuration server, the subscriber gateway device comprising:

an embedded cable modem for connecting to the cable modem termination system;

an embedded set-top box connected to the embedded cable modem;

wherein upon connection of the cable modem to the cable modem termination system, the cable modem is initialized and provided with a network address, and the cable modem receives a cable modem configuration file from a network server;

wherein the configuration file contains service provisioning information, the cable modem passing certain contents of the configuration file to the cable modem termination system, and the cable modem termination system passing certain identifiers back to the cable modem;

wherein the configuration file further includes information indicative of a network address type for the set-top box; and

wherein the cable modem passes a message from the cable modem to the set-top box indicative of the network address type, the set-top box receives the message, and in response to the message, requests a network address for the set-top box in accordance with the network address type indicated in the message.