Resetting a multimedia terminal adapter

• US 20080089242A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Whitten, Robert C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819

Abstract

A plurality of network devices may be reset. In order to reset the plurality of network devices, a first file may be received including a plurality of host names corresponding to a plurality of network devices. Next, a second file may be received comprising a plurality of security keys respectively indexed with a plurality of network device IDs. Then, data may be created based on the first file and the second file. The data may include a plurality of qualified names each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices. The data may also include a plurality of security keys each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices. Next, the data may be sent to a programming module configured to send reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices.

Claims

1. A method for resetting network devices, the method comprising:

receiving a first file comprising a plurality of host names corresponding to a plurality of network devices;

receiving a second file comprising a plurality of security keys respectively indexed with a plurality of network device IDs;

creating data based on the first file and the second file, the data comprising a plurality of qualified names each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices and a plurality of security keys each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices; and

sending the data to a programming module configured to send reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprising multimedia terminal adapters embedded in data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) based cable modems.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprising multimedia terminal adapters embedded in data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) based cable modems wherein each of the multimedia terminal adapters are resetable independent of other portions of their corresponding cable modems.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprising multimedia terminal adapters configured to provide voice over IP (VoIP) over a hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices that a service provider designated to be changed to operate on a first switch different from a second switch from which the plurality of network devices current operate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices that a service provider designates to be changed to operate on a first switch different from a second switch from which the plurality of network devices current operate, the first switch and the second switch configured to operate in a network comprising a hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) network and other network service elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first file comprises receiving the first file from a call management server (CMS).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names each respectively corresponding to a media access control (MAC) address of each of the plurality of network devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the second file comprising the plurality of security keys respectively indexed with the plurality of network device IDs comprises receiving the second file comprising the plurality of security keys respectively indexed with the plurality of network device IDs wherein the plurality of network device IDs comprise media access control (MAC) addresses.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the second file comprises receiving the second file from a provisioning server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the data based on the first file and the second file, the data comprising the plurality of qualified names comprises creating the data based on the first file and the second file, the data comprising the plurality of qualified names comprising fully qualified domain names.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the data based on the first file and the second file, the data comprising the plurality of qualified names comprises creating the data based on the first file and the second file, the data comprising the plurality of qualified names respectively comprising the plurality of host names with a domain name concatenated to the plurality of host names.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the data to the programming module configured to send the reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices comprises sending the data to the programming module configured to send the reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices, the programming module being configured to create the reset signals configured to cause the plurality of network devices to be changed to operate on a first switch different from a second switch from which the plurality of network devices current operate.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the data to the programming module configured to send the reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices comprises sending the data to the programming module configured to:

send the plurality of qualified names to a domain name server configured to provide a plurality of Internet protocol (IP) addresses respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of qualified names;

receive the plurality of IP addresses from the domain name server; and

send the reset signals respectively to each of the received plurality of Internet protocol (IP) addresses respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices, the reset signals each respectively including a security key corresponding a network device of the plurality of network devices for which each of the reset signals is sent.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a confirmation that at least one of the plurality of network devices has been reset.

16. A system for resetting network devices, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

receive, from a call management server (CMS), a first file comprising a plurality of host names corresponding to a plurality of network devices comprising multimedia terminal adapters configured to provide voice over IP (VoIP) over a hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) network;

receive, from a provisioning server, a second file comprising a plurality of security keys respectively indexed with a plurality of network device IDs comprising media access control (MAC) addresses;

create data based on the first file and the second file, the data comprising a plurality of qualified names each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices and a plurality of security keys each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices wherein the plurality of qualified names respectively comprise the plurality of host names with a domain name concatenated to the plurality of host names; and

send the data to a programming module configured to send reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices, the programming module configured to;

send the plurality of qualified names to a domain name server configured to provide a plurality of Internet protocol (IP) addresses respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of qualified names;

receive the plurality of IP addresses from the domain name server; and

send the reset signals respectively to each of the received plurality of Internet protocol (IP) addresses respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices, the reset signals each respectively including a security key corresponding a network device of the plurality of network devices for which each of the reset signals is sent.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit being operative to receive the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises the processing unit being operative to receive the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices that a service provider designated to be changed to operate on a first switch different from a second switch from which the plurality of network devices current operate.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit being operative to receive the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises the processing unit being operative to receive the first file comprising the plurality of host names each respectively corresponding to a media access control (MAC) address of each of the plurality of network devices.

19. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for resetting network devices, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a first file comprising a plurality of host names corresponding to a plurality of network devices comprising multimedia terminal adapters embedded in data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) based cable modems wherein each of the multimedia terminal adapters are resetable independent of other portions of their corresponding cable modems;

receiving a second file comprising a plurality of security keys respectively indexed with a plurality of network device IDs;

creating data based on the first file and the second file, the data comprising a plurality of qualified names each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices and a plurality of security keys each respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of network devices, the plurality of qualified names comprising fully qualified domain names;

sending the data to a programming module configured to send reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices wherein the programming module is configured to send the reset signals to each of the plurality of network devices, the programming module being configured to create the reset signals configured to cause the plurality of network devices to be changed to operate on a first switch different from a second switch from which the plurality of network devices current operate; and

receiving a confirmation that at least one of the plurality of network devices has been reset.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices comprises receiving the first file comprising the plurality of host names corresponding to the plurality of network devices that a service provider designates to be changed to operate on a first switch different from a second switch from which the plurality of network devices current operate, the first switch and the second switch configured to operate in a network comprising a hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) network.