System and Method for Handling a Configuration Request

• US 20130013752A1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Herrera Van Der Nood, Manuel, Hillen, Bernardus
• Granted Patent: US 9,331,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers

Abstract

The invention relates to a system, device and method for handling a configuration request. The system comprises a plurality of auto-configuration servers and an auto-configuration server management device communicatively coupled to the plurality of auto-configuration servers. The auto-configuration server management device is arranged for communication over the network with a manageable electronic device, and is arranged for receiving the configuration request from the manageable electronic device. One or more auto-configuration servers that can handle the configuration request are identified based on the identification of the manageable electronic device. The load of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers is analyzed, and based on the load analysis, an auto-configuration server is selected as destination address for the configuration request. The invention improves the configuration of customer premises devices.

Claims

1. A system, in a wide area network, for handling a configuration request, the system comprising:

a plurality of auto-configuration servers; and

an auto-configuration server management device communicatively coupled to the plurality of auto-configuration servers;

wherein the auto-configuration server management device is configured for communication over the wide area network with a manageable electronic device, and wherein the auto-configuration server management device is configured to;

(i) receive the configuration request from the manageable electronic device;

(ii) identify one or more auto-configuration servers from the plurality of auto-configuration servers that can handle the configuration request;

(iii) analyze the load of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers; and

(iv) select an auto-configuration server as destination address for the configuration request based on the load analysis of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one database; and

wherein

the auto-configuration server management device is communicatively coupled to the at least one database; and

the auto-configuration server management device is configured to determine an identification of the manageable electronic device by comparing the configuration request with information for identification of manageable electronic devices stored in the at least one database; and

wherein the auto-configuration server management device is further configured to;

identify the one or more auto-configuration servers from the plurality of auto-configuration servers that can handle the configuration request based on the identifications of the manageable electronic device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein there is a further wide area network and wherein the auto-configuration server management device is further configured for communication with a further auto-configuration server located in the further wide area network, and wherein the auto-configuration server management device is configured to perform the identifying, analyzing and selecting taking the further auto-configuration servers into account.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the further auto-configuration server is a server assigned to a specific vendor.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the network is assigned to a first operator, and wherein the further auto-configuration server is located in a network assigned to a second operator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the auto-configuration server management device is communicatively coupled to a further auto-configuration server management device in the network assigned to the second operator, and wherein the further auto-configuration server management device is communicatively coupled to the further auto-configuration server.

9. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a local area network; and

an interfacing device for communicatively connecting the local area network to the wide area network, the manageable electronic device and a local interface configured for the input of information triggering the transmittal of a configuration request with respect to the manageable electronic device.

7. A device for managing selection of an auto-configuration server, the device comprising:

a processor and at least one memory connected to the processor, wherein the device is arranged in a wide area network comprising a plurality of auto-configuration servers, and wherein the device is communicatively connected to the plurality of auto-configuration servers, the device further being arranged for communication over the network with a manageable electronic device, and configured to;

(i) receive the configuration request from the manageable electronic device;

(ii) identify one or more auto-configuration servers from the plurality of auto-configuration serves that can handle the configuration request;

(iii) analyze the load of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers; and

(iv) select an auto-configuration server as destination address for the configuration request based on the load analysis of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the device is further communicatively coupled to at least one database and configured to determine an identification of the manageable electronic device by comparing the configuration request with information for identification of manageable electronic devices stored in the at least one database, and further wherein the identification of the one or more auto-configuration servers is based on the identification of the manageable electronic device.

10. A method for handling a configuration request in a system comprising

(i) a plurality of auto-configuration servers;

and

(ii) an auto-configuration server management device communicatively coupled to the plurality of auto-configuration servers, wherein the auto-configuration server management device is arranged for communication over a wide area network (WAN) with manageable electronic device, the method comprising;

receiving the configuration request from the manageable electronic device;

identifying one or more auto-configuration servers from the plurality of auto-configuration serves that can handle the configuration request;

analyzing the load of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers; and

selecting an auto-configuration server as destination address for the configuration request based on the load analysis of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the auto-configuration server management device is communicatively coupled to at least one database and wherein the method further comprises:

determining an identification of the manageable electronic device by comparing the configuration request with information for identification of manageable electronic devices stored in the at least one database; and

identifying the one or more auto-configuration servers from the plurality of auto-configuration serves that can handle the configuration request based on the identification of the manageable electronic device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the load comprises evaluating, for each of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers, a number of requests assigned for further handling, and comparing the evaluated number of requests per auto-configuration server with each other.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the load comprises evaluating, for each of the one or more identified auto-configuration servers, an expected time needed to handle the assigned requests, and comparing the evaluated expected time per auto-configuration server with each other.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the auto-configuration server as destination address for the configuration request is further based on one or more preferences associated with the configuration request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting the auto-configuration server as destination address is further based on an auto-configuration server selection code that is part of the configuration request.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium for performing, when executed by a processor, the method of claim 10.