Method of Provisioning Network Elements

• US 20170163482A1
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Avirneni, Srinivas, Durand, Alain D., Brzozowski, John J., Schauer, Paul Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 10,129,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/659 Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/457 containing identifiers of data entities on a computer, e.g. file names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A system and method for provisioning network elements, such as but not limited to the type of network elements used in cable television system to facilitate subscriber access to services. The provisioning may be accomplished without communications between multiple provisioning servers. This allows the provisioning to be conducted in a stateless manner.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a network device identifier (ID) by appending a media access control address of a network device to an identifier of a geographic zone where the network device is located;

assigning the network device ID to a set of provisioning instructions comprising an internet protocol address;

receiving, by a provisioning device and from the network device, a provisioning request comprising the network device ID;

determining, by the provisioning device, the geographic zone where the network device is located based on the network device ID;

transmitting, by the provisioning device to a database corresponding with the geographic zone, a secondary provisioning request corresponding with the geographic zone;

receiving, by the provisioning device and from the database corresponding with the geographic zone, the set of provisioning instructions; and

transmitting, by the provisioning device to the network device, the set of provisioning instructions.