Auto-provisioning of user equipment

• US 6,023,464 A
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 02/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast MO Group Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MediaOne Group Inc. (Comcast Corporation), U S West Inc.
• Inventors: Woundy, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US08/996,350
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 370/242, 370/252, 370/401, 370/402, 370/431, 370/437, 370/447, 370/453, 370/475, 370/352, 395/187.07, 395/188.01, 395/200.56, 395/200.68, 395/200.69, 395/500, 375/222, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/230, 709/217, 709/219, 713/201, 713/202
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• 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 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

A system and method for provisioning a user terminal for accessing a wideband cable data distribution network, such as an Internet-over-cable system, utilizes an auto-provisioning web server to allow provisioning of a user cable modem without need for a field technician to separately input associated modem identification information via a telephone. A LDAP directory is used to store all provisioning information, and is accessible by a DHCP server to selectively allocate network IP addresses to only provisioned terminals.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning a user terminal to allow access to a wideband cable data distribution network comprising:

pre-provisioning a cable modem by inputting into a network database information identifying the cable modem to be connected to the user terminal;

establishing limited network access right for the pre-provisioned cable modem that allows access only to an auto-provisioning web server;

accessing the auto-provisioning web server using the terminal equipment and cable modem;

detecting that the terminal equipment is not provisioned;

prompting for input of the modem identification information;

verifying input information with identification information stored in said database; and

provisioning the modem by storing in said database user identification information to be associated with the modem identification information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the inputting of the modem identification information into the database further comprises assigning the modem to an unregistered class of modems.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user terminal comprises a computer, and said method further comprises:

detecting whether the computer has been provisioned;

if not, then prompting for input of a domain name; and

provisioning the computer by storing the inputted domain name in said database in association with the modem identification information.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining that the modem was previously provisioned and the inputted domain name is already stored in the database in association with a different computer, and provisioning the computer as a replacement computer.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining that the modem was previously provisioned and the inputted domain is not stored in the database, and provisioning the computer as an additional computer.

6. A system for provisioning a user terminal to allow access to a wideband cable data distribution network comprising:

a DHCP server connected to said cable network for controlling access to the network by selectively allocating network IP addresses to provisioned user terminals;

a cable modem connected to the user terminal and the cable network, said cable modem having unique identification information;

a modem identification input subsystem for pre-provisioning the cable modem by inputting the unique modem identification information into a network database; and

an auto-provisioning web server connected to the network and arranged to prompt a user for input of the cable modem identification information, verify whether the modem is provisioned, and provision modem by storing in the database user identification information to be associated with the modem identification information, wherein the DHCP server is arranged to assign limited network access rights to pre-provisioned modems allowing access to only the auto-provisioning web server.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said database comprises an LDAP directory.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein said modem identification input subsystem assigns each unprovisioned cable modem to an unregistered class.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the user terminal comprises a computer, and said auto-provisioning web server is further arranged to detect whether the computer has been provisioned, if not, then prompting for input of a domain name, and provision the computer by storing the inputted domain name in the database in association with the modem identification information.

10. A system for provisioning a user terminal to allow access to a wideband cable data distribution network comprising:

an inventory pre-provisioning system for inputting cable modem serial numbers and MAC addresses into a billing system and into a network user database;

a DHCP server arranged to automatically allocate and assign IP addresses to user terminals;

an lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory server arranged to manage a plurality of directory subtrees used to provide provisioning of equipment; and

an auto-provisioning web server arranged to prompt a user for input of the cable modem identification information when a user needs to be provisioned, and provision the modem by storing in the database user identification information to be associated with the modem identification information, wherein the DHCP server is arranged to assign limited network access rights to pre-provisioned modems allowing access to only the auto-provisioning web server until the modem is provisioned.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the database comprises a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory.