Method and system for cable modem management of a data-over-cable system

• US 6,185,624 B1
• Filed: 02/04/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Beser, Nurettin B., Fijolek, John G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US09/018,404
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/203, 709/230, 709/239, 709/335, 340/286.02, 345/335, 364/242, 379/93.16, 370/401, 370/402, 370/403, 370/410, 380/21-24
• US Class Current: 709/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• 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]

Abstract

A method and system for providing management functionality with a cable modem with telephony return is provided. The cable modem with telephony return is used for providing management functionality such as maintenance and signaling via the lower bandwidth telephony return path, leaving more higher bandwidth cable television channels free for data transmission. Since routine management functions such as maintenance are completed on the cable television channels via the telephony return path, the overall costs of maintaining the higher bandwidth cable television channels are reduced. In addition, since routine management functions are carried out via the telephony return path, fewer overall maintenance functions need to be carried out on the higher bandwidth cable television channels, requiring less down time and generating more revenues for the cable television network providers.

Claims

1. In a data-over-cable system with plurality of network devices connected to a first network with a downstream connection of a first connection type and connected to a second network with an upstream connection of a second connection type, a method of providing management requests, the method comprising the following steps:

sending a management request for one or more connections of the first connection type from a third network device on the first network to a second network device on the second network on the upstream connection;

establishing a connection from the second network device on the second network to a first network device on the first network;

applying the management request remotely from the first network device via the second network device to one or more downstream connections of the first connection type on the first network via the established connection; and

returning the results of the management request, if any, to the third network device from the second network device over a downstream connection from the second network device to the third network device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first network is a cable television network, and the second network is a public-switched telephone network.

3. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 1.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forwarding the management request from the second network device on the second network to the first network device on the first network; and

applying the management request to one or more downstream connections of the first connection type on the first network from the first network device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first connection type is a cable television connection and the second connection type is a telephony connection.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the management request includes any of maintenance requests or signaling requests.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the maintenance requests include maintenance requests for cable television channels.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the maintenance requests includes any of a channel testing request or a fault isolation request for a downstream cable channel.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the network device includes a second upstream connection of the first connection type, and a second downstream connection of the second connection type.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein, the first network device is a cable modem termination system, the second network device is a telephony remote access concentrator, and the third network device is a cable modem.

11. In a data-over-cable system with a network device connected to a first network with a downstream connection of a first connection type and connected to a second network with an upstream connection of a second connection type;

a method of providing signaling, the method comprising the following steps;

sending a management signaling request for a desired cable television channel from the network device to the second network on the upstream connection;

establishing a connection from the second network to the first network;

applying the management signaling request remotely from the second network to the first network over the established connection; and

returning the results of the management signaling request, if any, to the network device from the first network over a downstream connection to the network device.

12. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 11.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the network device is a cable modem, first connection type is a cable television connection and the second connection type is a telephony connection.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the management signaling request includes any of an in-service signal, an out-of-service signal or a back-in-service signal for a downstream cable channel.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the management signaling request includes any of network bandwidth allocation signaling request or quality of service signaling request for a downstream cable channel.

16. In a data-over-cable system with a plurality of cable modems connected to a cable network with a downstream connection and connected to a public switched telephone network with an upstream connection, a method of providing management information, the method comprising the following steps:

sending a management request from a cable modem to a telephony remote access concentrator on the public switched telephone network on the upstream connection;

establishing a connection from the telephony remote access on the concentrator on the public switched telephone network to a cable modem termination system on the cable network;

applying the management request to one or more downstream cable channels on the downstream connection on the cable modem termination system remotely from the telephony remote access concentrator via the cable modem termination system over the established connection; and

returning the results of the management request, if any, to the cable modem over the cable network via a downstream connection from the cable modem termination system to the cable modem.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the downstream connection is a cable television connection and the upstream connection is a telephony connection.

18. The method of claim 19 wherein the the one or more downstream channels include one or more downstream cable television channels.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the management request includes any of maintenance requests or signaling requests for a cable television connection.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the cable modem includes an upstream cable connection to the cable modem termination system.

21. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 16.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the management request is any of a maintenance or a signaling request.