Method and apparatus of testing modems in a networking environment

• US 6,480,531 B1
• Filed: 10/23/1998
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malhotra, Pankaj
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, KHANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/178,448
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 375/222, 375/224, 375/225, 375/228, 370/355, 370/356, 370/352, 370/401, 370/463, 714/2, 714/4, 714/25, 714/712, 714/714, 379/1.01, 379/32.01, 379/220.01, 379/221.01, 379/273, 379/93.01, 379/93.06, 379/93.07, 379/10.01
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for use in a digital system having a plurality of modem devices from receiving de-multiplexed digital channels of information through a transmission link and providing data for use by computer equipment for detecting the presence of defective modem devices, the plurality of modem devices being organized into groups having a predetermined number of modem devices, testing each of the modems in each group against the remainder of the modems in that group, determining the number of tests that each of the modems within the group have passed successfully, selecting among the modems within each group, a ‘leader’ modem having the highest number of pass rate and thereafter testing the remainder of the modems in that group against the chosen ‘leader’ modem thereby reliably isolating defective modems from use during normal operation of the digital system.

Claims

1. A digital system for use in a packet switching network including:

a processing unit; and

a plurality of modem devices coupled to said processing unit for transferring digital information between a transmission link and communication equipment, the plurality of modems being organized into one or more groups of modems wherein within each group, a modem is tested relative to each of the remaining modems in the same group, a count is maintained for the number of tested modem devices that have passed the test for each of the modem devices within a group, based upon the count, said processing unit for determining a ‘

leader’

modem device, the ‘

leader’

modem device having the highest number of successful tests within each group, said processing unit for further testing the modems of each group relative to the ‘

leader’

modem within the respective group, and for isolating those modem devices within each group that failed the further testing relative to the ‘

leader’

modem during operation of the digital system.

2. A digital system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing unit is a motherboard device.

3. A digital system as recited in claim 1 further comprising modem boards including said plurality of modem devices, said modem boards being coupled to said processing unit for transferring digital information therebetween.

4. A digital system as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said groups of modems include six modem devices.

5. A digital system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of semiconductor devices, each semiconductor device including all of the modem devices of a group.

6. A digital system as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of groups of modem devices comprises four groups.

7. A digital system as recited in claim 1 wherein after a modem is tested relative to the remaining modem devices within the group, a next modem device is tested relative to the remaining modem devices within the same group and thereafter a following modem device is tested relative to the remaining modem devices within the same group and so on until all of the modem devices within the group are tested.

8. An access server for use in a packet switching network including:

a processing unit; and

a plurality of modems coupled to said processing unit for transferring digital information between a transmission link and communication equipment, the plurality of modems being organized into one or more groups of modems wherein, within each group, a modem is tested relative to each of the remaining modems in the same group, a count is maintained for the number of tested modem devices that have passed the test for each of the modern devices within a group, based upon the count, said processing unit for determining a ‘

leader’

modem having the highest number of successful tests within each group, said processing unit for further testing the modems of each group relative to the ‘

leader’

modem within the respective group, and based upon the results of the tests, the ‘

leader’

modem for isolating defective modems from use during operation of the digital system.

9. An access server as recited in claim 8 wherein said processing unit is a motherboard device.

10. An access server as recited in claim 8 wherein each of said groups of modems include six modem devices.

11. An access server as recited in claim 8 further comprising a plurality of semiconductor devices, each semiconductor device including all of the modem devices of a group.

12. An access server as recited in claim 8 wherein the plurality of groups of modem devices comprises four groups.

13. An access server as recited in claim 8 wherein after a modem is tested relative to the remaining modem devices within the group, a next modem device is tested relative to the remaining modem devices within the same group and thereafter a following modem device is tested relative to the remaining modem devices within the same group and so on until all of the modem devices within the group are tested.

14. A method for testing used in a digital system employing packet switching networking having a plurality of modem devices coupled to a processing unit for operation of the modem devices, comprising:

organizing the plurality of modem devices into one or more groups;

within each group, testing a plurality of modem devices relative to the other modem devices in the same group;

maintaining a count of the number of tests passed by each of the plurality of tested modem devices within a group;

based upon the count, determining a ‘

leader’

modem having the highest number of successful tests within each group;

further testing the modems of each group relative to the ‘

leader’

modem within the respective group; and

isolating those modem devices within each group that failed the further testing relative to the ‘

leader’

modem during operation of the digital system.

15. A method for testing as recited in claim 14 further comprising performing Point-to-Point Protocol testing on the ‘

leader’

modem device of each group and the remaining modem devices within the same group for further verification of the modem devices of the groups.

16. A method for testing as recited in claim 14 wherein after the step of testing a modem device relative to the other modem devices, testing a next modem device relative to the remaining modem devices within the same group and thereafter testing a following modem device relative to the remaining modem devices within the same group and so on until all of the modem devices within the group are tested.