System and method for determining a communication protocol of a communication device operating on digital subscriber lines

• US 6,631,120 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Milbrandt, Celite
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): George, Keith M.
• Application Number:
  US09/364,332
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/210, 370/352, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 375/222
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for determining a communication protocol of a communication device operating on digital subscriber lines includes a communication server coupled to a number of subscribers using a number of subscriber lines. The communication server comprises a first communication device that communicates with a second communication device using a particular subscriber line. A processor coupled to the communication server determines that the first communication device is inoperable to communicate with the second communication device using a first communication protocol. In response, the processor initiates the operation of the first communication device using a second communication protocol.

Claims

1. A system for determining a communication protocol of a communication device operating on a twisted pair subscriber line, comprising:

a communication server operable to maintain connection with a plurality of subscribers simultaneously using a polarity of subscriber lines, the communication server comprising a first communication device operable to communicate with a second communication device using a first subscriber line, and a third communication device operable to communication with a fourth communication device using a second subcriber line; and

a processor coupled to the communication server and operable to determine that the first communication device is operable to communicate with the second communication device using a first communication protocol and, in response, to initiate the operation of the first communication device using a second communication protocol for downlink data communication and using a third communication protocol for uplink data communication.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication server comprises a portion of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer and the first communication device is further operable to communicate with a communication network using a device of the digital subscriber line access multiplexer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a subscriber coupled to the communication server using the first subscriber line comprises the second communication device and the second communication device is operable to communicate with the first communication device using the second communication protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication protocol comprises an xDSL communication protocol and the second communication protocol comprises on of a V-series communication protocol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein and first subscriber line supports communication using a particular frequency spectrum and the processor initiates the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol for a subrange of frequencies in the frequency spectrum.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory coupled to the processor and operable to store an association between the first communication device and the number of time that the first communication device fails an attempt to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor initiates the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol if the first communication device fails am attempt to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol a predetermined number of times.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines that the signal noise ratio associated with the first subscriber line fails to exceed a predetermined threshold and, in response, that the first communication device is inoperable to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor initiates the operation of the first communication device is using the second communicate protocol if the second communication device is inoperable to communicate using the first communication protocol.

10. A method for determining a communication protocol of a communication device operating on a twisted pair subscriber line, comprising:

maintaining connections between a communication serve and a plurality of subscribers using a plurality of subscriber lines;

identifying a first communication device of the communication serve coupled to a second communication device using a particular subscriber line;

determining that the fist communication device is inoperable to communicate with the second communication device using a first communication protocol; and

initiating the operation of the first communication device using a second communication protocol for downlink data communication and using a third communication protocol for uplink data communication.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication server comprising a portion of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer, the method further comprising communication a signal between the first communication device and a communication network using a network device of the digital subscriber line access multiplexer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an xDSL communication protocol and the second communication protocol comprises one of a V-series communication protocol.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the particular subscriber line supports communication using a particular frequency spectrum and the step of initiating comprises initiating the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol for a subrange of frequencies in the frequency spectrum.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing in a memory an association between the first communication device and the number of times that the first communication device fails an attempt to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the step of initiation comprises initiating the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol if the first communication device fails an attempt to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol a predetermined number of times.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the step of determining comprises determining that the first communication device is inoperable to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol based upon the signal-to-noise ratio associated with the particular subscriber line.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the step of initiating comprises initiating the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol if the second communication device is inoperable to communicate using the first communication protocol.

18. A communication facility for determining a communication protocol of a communication device operating on a twisted pair subscriber line, comprising:

a memory that stores an association between a first communication device of a communication server and the number of times that the first communication device fails an attempt to communicate with a second communication device using a first communication protocol; and

a processor coupled to the memory and operable to initiate the operation of the communication device using a second communication protocol if the first communication device fails an attempt to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol a predetermined number of times.

19. The communication facility of claim 18, wherein the communication server comprises a portion of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer and the first communication device is further operable to communicate with a communication network using a network device of the digital subscriber line access multiplexer.

20. The communication facility of claim 18, wherein a subscriber coupled to the communication server using a particular subscriber line comprises the second communication device and the second communication device is operable to communicate with the first communication device using the second communication protocol.

21. The communication facility of claim 18, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an xDSL communication protocol and the second communication protocol comprises a V-series communication protocol.

22. The communication facility of claim 18, wherein a particular subscriber line that couples the first communication device and the second communication device supports communication using a particular frequency spectrum and the processor is further operable to initiate the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol for a subrange of frequencies in the frequency spectrum.

23. The communication facility of claim 18, wherein the processor initiates the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol for downlink data communication and a third communication protocol for uplink data communication.

24. The communication facility of claim 18, therein the processor determines that the first communication device is inoperable to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol based upon the signal-to-noise ratio associated with a particular subscriber line that couples the first communication devise and the second communication device.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor initiates the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol if the second communication device is in inoperable to communicate using the first communication protocol.

26. A system for determining a communication protocol of a communication device operating on a twisted pair subscriber line comprising:

a communication server operable to maintain connections with plurality of subscribers simultaneously using a plurality of subscriber lines, the communication server comprising a first communication device operable to communicate with a second communication device using a first subscriber line;

a processor coupled to the communication server and operable to determine that the first communication device is inoperable to communicate with the second communication device using a first communication protocol and, in response, to initiate the operation of the first communication device using a second communication protocol for downlink data communication and using a third communication protocol for uplink data communication; and

a memory coupled to the processor and operable to store an association between the first communication device and the number of times that the first communication device the first an attempt to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol;

wherein the processor initiates the operation of the first communication device using the second communication protocol if the first communication device fails an attempt to communicate with the second communication device using the first communication protocol a predetermined number of times.