Method and system of provisioning a desired communication service for a user across a network

• US 8,015,271 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2002
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: McKeown, Jean Christophe, Chabrier, Henri
• Primary Examiner(s): BATES, KEVIN T
• Application Number:
  US10/472,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,451 Days
• Field of Search: 709225-228
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• 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 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• 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 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5077 wherein the managed service relates to simple transport services, i.e. providing only network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

Disclosed is a provisioning tool and method for a communications network, particularly a broadband communications network which is arranged to provision a service for a user based on information available via another user connection; this facilitates provision. In a preferred embodiment, a user device address is obtained from a user IP address. Provisioning and other network tools with additional or alternative advantageous features are disclosed and the provisioning tools disclosed may communicate with a variety of other tools including planning and inventory applications and agents associated with equipment, all of which are also independently provided, enabling provision of a variety of novel services and features dealing with a spectrum of problems arising in a communications environment, particularly a broadband environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by one or more provisioning servers, a web interface to a user, the web interface allowing the user to submit a request for a new service from a service provider;

receiving, by the provisioning servers, the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface;

determining, by the provisioning servers and from the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface, an Internet Protocol (IP) address for a user access device on a network;

formulating, by the provisioning servers, a lease query that includes the IP address for the user access device as determined from the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface;

sending, by the provisioning servers, the lease query to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, wherein the user access device is located at a Media Access Control (MAC) address on the network and the DHCP server has, when provisioning an existing service that is different than the new service, previously allocated the IP address to the user access device and has mapped the IP address to the MAC address of the user access device;

receiving, by the provisioning servers, the MAC address for the user access device in response to the lease query; and

provisioning, by the provisioning servers, the new service using the MAC address.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the DHCP server, the mapping of the IP address to the MAC address in a table.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the lease query is a DHCPLEASEQUERY message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the request for the new service.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein validating the request further comprises receiving a personal identification number (PIN) from the user through the web interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the new service comprises one of a television broadcast service, a voice over IP service, a cable television service, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) service, or a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the IP address and the MAC address to determine serviceability of the new service for the user using the user access device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the IP address and the MAC address to determine if the user access device is authorized to provide the new service to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein formulating, by the provisioning servers, a DHCP Lease Query that includes the IP address in the CIADDR field, that includes an IP address of one or more of the provisioning servers in the GIADDR field, and that includes zero values in the HTYPE, HLEN, and CHADDR fields.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the provisioning servers, the received MAC address for display to the user; and

receiving, by the provisioning servers, a signal indicating that the user has verified the MAC address,

wherein the new service is provisioned in response to receiving the signal indicating that the user has verified the MAC address.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the MAC address further comprises:

receiving, by the provisioning servers, a DHCPKNOWN message that includes the MAC address, from the DHCP server.

12. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

providing, by one or more provisioning servers, a web interface to a user, the web interface allowing the user to submit a request for a new service from a service provider,

receiving, by the provisioning servers, the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface,

determining, by the provisioning servers and from the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface, an Internet Protocol (IP) address for a user access device on a network,

formulating, by the provisioning servers, a lease query that includes the IP address for the user access device as determined from the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface,

sending, by the provisioning servers, the lease query to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, wherein the user access device is located at a Media Access Control (MAC) address on the network and the DHCP server has, when provisioning an existing service that is different than the new service, previously allocated the IP address to the user access device and has mapped the IP address to the MAC address of the user access device,

receiving, by the provisioning servers, the MAC address for the user access device in response to the lease query, and

provisioning, by the provisioning servers, the new service using the MAC address.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise storing, by the DHCP server, the mapping of the IP address to the MAC address in a table.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the lease query is a DHCPLEASEQUERY message.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise validating the request for the new service.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein validating the request further comprises receiving a personal identification number (PIN) from the user through the web interface.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the new service comprises one of a television broadcast service, a voice over IP service, a cable television service, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) service, or a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) service.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise using the IP address and the MAC address to determine serviceability of the new service for the user using the user access device.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise using the IP address and the MAC address to determine if the user access device is authorized to provide the new service to the user.

20. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

providing, by one or more provisioning servers, a web interface to a user, the web interface allowing the user to submit a request for a new service from a service provider;

receiving, by the provisioning servers, the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface;

determining, by the provisioning servers and from the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface, an Internet Protocol (IP) address for a user access device on a network;

formulating, by the provisioning servers, a lease query that includes the IP address for the user access device as determined from the request for the new service submitted by the user through the web interface;

sending, by the provisioning servers, the lease query to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, wherein the user access device is located at a Media Access Control (MAC) address on the network and the DHCP server has, when provisioning an existing service that is different than the new service, previously allocated the IP address to the user access device and has mapped the IP address to the MAC address of the user access device;

receiving, by the provisioning servers, the MAC address for the user access device in response to the lease query; and

provisioning, by the provisioning servers, the new service using the MAC address.

21. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 20, further comprising storing, by the DHCP server, the mapping of the IP address to the MAC address in a table.

22. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 20, wherein the lease query is a DHCPLEASEQUERY message.

23. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise validating the request for the new service.

24. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 23, wherein validating the request further comprises receiving a personal identification number (PIN) from the user through the web interface.