Method and system for booting, provisioning and activating hardware and software clients

• US 8,019,986 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Chaudhari, Manoj K., Woundy, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANCHUS III, PAUL B
• Application Number:
  US11/503,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 726/12
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42144 by service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0081 Network operation, administration, maintenance, or provisioning

Abstract

Automated booting of a client for a subscriber is provided for clients that are for use in interactive user sessions that involve multimedia. A subscribe message is sent from the client to a proxy server. The proxy server authenticates the subscribe message, and sends the subscribe message to the configuration server. A notify message is sent to the client from the configuration server. The notify message is sent through the proxy server, and contains a location of a profile for the client. The profile is downloaded to the client. This arrangement allows the persistence of profiles in a centralized place.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an authenticated message at a configuration server from a proxy server, the authenticated message identifying a client;

sending a notification to the proxy server from the configuration server, the notification including locations for a plurality of profiles including a location of a user profile, and a location of a service profile;

receiving, at the configuration server, a request for profiles from the client, the request including the location of the user profile and the location of the service profile, wherein the request bypasses the proxy server; and

the configuration server, in response to receiving the request for profiles, performing;

determining whether a device profile specifying an update for the client is available,

upon determining that a device profile specifying an update for the client is available, sending the device profile specifying the update to the client, and

sending the user profile and the service profile to the client from the locations of the user profile and the service profile.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device profile includes a location of a client update for the client, the client update being at least one of a software update and a firmware update, wherein sending the device profile specifying the update to the client includes sending the location of the client update, the method further comprising:

sending the client update to the client from the location of the client update, the sending of the client update bypassing the configuration server and the proxy server.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding information to one of the plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile;

in response to the adding, sending a second notification to the client from the configuration server, the second notification being sent through the proxy server, and the second notification including an update location of the changed profile; and

sending at least a portion of the changed profile to the client from the update location.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

deleting information from one of the plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile;

in response to the deleting, sending a second notification to the client from the configuration server, the second notification being sent through the proxy server, and the second notification including an update location of the changed profile; and

sending the changed profile to the client from the update location.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

subsequent to sending the user profile and the service profile to the client, modifying one of the plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile;

in response to the modifying, sending a second notification to the client from the configuration server, the second notification being sent through the proxy server, and the second notification including an update location of the changed profile; and

sending the changed profile to the client from the update location.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the service profile includes an address book location.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an updated profile at the configuration server from the client.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a second notification to the client from the configuration server, the second notification being sent through the proxy server, and the second notification including an update location of an updated profile for the client; and

sending the updated profile to the client from the update location.

9. A system comprising:

a configuration server connected to a network;

a proxy server connected to the network;

the proxy server being configured to;

route messages from a client to a configuration server, wherein the routing includes;

receiving a message from a client, authenticating the message, and sending the authenticated message to the configuration server; and

the configuration server being configured to;

send a notify message to the client, the notify message being sent through the proxy server, and the notify message including locations for a plurality of profiles including a location of a user profile and a location of a service profile, and

receive a request for profiles from the client, the request including the location of the user profile and the location of the service profile, wherein the request bypasses the proxy server; and

in response to receiving the request for profiles, perform;

determining that a device profile specifying an update for the client is available,

sending the device profile specifying the update to the client, and

sending the user profile and the service profile to the client from the locations of the user profile and service profile.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

an address server configured to;

communicate with the client, wherein the communication results in NAT traversal information that enables NAT traversal when sending the message, authenticating the message, sending the notify message, and sending profile data;

wherein the message includes the NAT traversal information.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the proxy server is further configured to:

register the client with the proxy server to allow interactive user sessions that involve multimedia.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the client resolves the proxy server prior to sending the message.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the client is a hardware client.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the client is a software client executing on customer premise equipment.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the configuration server is configured to, in response to a change being made to a profile, send a second notify message to the client, the second notify message being sent through the proxy server, and the second notify message containing a location of an updated profile for the client to allow the client to download the updated profile.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the client operates using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

17. The system of claim 9 wherein the service profile includes an address book location.

18. A method comprising:

receiving an authenticated message at a configuration server from a proxy server, the authenticated message identifying a client device;

sending a notification to the proxy server from the configuration server, the notification including locations for a plurality of profiles including a location of a user profile, a location of a service profile, and a location of a device profile;

receiving, at the configuration server, a request for profiles, the request including the location of the user profile, the location of the service profile and the location of the device profile; and

the configuration server, in response to receiving the request for profiles, performing;

determining whether an updated device profile specifying an update for the client is available, wherein the determining includes accessing the location of the device profile,

upon determining that an updated device profile specifying an update for the client is available, sending the updated device profile to the client from the location of the device profile, and

sending the user profile and the service profile to the client from the locations of the user profile and the service profile.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user profile includes client preference information and the service profile includes address book information.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the service profile includes a location of an address book and the method further comprises:

receiving, at the configuration server, an address book request, the request including the location of the address book;

retrieving the address book from the location; and

sending the address book to the client device.