Method and system for selecting from a plurality of configuration profile records for channel bonding operation

• US 8,379,660 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Group, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ansley, Carol
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Kibrom T
• Application Number:
  US12/259,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20090135846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 370/431, 370/329, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/468, 725/111
• US Class Current: 370/431
• 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 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/80 Actions related to the user profile or the type of traffic

Abstract

In DOCSIS 3.0 a greater level of configuration is possible for cable modems than was available in earlier versions. The CMTS potentially receives many possible configurations from a new CM. The standard does not indicate how the CMTS should configure a CM that can support more than one possible configuration. A CMTS'"'"' operator specifies preferences for certain channel configurations. The CMTS evaluates the configuration profiles received from a booting CM and determines the best profile to attempt to accommodate based on the specified preferences. The CMTS determines how to instruct the CM to configure itself based on the available channel resources than can accommodate the selected configuration profile.

Claims

1. A method for determining channels to use in channel bonding communication with a cable modem, comprising:

specifying cable modem termination system preferences for certain parameters of cable modem channel assignment over other parameters, wherein the preferences include two or more of;

a number of upstream channels, number of downstream channels, spacing between channels, whether all channels should be centered within a predetermined range, or whether some channels can be spaced so that they do not fall within a particular range;

receiving a plurality of profiles from a single cable modem during bootup that each indicate a different channel bonding arrangement for that single cable modem;

comparing the plurality of profiles associated with the single cable modem to the specified cable modem termination system preferences;

selecting one of the plurality of profiles based on the specified cable modem termination system preferences for certain parameters over other parameters;

assigning channels for communication with the single cable modem based on the selected profile; and

transmitting a message containing an instruction to the single cable modem based on the selected profile instructing the single cable modem how to tune its circuitry based on the assigned channels.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the received profile comprises a receive channel profile.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the received profile comprises a transmit channel profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received profile comprises a fixed receive channel configuration profile.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified preferences are indicated by means of integer weighting priorities.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein personnel selects generic preferred configuration attributes that are translated into receive channel profile attributes.