Modem apparatus for a cable data delivery system

• US 8,522,265 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hrastar, Scott E., Bowoutt, Roy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US11/875,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/84 which are fixed telephone networks
• 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 12/2863 Arrangements for combining access network resources elements, e.g. channel bonding modem pooling H04L25/14; routing of packets H04L45/00; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 : involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 : for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A modem apparatus including means for communicating authentication information of a host along a first path to prompt a first validation for receiving data over the first path, and means for communicating identifying information of the modem apparatus and a request for network resource allocation over the first path to prompt a second validation after the first validation, the second validation enabling the reception of data over a second path that has a higher rate of transmission than the first path.

Claims

1. A modem apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a first interface communicatively coupled to a host; and

a second interface configured with the processor to;

communicate authentication information of the host to a headend to prompt a first validation of the host, the first validation enabling communication of data over a first path, wherein the first validation requires at least a user ID, user password, and a telephone number of a telephone modem pool; and

communicate identifying information of the modem apparatus and a request for allocation of resources to prompt a second validation of the host after the first validation, wherein allocation of the resources to prompt the second validation requires a control and management component being configured to compare a serial number associated with the modem apparatus with a stored list of authorized serial numbers, the second validation enabling communication of data over a second path, the second path supporting a higher bandwidth than the first path,

wherein the first interface communicatively coupled to the host comprises the first interface being configured to;

dial the telephone number of the telephone modem pool,

establish a point-to-point (PPP) link via the Public Switch Telephony Network between the modem apparatus and the telephone modem pool,

send a dummy IP address to the host for validation by a control management server, and

receive, via the PPP link, an assigned IP address from the control management server after the control management server determines the authentication information is valid, and

wherein the second interface is further configured with the processor to;

receive the assigned IP address of the modem apparatus via the PPP link,

communicate the identifying information by communicating a packet to the headend, the packet including the assigned IP address of the modem apparatus and a frequency and stream identification pair corresponding to a unique identification of the second path to which the modem apparatus is coupled, and

receive, via the second path, a channel, pipe, and link identifier triplet from the headend responsive to the communication of the packet.

2. The modem apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third interface configured with the processor to receive packets destined for the host over the second path.

3. The modem apparatus of claim 2, wherein the third interface comprises a tuner and a decoder coupled to the tuner.

4. The modem apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises an Ethernet integrated circuit.

5. The modem apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second interface comprises a modem chip.

6. The modem apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second path is at least a portion of a cable television network and the first path is at least a portion of a public switched telephone network.

7. The modem apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third interface is further configured with the processor to tune to the frequency specified in the triplet and read packets on the pipe specified by the triplet responsive to the packets have the link identifier specified in the triplet.

8. The modem apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

examine a destination IP address in at least one of the packets, based on a routing table in memory of the modem apparatus;

determine whether the at least one packet is addressed to the host;

obtain a local area network (LAN) address corresponding to the IP address; and

provide the LAN address and the location of the packet in the memory to the first interface.

9. The modem apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first interface is further configured with the processor to package the at least one of the packets into one or more frames and output the same to the host over a network.

10. The modem apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second interface is further configured with the processor to receive a plurality of dynamically allocated IP addresses over the first path from the headend, at least one of the plurality for assignment to the host.

11. The modem apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first interface is further configured with the processor to provide one of the plurality of dynamically allocated IP addresses to the host responsive to a request by the host.

12. The modem apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interface is coupled to a plurality of hosts.

13. A method performed by a modem apparatus, comprising:

prompting a first validation of a host, wherein the first validation requires at least a user ID, user password, and a telephone number of a telephone modem pool, the first validation enabling communication of data over a first path to the host;

prompting a second validation of the host after the first validation, wherein the second validation comprises;

comparing a serial number associated with the modem apparatus with a stored list of authorized serial numbers, the second validation enabling communication of data over a second path, the second path supporting a higher bandwidth than the first path,

dialing the telephone number of the telephone modem pool,

establishing a point-to-point (PPP) link via the Public Switch Telephony Network between the modem apparatus and the telephone modem pool,

sending a dummy IP address to the host for validation by a control management server, and

receiving, via the PPP link, an assigned IP address from the control management server after the control management server determines the authentication information is valid;

receiving the IP address of the modem apparatus responsive to the first validation;

communicating the identifying information by communicating a packet to the headend, the packet including the assigned IP address of the modem apparatus and a frequency and stream identification pair corresponding to a unique identification of the second path to which the modem apparatus is coupled;

receiving a channel, pipe, and link identifier triplet from the headend responsive to the communication of the packet;

tuning to the frequency specified in the triplet; and

reading packets on the pipe specified by the triplet responsive to the packets have the link identifier specified in the triplet.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein prompting the first validation comprises communicating authentication information of the host to a headend.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein prompting the second validation comprises communicating identifying information of the modem apparatus and a request for allocation of resources.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

examining a destination IP address in at least one of the packets, based on a routing table in a memory of the modem apparatus;

determining whether the at least one packet is addressed to the host;

obtaining a local area network (LAN) address corresponding to the IP address;

providing the LAN address and the location of the packet in the memory to the first interface;

packaging the at least one of the packets into one or more frames; and

outputting the one or more frames to the host over a network.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of dynamically allocated IP addresses over the first path from a headend, at least one of the plurality for assignment to the host; and

providing one of the plurality of dynamically allocated IP addresses to the host responsive to a request by the host.

18. A modem apparatus, comprising:

means for communicating authentication information of a host along a first path to prompt a first validation for receiving data over the first path, wherein the first validation requires at least a user ID, user password, a telephone number of a telephone modem pool;

means for communicating identifying information of the modem and a request for network resource allocation over the first path to prompt a second validation after the first validation, wherein the second validation requires comparison a serial number associated with the modem apparatus with a stored list of authorized serial numbers, the second validation enabling the reception of data over a second path that has a higher rate of transmission than the first path, wherein the means for communicating identifying information comprise;

means for dialing the telephone number of the telephone modem pool,

means for sending a dummy IP address to the host for validation by a control management server, and

means for receiving an assigned IP address from the control management server after the control management server determines the authentication information is valid,

means for receiving the IP address of the modem apparatus responsive to the first validation;

means for communicating the identifying information by communicating a packet to the headend, the packet including the assigned IP address of the modem apparatus and a frequency and stream identification pair corresponding to a unique identification of the second path to which the modem apparatus is coupled;

means for receiving a channel, pipe, and link identifier triplet from the headend responsive to the communication of the packet;

means for tuning to the frequency specified in the triplet; and

means for reading packets on the pipe specified by the triplet responsive to the packets have the link identifier specified in the triplet.