Broadband communications

• US 20050021766A1
• Filed: 03/26/2002
• Published: 01/27/2005
• 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: McKeowen, Jean Christophe, Chabrier, Henri
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• 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

1-110. -110. cancelled.

111. A method of provisioning a desired communications service for a user across a network, the method comprising obtaining information for a desired communications service to be provisioned based on information associated with an existing connection for the user and provisioning the desired communications service based on the information obtained.

112. A method according to claim 111, wherein the information for the desired communication service comprises an address for a network access device.

113. A method according to claim 112, wherein the information associated with an existing connection is based on a communications protocol address of a user device.

114. A method according to claim 113 wherein the communications protocol is the Internet Protocol.

115. A method according to claim 111 wherein the network access device is a cable modem and the address is a MAC address.

116. A method according to claim 111 further comprising providing a user interface for communicating user information.

117. A method according to claim 116 wherein the user interface comprises a provisioning interface for receiving a provisioning instruction from a provisioning operator.

118. A method according to claim 112 wherein the device address is obtained using a query expressed in a configuration protocol.

119. A method according to claim 112 wherein the configuration protocol is a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and the query is expressed as a Dynamic Host. Configuration Protocol Lease Query Message.

120. A method according to claim 116 wherein the user interface comprises a planning interface, the method comprising receiving user information comprising a desired service or a set of services for a plurality of users.

121. A method according to claim 116 wherein the interface comprises a customer front end interface for receiving user information from a user, preferably wherein the method comprises re-provisioning a service based on user authentication information and/or user information requesting a service.

122. A method according to claim 111 wherein the information obtained is an access device hardware identifier and wherein the method comprises obtaining the hardware address based on an existing IP address of the user and provisioning the communications service based on the hardware address obtained.

123. A method according to claim 111 including checking for available capacity prior to provisioning a service.

124. A method according to claim 111 including reporting provisioning of a service to a capacity management application after provisioning.

125. A method according to claim 111 further comprising receiving data identifying fraudulent use of a service, identifying an access device relevant to said fraudulent use and changing conditions of service provision via the access device.

126. A method according to claim 125 wherein said changing conditions of service provision comprises withdrawal of one or more services via the access device.

127. A method according to claim 111 wherein provisioning a service is effected by executing an activation script defining a workflow sequence and including at least one activation action.

130. A computer readable medium containing instructions for performing a method according to claim 111.

128. A provisioning application having means for provisioning a broadband service to a user'"'"'s termination device, based on an access device hardware identifier, further comprising by means for obtaining the access device hardware identifier based on a DHCP lease query message submitted to a DHCP server and containing an IP address of the user'"'"'s termination device.

129. A service provisioning system, for provisioning communications services to user devices across a network, said system comprising means for receiving a user request for provision of a service via the network for use at a user termination device, which user termination device has a network protocol address and is connected to the network via an access device, said service provisioning system further comprising means to formulate a query containing said network protocol address and sending it to a configuration server for the network, means for receiving back from the configuration server a response to the query, said response comprising a hardware address for said access device, and means to provision the service in respect of the hardware address for the access device.