Method for Authentication of a Wireless Backup System for an Optical Network Unit

• US 20110262129A1
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sui, Meng, Shaffer, Michael, Lin, Wei
• Granted Patent: US 9,185,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/272 Star-type networks or tree-type networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0079 Operation or maintenance aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0088 Signalling aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a first passive optical network (PON) component configured to couple to a second PON component via an optical link and authenticate the second PON component based on authentication information to authorize a backup wireless link between the first PON component and the second PON component. The backup wireless link corresponds to a wireless backup system for the PON. The authentication information is associated with an identifier of the wireless backup system. Also included is a network component comprising a first passive optical network (PON) component configured to receive authentication information for a wireless backup system for a PON from a second PON component and compare the authentication information to expected authentication information at the first PON component to authorize a wireless link between the first PON component and the second PON component for the wireless backup system.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first passive optical network (PON) component configured to couple to a second PON component via an optical link and authenticate the second PON component based on authentication information to authorize a backup wireless link,

wherein the backup wireless link corresponds to a wireless backup system for the PON, and

wherein the authentication information is associated with an identifier of the wireless backup system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first PON component is an optical line terminal (OLT) and the second PON component is an optical network unit (ONU).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first PON component is an optical network unit (ONU) and the second PON component is an optical line terminal (OLT).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless backup system is one of a third generation (3G) wireless system and a fourth generation (4G) wireless system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the authentication information comprises about the first four bytes of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) of a 3G card.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second PON component comprise a plug-and-play wireless device or a built-in wireless device that is configured to activate the wireless link.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the authentication information is stored in a memory device at the second PON component, and wherein expected authentication information is stored at the first PON component or a server coupled to the first PON component.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first PON component comprises one of a ten gigabit per second Gigabit PON (XGPON) component, an Ethernet PON (EPON) component defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3ah standard, a ten Gigabit EPON component as defined by the IEEE 802.3av standard, an asynchronous transfer mode PON (APON) component, a broadband PON (BPON) component as defined by the ITU-T G.983 standard, and a GPON as defined by the ITU-T G.984 standard.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless backup channel conforms to at least one of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Standardization Sector (ITU-T) G.984.1 standard and the ITU-T G.987.1 standard.

10. A network component comprising:

a first passive optical network (PON) component configured to receive authentication information for a wireless backup system for a PON from a second PON component and compare the authentication information to expected authentication information at the first PON component to authorize a wireless link between the first PON component and the second PON component for the wireless backup system.

11. The network component of claim 10, wherein the authentication information is maintained through Physical Layer OAM (PLOAM) or Optical Network Terminal Management and Control Interface (OMCI) if the PON network is a GPON or XG-PON1 or any other systems based or upgraded from GPON or XG-PON1.

12. The network component of claim 10, wherein the authentication information is maintained through Multi-Point Control Protocol (MPCP) or Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) if the PON network is a EPON or 10G-EPON or any other systems based or upgraded from EPON or 10G-EPON.

13. The network component of claim 10, wherein the authentication information is maintained in an Optical Network Terminal Management and Control Interface (OMCI) managed entity (ME) at the second PON component, and wherein the OMCI ME comprise a plurality of attributes for a managed entity identification actual authentication information, expected authentication information, authentication status, and an operational state.

14. The network component of claim 10, wherein a plurality of elements are exchanged via a Physical Layer OAM(PLOAM) and used for authentication and authorization, and wherein the elements comprise a ONU ID, Message ID, Data, and CRC.

15. The network component of claim 11, wherein a plurality of notifications are signaled to indicate a plurality of attribute value changes, and wherein the attribute value changes comprise authentication information change, authentication status change, and operational status change.

16. The network component of claim 10, wherein a plurality of elements are exchanged via a Multi-Point Control Protocol (MPCP) and used for authentication and authorization, and wherein the elements comprise a destination address, a source address, a length/type, an operational code, a timestamp, and a frame check sequence (FCS).

17. The network component of claim 10, wherein a plurality of attributes are exchanged via an Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) protocol and used for authentication and authorization, and wherein the attributes comprise actual authentication information, expected authentication information, an authentication status, and an operational state.

18. The network component of claim 10, wherein the wireless backup system conforms to at least one of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Standardization Sector (ITU-T) G.984.1 standard and the ITU-T G.987.1 standard.

19. A network apparatus implemented method comprising:

receiving a downstream authentication information associated with a wireless backup system for a passive optical network (PON);

authorizing a wireless backup link if expected authentication information for the wireless backup system is substantially similar to the downstream authentication information; and

not establishing the wireless backup link if the expected authentication information for the wireless backup system is not substantially similar to the downstream authentication information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a downstream authenticate message to request authentication information associated with a wireless backup system for a passive optical network (PON);

sending an upstream authenticate message that comprises the authentication information; and

receiving an authorization message if the authentication information in the upstream authenticate message matches expected authentication information for the wireless backup system.

21. The method of claim 20, where the authorization message indicates rejecting authorization if the upstream authentication information does not match the expected authentication information and further comprising aborting enabling a wireless device and aborting activating a wireless link.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising enabling a wireless device and activating a wireless link upon receiving the authorization message, wherein the authorization message comprises an optical network unit (ONU) identifier (ID), an “

authenticate”

message identification, and an accepted/denial field.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the downstream authenticate message comprises an optical network unit (ONU) identifier (ID), an “

authenticate”

message identification, and one or more parts of the authentication information and wherein the upstream authenticate message comprises an optical network unit (ONU) identifier (ID), an “

authenticate”

message identification, and one or more parts of the authentication information.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising sending an initial authenticate message to receive the downstream authenticate message.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless backup link conforms to at least one of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Standardization Sector (ITU-T) G.984.1 standard and the ITU-T G.987.1 standard.