METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH AN ACCESS NODE

• US 20160204956A1
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Linney, Trevor Philip, Everett, Philip Antony
• Granted Patent: US 9,667,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2858 Access network architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2869 Operational details of access network equipments admission control or resource allocation in access networks H04L12/5692

Abstract

An access network comprises a plurality of access nodes (DSLAMs), a plurality of network access servers (CP BRASs) and an ANCP relay. The access network control relay component relays data between an access node and a plurality of network access servers and includes one or more interfaces and associated functionality in an ANCP listener component for enabling a connection between the relay component and the access node, for transmitting data and/or messages thereover, and an interface (ANCP Agents) for a connection to be made with each of the plurality of network access servers (via ANCP listeners contained within the BRASs) for transmitting ANCP messages thereover; and a mapping database for storing mapping data to determine to which network access server a message should be transmitted from the relay component, together with a CP authentication database and a workflow processing component for controlling operation of components within the ANCP relay.

Claims

1. A method of operating an access network comprising at least one access node and a plurality of network access servers, the method comprising:

generating data at the access node for transmission to one of the network access servers;

transmitting the data to a relay component;

identifying at the relay component one of the plurality of network access servers to which the data should be sent;

generating a message for sending to the identified network access server incorporating the data; and

transmitting the generated message to the identified network access server.

5. Processor implementable instructions for causing the method of either one of claim 1 or 2 to be implemented during execution of the instructions.

6. A carrier medium carrying the processor implementable instructions of claim 5.

2. A method of operating an access network comprising at least one access node and a plurality of network access servers, the method comprising:

maintaining connections between a relay component and the plurality of network access servers and between the relay component and an access node.

receiving a message destined for the access node at the relay device;

processing the received message at the relay device; and

performing an action dependent upon the received and processed message.

3. An access network control relay component for relaying data between an access node and a plurality of network access servers within a broadband access network, the relay component including:

one or more interfaces and associated functionality for enabling a connection to be made between the relay component and the access node, for the transmission of data and/or messages thereover, and for enabling a connection to be made with each of the plurality of network access servers, for the transmission of messages thereover; and

a mapping database for storing mapping data to determine to which network access server a message should be transmitted from the relay component.

4. An access network comprising a plurality of access nodes, a plurality of network access servers and one or more relay components according to claim 3.