Dynamic network configuration of a one-way adapter using a proxy agent that communicates with a resource server through a configured return path adapter

• US 6,289,377 B1
• Filed: 10/27/1998
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fellows, Jonathan A., Lalwaney, Poornima
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/179,696
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/222, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/222
• 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 12/2865 Logical combinations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• 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 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 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS

Abstract

A one-way adapter such as a cable modem is initialized to allow a personal computer to receive data from a computer network such as the Internet via a broadcast channel, while transmitting data upstream to the computer network via a telephone line. First, a two-way adapter such as a phone modem is initialized by establishing a telephone link with a terminal server of an Internet Service Provider telephone network. The terminal server obtains an IP address from a phone network address server, and assigns the IP address to the phone modem stack. Next, the cable modem stack sends out a request for session initialization to a cable modem driver. The request is processed by a packet processing relay agent (PPRA), and the IP address of the phone modem is inserted into the packet. The IP packet destination address is set to that of a cable network address server. A cable network address server receives the packet via an upstream telephone line and responds with IP address and configuration information for the relay agent address. The phone modem receives the response and passes it to the cable modem stack via the PPRA. The cable modem is thus initialized with IP address and configuration information and is ready to receive Internet data via a one-way RF channel.

Claims

1. A method for initializing a one-way adapter that receives data from a computer network via a first communication path, and communicates with a two-way adapter via a packet processing relay agent, wherein said two-way adapter is adapted to receive data from, and send data to, a service provider of said computer network via a second communication path, comprising the steps of:

establishing a link between said two-way adapter and said service provider via said second communication path;

obtaining an address from said service provider, and communicating said address to said packet processing relay agent via said second communication path and said two-way adapter;

providing a session initialization request packet from said one-way adapter to said packet processing relay agent;

said packet processing relay agent providing said session initialization request packet with;

(a) a source address according to said address obtained from said service provider, and (b) a destination address of a network address server associated with said first communication path; and

communicating said session initialization request packet to said network address server via said two-way adapter and said second communication path according to said destination address thereof;

wherein;

said network address server responds to said packet communicated thereto by communicating address configuration information to said two-way adapter via said second communication path; and

said packet processing relay agent obtains said address configuration information from said two-way adapter for use in providing initialization of said one-way adapter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said link is established between said two-way adapter and said service provider via said second communication path in response to a user request to access said computer network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said session initialization request packet is provided from said one-way adapter to said packet processing relay agent in response to a user request to access said computer network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said first communication path comprises at least one of a cable television link, a satellite television link, and a terrestrial broadcast television link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said one-way adapter comprises one of a cable television modem, satellite television modem, and a terrestrial broadcast television modem.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said second communication path comprises a telephone link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said two-way adapter comprises a modem.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said packet processing relay agent is adapted to process data packets forwarded thereto to provide functional enhancements including at least one of:

application level proxy, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol relay agent, Internet Group Management Protocol proxy, Internet Protocol encapsulation, Internet Protocol filtering, data-link layer tunneling, data-link layer filtering, and proxy Address Resolution Protocol agent.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said address configuration information is provided by said network address server according to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of:

providing a confirmation message from said one-way adapter to said network address server via said packet processing relay agent, two-way adapter, and second communication path to confirm receipt of said address configuration information at said one-way adapter.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising the further step of:

providing a confirmation message from said network address server to said one-way adapter via said second communication path, said two-way adapter, and said packet processing relay agent to confirm receipt of said confirmation message from said one-way adapter.

12. An apparatus for initializing a one-way adapter that receives data from a computer network via a first communication path, comprising:

a packet processing relay agent;

a two-way adapter that communicates with said one-way adapter via said packet processing relay agent;

said two-way adapter adapted to receive data from, and send data to, a service provider of said computer network via a second communication path;

means for establishing a link between said twoway adapter and said service provider via said second communication path;

means for obtaining an address from said service provider, and communicating said address to said packet processing relay agent via said second communication path and said two-way adapter; and

means for providing a session initialization request packet from said one-way adapter to said packet processing relay agent;

said packet processing relay agent providing said session initialization request packet with;

(a) a source address according to said address obtained from said service provider, and (b) a destination address of a network address server associated with said first communication path; and

means for communicating said session initialization request packet to said network address server via said two-way adapter and said second communication path according to said destination address thereof;

wherein;

said network address server responds to said packet communicated thereto by communicating address configuration information to said two-way adapter via said second communication path; and

said packet processing relay agent obtains said address configuration information from said two-way adapter for use in providing initialization of said one-way adapter.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said link is established between said two-way adapter and said service provider via said second communication path in response to a user request to access said computer network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said session initialization request packet is provided from said one-way adapter to said packet processing relay agent in response to a user request to access said computer network.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said first communication path comprises at least one of a cable television link, a satellite television link, and a terrestrial broadcast television link.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said one-way adapter comprises one of a cable television modem, satellite television modem, and a terrestrial broadcast television modem.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said second communication path comprises a telephone link.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said two-way adapter comprises a modem.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said packet processing relay agent is adapted to process data packets forwarded thereto to provide functional enhancements including at least one of:

application level proxy, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol relay agent, Internet Group Management Protocol proxy, Internet Protocol encapsulation, Internet Protocol filtering, data-link layer tunneling, data-link layer filtering, and proxy Address Resolution Protocol agent.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said address configuration information is provided by said network address server according to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

means for providing a confirmation message from said one-way adapter to said network address server via said packet processing relay agent, two-way adapter, and second communication path to confirm receipt of said address configuration information at said one-way adapter.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for providing a confirmation message from said network address server to said one-way adapter via said second communication path, said two-way adapter, and said packet processing relay agent to confirm receipt of said confirmation message from said one-way adapter.