Management session initiation with a customer premises device

Abstract

A communication method for execution at a customer premises device, comprising detecting receipt of a command indicative of an intent of a management entity to initiate a management session, the command being a management session initiation command. Responsive to detecting receipt of the management session initiation command, an identifier for participating in a management session with the management entity is obtained. Also, a method for execution at a management entity, comprising obtaining a management address for a customer device and determining whether the management address is indicative of a an address capable of supporting a management session or an address incapable of supporting a management session. If the management address is indicative of an address incapable of supporting a management session, a command is sent to the customer device, causing it to obtain a management address capable of supporting a management session.

1 . A communication method for execution at a customer premises device, comprising: 
 detecting receipt of a command indicative of an intent of a management entity to initiate a management session, the command being a management session initiation command;    responsive to detecting receipt of the management session initiation command, obtaining an identifier for participating in a management session with the management entity.    
   
   
       2 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the management session initiation command is sent over a layer of the open systems interconnect (OSI) model no higher than layer 2.  
   
   
       3 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the management session initiation command is issued by an entity connected to the customer premises device over a communication link and having control of signaling over the communication link.  
   
   
       4 . The method defined in  claim 3 , wherein the management session initiation command is encoded as a specific reset pattern of a line card used to communicate with the customer premises device.  
   
   
       5 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the management session initiation command is sent over at least one layer of the OSI model that is higher than layer  2 .  
   
   
       6 . The method defined in  claim 5 , wherein the management session initiation command is sent over at least one layer of the OSI model that is higher than layer  3 .  
   
   
       7 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein a data session is supported between a first data session endpoint and a second data session endpoint via the customer premises device, the data session comprising an exchange of packets between the first and second data session endpoints, wherein the command to initiate a management session is comprised in at least one packet inserted amongst the packets sent by one of the data session endpoints under the data session.  
   
   
       8 . The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein detecting receipt of the management session initiation command comprises using an application layer gateway or stateful packet filter to read packets received from said one of the data session endpoints.  
   
   
       9 . The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein the other one of the data session endpoints is one of a set top box, a personal computer and an analog terminal adapter.  
   
   
       10 . The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein the customer premises device is the other one of the data session endpoints.  
   
   
       11 . The method defined in  claim 10 , wherein the customer premises device is a residential gateway.  
   
   
       12 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the customer premises device is IP-enabled.  
   
   
       13 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the customer premises device is a cable modem.  
   
   
       14 . The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein the customer premises device is neither of the data session endpoints.  
   
   
       15 . The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein the data session complies with at least one of the protocols in the group consisting of IP, ICMP, SOAP, TCP, UDP and HTTP.  
   
   
       16 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein obtaining an identifier for participating in a management session with the management entity comprises: 
 establishing an initial session with an entity connected between the customer premises device and the management entity;    obtaining the identifier in the course of establishing the initial session.    
   
   
       17 . The method defined in  claim 16 , the identifier being a management session identifier, wherein obtaining the management session identifier in the course of establishing the initial session is performed in response to providing a customer identifier to the entity connected between the customer premises device and the management entity, the customer identifier identifying the customer premises device.  
   
   
       18 . The method defined in  claim 17 , wherein the customer identifier comprises at least one of a telephone number, a MAC ID, a Global Unique Identifier (GUID) or a serial number associated with the customer premises device.  
   
   
       19 . The method defined in  claim 18 , wherein the entity connected between the customer premises device and the management entity is a broadband remote access server.  
   
   
       20 . The method defined in  claim 18 , wherein the entity connected between the customer premises device and the management entity is a cable modem head-end.  
   
   
       21 . The method defined in  claim 18 , wherein the entity connected between the customer premises device and the management entity is an IP-enabled head-end.  
   
   
       22 . The method defined in  claim 17 , further comprising forwarding the management session identifier and the customer identifier to an address server.  
   
   
       23 . The method defined in  claim 22 , further comprising forwarding a time limit to the address server, the time limit being representative of a time during which the identifier is valid.  
   
   
       24 . The method defined in  claim 22 , wherein the address server is adapted to provide the management session identifier to the management entity in response to a query.  
   
   
       25 . The method defined in  claim 24 , further comprising receiving the management session initiation command at an address associated with the customer premises device.  
   
   
       26 . The method defined in  claim 25 , further comprising becoming aware of the address associated with the customer premises device during a prior data session established between a first data session endpoint and a second data session endpoint via the customer premises device.  
   
   
       27 . The method defined in  claim 26 , further comprising providing the address associated with the customer premises device to the address server.  
   
   
       28 . The method defined in  claim 27 , wherein the address associated with the customer premises device to the address server is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.  
   
   
       29 . The method defined in  claim 22 , wherein the management entity and the address server are collocated.  
   
   
       30 . The method defined in  claim 1 , further comprising participating in the management session upon being contacted at said identifier by the management entity.  
   
   
       31 . The method defined in  claim 30 , wherein the management session complies with at least one of the protocols in the group consisting of IP, ICMP, SOAP, TCP, UDP and HTTP.  
   
   
       32 . The method defined in  claim 30 , wherein said identifier is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.  
   
   
       33 . The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the management session initiation command is issued by an entity connected to the customer premises device via a data network.  
   
   
       34 . A proxy agent adapted to implement the method of  claim 1 .  
   
   
       35 . A customer premises device, comprising: 
 means for detecting receipt of a command indicative of an intent of a management entity to initiate a management session, the command being a management session initiation command;    means for obtaining an identifier for participating in a management session with the management entity in response to detecting receipt of the management session initiation command.    
   
   
       36 . A data signal embodied in a carrier wave readable by a computing system and encoding instructions for performing a method at a customer premises device, the method comprising: 
 detecting receipt of a command indicative of an intent of a management entity to initiate a management session, the command being a management session initiation command;    responsive to detecting receipt of the management session initiation command, obtaining an identifier for participating in a management session with the management entity.    
   
   
       37 . A communication method, comprising: 
 at a first customer premises device, establishing a first management session with a management entity;    the first customer premises device sending to a second customer premises device a command indicative of an intent of the management entity to initiate a second management session with the second customer premises device;    responsive to detecting receipt of the command, the second customer premises device obtaining an identifier for participating in the second management session with the management entity.    
   
   
       38 . The method defined in  claim 37 , wherein the first customer premises device sending the command to the second customer premises device is effected over no layer of the open systems interconnect (OSI) model that is higher than layer 2.  
   
   
       39 . The method defined in  claim 37 , wherein the first customer premises device sending the command to the second customer premises device is effected over at least one layer of the open systems interconnect (OSI) model that is higher than layer 2.  
   
   
       40 . The method defined in  claim 37 , wherein the second customer premises device obtaining an identifier for participating in a management session with the management entity comprises: 
 the second customer premises device establishing an initial session with an entity connected between the second customer premises device and the management entity; and    the second customer premises device obtaining said identifier in the course of establishing the initial session.    
   
   
       41 . The method defined in  claim 40 , wherein the entity connected between the second customer premises device and the management entity is the first customer premises device.  
   
   
       42 . The method defined in  claim 41 , further comprising the second customer premises device forwarding said identifier and a customer identifier to an address server via the first customer premises device, the customer identifier identifying the second customer premises device.  
   
   
       43 . The method defined in  claim 42 , further comprising the first customer premises device performing network address translation on communications exchanged between the second customer premises device and the management entity.  
   
   
       44 . The method defined in  claim 43 , the second customer premises device being one of a set top box, an analog terminal adapter and a personal computer.  
   
   
       45 . The method defined in  claim 43 , the first customer premises device being a residential gateway.  
   
   
       46 . The method defined in  claim 43 , the first customer premises device being a cable modem.  
   
   
       47 . A method for execution at a management entity, comprising: 
 obtaining a management address for a customer device;    determining whether the management address is indicative of an address capable of supporting a management session or an address incapable of supporting a management session;    if the management address is indicative of an address incapable of supporting a management session, sending a command that causes the customer device to obtain a management address capable of supporting a management session.    
   
   
       48 . The method defined in  claim 47 , further comprising: 
 if the management address is indicative of an address capable of supporting a management session, conducting a management session with the customer device.    
   
   
       49 . The method defined in  claim 48 , wherein obtaining a management address for the customer device comprises querying an address server.  
   
   
       50 . The method defined in  claim 49 , the customer device being a first customer device, wherein sending a command that causes the first customer device to obtain a management address capable of supporting a management session is effected through a second customer device associated with the first customer device.  
   
   
       51 . The method defined in  claim 47 , the customer device being a first customer device, wherein sending a command that causes the first customer device to obtain a management address capable of supporting a management session is effected under a prior management session established with a second customer device connected between the management entity and the first customer device.  
   
   
       52 . A management entity adapted to implement the method of  claim 47 .  
   
   
       53 . A data signal embodied in a carrier wave readable by a computing system and encoding instructions for performing a method at a management entity, the method comprising: 
 obtaining a management address for a customer device;    determining whether the management address is indicative of an address capable of supporting a management session or an address incapable of supporting a management session;    if the management address is indicative of an address incapable of supporting a management session, sending a command that causes the customer device to obtain a management address capable of supporting a management session.    
   
   
       54 . A system for establishing management sessions with customer devices, comprising: 
 a management entity;    an address server that maintains management addresses for respective ones of the customer devices;    the management entity being operative for: 
 querying the address server to obtain a management address for a particular one of the customer devices;  
 determining whether the management address is indicative of an address capable of supporting a management session or an address incapable of supporting a management session;  
 if the management address is indicative of an address incapable of supporting a management session, sending a command that causes the particular customer device to obtain a management address capable of supporting a management session.