Quickly diagnose service and component related issues on a cable modem, multimedia terminal adapter, or gateway

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media can provide diagnosis of service-affecting issues in CPE devices. The diagnostic process can include retrieving a testing hierarchy associated with a received diagnostic command, executing the lowest-level diagnostic in the testing hierarchy, successively executing the remaining diagnostics in the testing hierarchy in the order implicated by the hierarchy until the commanded diagnostic is executed, and identifying the service-affecting issues found.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving a diagnostic command at a device that is configured to provide multiple services, the multiple services comprising data services, video services, voice services and routing services; 
 retrieving a testing hierarchy, the testing hierarchy being comprised of a plurality of diagnostic tests, wherein each diagnostic test is associated with at least one of the multiple services provided by the device, and wherein the plurality of diagnostic tests are ordered within the testing hierarchy based upon dependencies existing between the diagnostic tests, and the diagnostic tests are further ordered within the testing hierarchy based upon dependencies existing between the multiple services provided by the device; 
 generating a modified testing hierarchy by removing from the retrieved testing hierarchy one or more diagnostic tests that are associated with a service upon which the service associated with the received diagnostic command is not dependent, such that the modified testing hierarchy includes only those diagnostic tests that are associated with a service upon which the service associated with the received diagnostic command is dependent; 
 executing a lowest-level diagnostic test below the received diagnostic command in the modified testing hierarchy; 
 successively executing a next highest-level diagnostic test in the modified testing hierarchy until the received diagnostic command has been executed; and 
 providing results from each executed diagnostic test. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 if a service error is identified during any diagnostic test, ending the method prior to completion of the successive execution of diagnostic tests implicated by the modified testing hierarchy; and 
 providing information associated with the service error found. 
 
     
     
       3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the service error makes further diagnostic tests associated with the modified testing hierarchy unnecessary. 
     
     
       4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 comparing the service test results to ranges of known nominal values; and 
 flagging results that lie outside the nominal values but within a second range as warnings, and values that lie outside the second range as service affecting errors. 
 
     
     
       5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing an output log comprising information on all service-affecting errors and all potential service-affecting warnings found. 
 
     
     
       6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing an output log comprising information on all data examined during the diagnostic process. 
 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 executing intrusive actions during the diagnostic process based upon explicit instruction included in a received diagnostic command. 
 
     
     
       8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the diagnostic command is a service-type command or a service-type sub-command. 
     
     
       9. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 consolidating diagnostic tests associated with the received diagnostic command in the testing hierarchy. 
 
     
     
       10. A system, comprising:
 an interface operable to receive and transmit data and commands to or from external modules, through a hybrid fiber-coaxial network; 
 a data store operable to store computer program instructions and provide temporary storage for the system; 
 a processor operable to execute said computer program instructions, the computer program instructions being operable to cause the processor to:
 receive a diagnostic command, wherein the diagnostic command is associated with a service provided by the system; 
 retrieve a testing hierarchy, the testing hierarchy comprising a plurality of diagnostic tests, wherein each diagnostic test is associated with at least one service type provided by the system, and the plurality of diagnostic tests are ordered within the testing hierarchy according to dependencies existing between one or more of the service types; 
 generate a modified testing hierarchy by removing from the retrieved testing hierarchy one or more diagnostic tests that are associated with a service upon which the service associated with the received diagnostic command is not dependent, such that the modified testing hierarchy includes only those diagnostic tests that are associated with a service upon which the service associated with the received diagnostic command is dependent; 
 execute a lowest-level diagnostic test below the received diagnostic command in the modified testing hierarchy; 
 successively execute a next highest-level diagnostic test in the modified testing hierarchy until the received diagnostic command has been executed; and 
 provide results from each executed diagnostic test. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein said computer program instructions are further operable to cause the processor to:
 end the method prior to completion of the successive execution of diagnostic tests implicated by the modified testing hierarchy if a service error is identified during any diagnostic test; and 
 provide information associated with the service error found. 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the service error makes further diagnostic tests associated with the modified testing hierarchy unnecessary. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 10 , wherein said computer program instructions are further operable to cause the processor to:
 compare the service test results to ranges of known nominal values; and 
 flag results that lie outside the nominal values but within a second range as warnings, and values that lie outside the second range as service affecting errors. 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 10 , wherein said computer program instructions are further operable to cause the processor to:
 provide an output log comprising information on all service-affecting errors and all potential service-affecting warnings found. 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 10 , wherein said computer program instructions are further operable to cause the processor to:
 provide an output log comprising information on all data examined during the diagnostic process. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 10 , wherein said computer program instructions are further operable to cause the processor to:
 execute intrusive actions during the diagnostic process based upon explicit instruction included in a received diagnostic command. 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the diagnostic command is a service-type command or a service-type sub-command. 
     
     
       18. One or more non-transitory computer readable media operable to execute on a processor, the computer readable being operable to cause the processor to perform the operations comprising:
 receiving a diagnostic command at a device that is configured to provide data services, video services, voice services and routing services, the diagnostic command being associated with a service provided by the device; 
 dynamically constructing a testing hierarchy based upon a service associated with the received diagnostic command, the testing hierarchy being comprised of a plurality of diagnostic tests that are associated with the service associated with the diagnostic command or at least one service provided by the device upon which the service associated with the diagnostic command is dependent, wherein the first diagnostic test in the testing hierarchy is associated with the lowest-level component which can affect the service associated with the received diagnostic command; 
 executing the lowest-level diagnostic test in the testing hierarchy; 
 successively executing a next highest-level diagnostic test in the testing hierarchy; and 
 providing results from each executed diagnostic test. 
 
     
     
       19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 18 , further operable to cause the processor to perform the operations comprising:
 comparing the results to ranges of known nominal values; and 
 flagging results that lie outside the nominal values but within a second range as warnings, and values that lie outside the second range as service affecting errors. 
 
     
     
       20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 18 , further operable to cause the processor to perform the operations comprising:
 providing an output log comprising information on all data examined during the diagnostic process. 
 
     
     
       21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 18 , further operable to cause the processor to perform the operations comprising:
 executing intrusive actions during the diagnostic process based upon explicit instruction included in a received diagnostic command. 
 
     
     
       22. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the testing hierarchy is retrieved from an upstream network. 
     
     
       23. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 18 , wherein the last diagnostic test in the testing hierarchy is associated with the received diagnostic command. 
     
     
       24. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 18 , wherein a next highest-level diagnostic test in the testing hierarchy is successively executed until a diagnostic test returns a service-affecting error.