FI20215418A1

FI20215418A1 - Controlling a cable network

Info

Publication number: FI20215418A1
Application number: FI20215418A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Henri Karikallio; Jukka Rajaheimo
Original assignee: Elisa Oyj
Priority date: 2021-04-09
Filing date: 2021-04-09
Publication date: 2022-10-10
Also published as: WO2022214736A1

Abstract

Tietokoneella toteutettu menetelmä kaapeliverkon automaattiseen kontrolloimiseen. Tilainformaatiota hankitaan (301) määräajoin CMTS:ltä, missä tilainformaatio käsittää informaatiota CMTS:ään liittyvien kaapelimodeemien tilasta. Hankitun tilainformaation perusteella, tunnistetaan (303) yksi tai useampia ensimmäisiä kaapelimodeemeja, jotka toimivat alioptimaalisessa moodissa. Nollauskomentoja lähetetään (304), CMTS:lle, ensimmäisten kaapelimodeemien nollaamiseksi.

Description

CONTROLLING A CABLE NETWORK

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application generally relates to controlling cable networks.

BACKGROUND

This section illustrates useful background information without admission of any technique described herein representative of the state of the art.

A cable network is a system of delivering data, such as television programs or internet connection, to users via data signals transmitted through coaxial cables or fiber-optic cables. Main components of a cable network are a cable modem termination system, CMTS, at operator facilities, cable modems at user premises and cables connecting these to each other.

In general, there is a desire to monitor and control the cable network so that the network operates as intended. Now new solutions are provided for this purpose.

SUMMARY

The appended claims define the scope of protection. Any examples and technical descriptions of apparatuses, products and/or methods in the description and/or drawings not covered by the claims are presented not as embodiments of the invention but as background art or examples useful for understanding the invention.

N

S According to a first example aspect there is provided a computer implemented x method for automatically controlling a cable network. The method comprises o

O periodically obtaining status information from CMTS, wherein the status

E: 25 information comprises information about status of cable modems associated with © the CMTS; 5

N identifying, based on the obtained status information, one or more first cable

O

N modems that operate in a suboptimal mode; and sending, to the CMTS, reset commands toreset the first cable modems.

In some example embodiments, depending on the status of the respective first cable modem, the reset command is a delete command configured to delete information of the respective cable modem from register of the CMTS.

In some example embodiments, the first cable modems are further monitored for a first period of time after sending the reset commands and additional reset commands are prevented for the first cable modems for the first period of time.

In some example embodiments, the method further comprises generating a maintenance ticket if one or more of the first cable modems continues to operate in suboptimal mode after the first period of time.

The first period of time may be for example 5-15 days.

In some example embodiments, the method further comprises ignoring cable modems that have not been provisioned and cable modems for which a maintenance ticket already exists.

In some example embodiments, a cable modem operates in suboptimal mode if the status of the cable modem is one of the following: offline, partial mode, expired, rejected.

In some example embodiments, a cable modem operates in suboptimal mode if the cable modem has been inactive or offline for a second period of time, or if a third period of time has passed since the last reset of the cable modem, or if frequency channels are partially down in the cable modem, or if the status of the cable modem is not online, or

N

S If the status of the cable modem is online, but the cable modem is not in any 3 bonding group, or o

O if network capabilities exceed capabilities of the cable modem.

I a = 25 In some example embodiments, the second period of time is 24-72 hours and/or the = third period of time is 30-60 days.

LO

N In some example embodiments, the status information is obtained 2-8 times a day.

N

In some example embodiments, the reset commands are sent at predefined point of time.

In some example embodiments, the reset commands are sent during night time.

According to a second example aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code; the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method of the first aspect or any related embodiment.

According to a third example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program comprising computer executable program code which when executed by a processor causes an apparatus to perform the method of the first aspect or any related embodiment.

According to a fourth example aspect there is provided a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having the computer program of the third example aspect stored thereon.

According to a fifth example aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising means for performing the method of the first aspect or any related embodiment.

Any foregoing memory medium may comprise a digital data storage such as a data disc or diskette, optical storage, magnetic storage, holographic storage, opto- magnetic storage, phase-change memory, resistive random access memory, magnetic random access memory, solid-electrolyte memory, ferroelectric random access memory, organic memory or polymer memory. The memory medium may be formed into a device without other substantial functions than storing memory or it may be formed as part of a device with other functions, including but not limited to = a memory of a computer, a chip set, and a sub assembly of an electronic device.

O

5 Different non-binding example aspects and embodiments have been illustrated in = 25 the foregoing. The embodiments in the foregoing are used merely to explain 7 selected aspects or steps that may be utilized in different implementations. Some

E embodiments may be presented only with reference to certain example aspects. It = should be appreciated that corresponding embodiments may apply to other example

LO

N aspects as well.

O

N

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Some example embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

Fig. 1 schematically shows an example scenario according to an example embodiment;

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of an apparatus according to an example embodiment; and

Fig. 3 shows a flow diagram illustrating example methods according to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, like reference signs denote like elements or steps.

Traditionally, fixing problems in cable networks has been based on degraded service and experienced problems of the end users of the cable network. That is, corrective actions have been triggered by user complaints.

The aim of various embodiments of present disclosure is to provide automation that proactively identifies and at least partially fixes some problems in cable networks.

In this way, at least in some situations, problems may be fixed before they cause user complaints.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an example scenario according to an embodiment. The scenario shows a cable network 101 comprising a plurality of cable modems 103 and a cable modem termination system, CMTS, 102 configured to distribute cable

O connections to the cable modems of the cable network 101. Further, the scenario x shows an automation system 111. The automation system 111 is configured to 2 25 implement automated controlling of the cable network 101. The automation system

I 111 is operable to interact with the CMTS 102 for example to receive, either directly

N or through some other system, data from the CMTS and to provide to the CMTS, s either directly or through some other system, commands to be executed in the

N CMTS.

N

The automation system 111 is configured to implement at least some example embodiments of present disclosure.

In an embodiment of the invention the scenario of Fig. 1 operates as follows: The automation system 111 obtains cable modem status information from the CMTS 102. The automation system 111 analyses the obtained status information, identifies cable modems that operate in a suboptimal mode, and sends to the CMTS 102 5 command to reset the cable modems that operate in suboptimal mode.

Additionally, the results of the analysis may be reported by showing the results on a display or by otherwise outputting the results to a user or by storing information about the analysis in a database or the like for later use.

The analysis in the automation system 111 may be automatically or manually triggered. The analysis may be performed in association with changes implemented in the cable network or changes made in settings of the CMTS, for example.

Additionally or alternatively, the analysis may be periodically repeated.

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 20 according to an embodiment. The apparatus 20 is for example a general-purpose computer or server or some other electronic data processing apparatus. The apparatus 20 can be used for implementing at least some embodiments of the invention. That is, with suitable configuration the apparatus 20 is suited for operating for example as the automation system 111 of foregoing disclosure.

The apparatus 20 comprises a communication interface 25; a processor 21; a user interface 24; and a memory 22. The apparatus 20 further comprises software 23 stored in the memory 22 and operable to be loaded into and executed in the processor 21. The software 23 may comprise one or more software modules and n can be in the form of a computer program product.

N The processor 21 may comprise a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor,

S 25 adigital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit, or the like. Fig. 2 shows 3 one processor 21, but the apparatus 20 may comprise a plurality of processors.

T

E The user interface 24 is configured for providing interaction with a user of the = apparatus. Additionally or alternatively, the user interaction may be implemented = through the communication interface 25. The user interface 24 may comprise a

N 30 circuitry for receiving input from a user of the apparatus 20, e.g., via a keyboard, graphical user interface shown on the display of the apparatus 20, speech recognition circuitry, or an accessory device, such as a headset, and for providing output to the user via, e.g., a graphical user interface or a loudspeaker.

The memory 22 may comprise for example a non-volatile or a volatile memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a data disk, an optical storage, a magnetic storage, a smart card, or the like. The apparatus 20 may comprise a plurality of memories. The memory 22 may serve the sole purpose of storing data, or be constructed as a part of an apparatus 20 serving other purposes, such as processing data.

The communication interface 25 may comprise communication modules that implement data transmission to and from the apparatus 20. The communication modules may comprise a wireless or a wired interface module(s) or both. The wireless interface may comprise such as a WLAN, Bluetooth, infrared (IR), radio freguency identification (RF ID) GSM/GPRS, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE (Long Term

Evolution) or 5G radio module. The wired interface may comprise such as Ethernet or universal serial bus (USB), for example. The communication interface 25 may support one or more different communication technologies. The apparatus 20 may additionally or alternatively comprise more than one of the communication interfaces 25.

A skilled person appreciates that in addition to the elements shown in Fig. 2, the apparatus 20 may comprise other elements, such as displays, as well as additional circuitry such as memory chips, application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), other processing circuitry for specific purposes and the like. Further, it is noted that only

S one apparatus is shown in Fig. 2, but the embodiments of the invention may equally 3 25 be implemented in a cluster of shown apparatuses. 2 Fig. 3 shows a flow diagram illustrating example methods according to certain z embodiments. The methods may be implemented in the automation system 111 of

N Fig. 1 and/or in the apparatus 20 of Fig. 2. The methods are implemented in a > computer and do not reguire human interaction unless otherwise expressly stated.

N 30 —Itistobe noted that the methods may however provide output that may be further

N processed by humans and/or the methods may require user input to start. Different phases shown in the flow diagrams may be combined with each other and the order of phases may be changed except where otherwise explicitly defined. Furthermore, it is to be noted that performing all phases of the flow diagram is not mandatory.

The method of Fig. 3 comprises the following phases: 301: Status information is periodically obtained from CMTS. The status information comprises information about status of cable modems associated with (or connected to) the CMTS. The status information can be obtained from one or more CMTS elements. In an example cable network there are about 50 CMTS elements and about 90 000 cable modems connected to the CMTS elements. In such example, the status information can be similarly obtained from all of the CMTS elements either in parallel or consecutively in order to obtain status of the about 90 000 cable modems.

In some embodiments, the status information is obtained 2-8 times a day. In one example embodiment, the status information is obtained 4 times a day. These are clearly only illustrative examples and other alternatives are possible.

Considering the example of about 90 000 cable modems and obtaining the status for example 4 times a day, it is clear that the amount of obtained data is significant and not easily analysed without automation. 302: The status information is stored for analysis that may take place at a later phase. In this way, status information can be collected for a multiple points of time before performing the analysis of the status information. There may be for example a database where the status information is periodically stored. 303: The obtained status information is analyzed. One or more first cable modems

N that operate in a suboptimal mode may be identified. A cable modem operating in a 5 suboptimal mode does not provide the intended service. A suboptimally operating = 25 modem may be offline or operating in a partial mode. A cable modem that operates 7 in partial mode, provides service to end users, but the service is not necessarily as

E good as it could be. For example gaming and/or video streaming services may be = disturbed or unavailable. Offered transfer capacity may be below the transfer speed 0 . .

S the user is expecting.

N 30 In some embodiments, cable modems that have not been provisioned at all and cable modems for which a maintenance ticket already exists are first ignored or put aside before analyzing the status information to identify cable modems that operate in a partial mode. In this way, the amount of data to be analyzed can be reduced.

In some embodiments, all modems that are not online are considered to operate in a suboptimal mode. More detailed examples of the suboptimal mode are discussed later in this document. 304: Reset commands are sent to the respective CMTS element to reset the first cable modems (that is, modems operating in the suboptimal mode).

Depending on the status of the respective first cable modem, the reset command may be a delete command that removes information of the respective cable modem from register of the CMTS and in this way forces resetting and reconfiguring the cable modem and the connection of the cable modem. In some cases simple reset command may be used additionally or alternatively. Simple reset command causes restarting of the respective modem, whereas the delete command causes restarting of the respective modem and additionally removal of the information of the respective cable modem from register of the CMTS. In this way, the cable modem has to start from scratch after the delete command.

In some embodiments, the status information is analyzed and the reset commands are sent during night time. In this way disturbance to operation of the cable network is minimized as the number of active users is usually low during night time.

In some embodiments, the status information is analyzed and the reset commands are sent at predefined point of time, e.g. once or twice a day. The predefined point of time may be for example daily at 23:00 or daily at 12:00 and at 23:00. These are = clearly only illustrative examples and other alternatives are possible.

O

5 In some embodiments, the analysis of status of a cable modem and decision on = 25 whether to send the reset command may be based on predefined rules indicating 7 respective action for different cable modem statuses. Based on the rules, cable

E modems that are considered to operate in a suboptimal mode are automatically = reset or put to surveillance for later actions. Additionally or alternatively, a 0 . . . . .

S maintenance ticket may be automatically generated for the suboptimally operating

N 30 modems.

305: The first cable modems are monitored for a first period of time after sending the reset commands. During the first period of time, additional reset commands are prevented for these cable modems. In this way, continuously repeated reset commands are prevented and the cable modems have time to recover to normal operation.

In some embodiments, the first period of time is 5-15 days. In one example embodiment, the first period of time is 7 or 8 days. These are clearly only illustrative examples and other alternatives are possible.

In some embodiments, a maintenance ticket is generated, if one or more of the first cable modems continues to operate in suboptimal mode after the first period of time.

In this way, cases where the automatic reset command does not solve the problem are automatically submitted for review by maintenance personnel. 306: The results of the analysis may be reported in a suitable manner either right after sending the delete commands in phase 304 or after the monitoring period of phase 305.

In some embodiments, a cable modem operates in suboptimal mode and it is considered that an automatic reset action should be applied, if the status of the cable modem is one of the following: offline, partial mode (e.g. pol-pt and ol-pt in Huawei hardware or online(d) and online (pkd) in Cisco hardware), expired, rejected (e.g. —rej-m, rej-pt, rej-o in Huawei hardware). In an embodiment, the automatic reset is performed by a delete command responsive to the status being one of these.

In some embodiments, one or more of the following status information is considered = to indicate that the respective cable modem is operating in a suboptimal mode and

N that an automatic reset action should be applied. In an embodiment, the automatic <+

O 25 reset is performed by a delete command responsive to the status being one of these. o 7 - The cable modem has been inactive or offline for a second period of time. & For example, if the cable modem has been offline for 24 hours, the cable = modem is automatically removed by the delete command.

LO

N - Athird period of time has passed since the last reset of the cable modem.

N

- Software version of the cable modem is old. In this case the automatic reset may be first performed by a simple reset command instead of the delete command. Also the simple reset command causes that the cable modem fetches a configuration file defining rules for the cable modem. - Frequency channels are partially down in the cable modem. - The status of the cable modem is online, but the cable modem is not in any bonding group, either upstream or downstream. - Network capabilities exceed capabilities of the cable modem (the cable modem has for example old technology or the cable modem is implemented against specifications). In this case also further actions may be required in addition to the delete command.

In some embodiments, the second period of time is 24-72 hours. In some embodiments, the third period of time is 30-60 days. These are clearly only illustrative examples and other alternatives are possible.

In an example setup where the method of an example embodiment is in use, the number of performed delete commands for cable modems considered to operate in partial mode on a 30 day period was about 100-1100 a day and in total 12 000. Out of these delete commands about 30% a day actually fixed a problem in the cable network. In total about 4000 problems were automatically fixed during the 30 day period. Based on this, it can be concluded that although all automatic actions do not necessarily fix a problem, a significant number of problems can be automatically fixed by the method of presently disclosed embodiments. Further, a maintenance ticket may be automatically generated for the modems in which the automatic reset does not fix the problem.

N Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims 5 appearing below, a technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments = 25 disclosed herein is a method to automatically control cable modems. Another 7 technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is a

E possibility to proactively fix problems in cable networks. In this way problems may = be solved before they are even noticed by users whereby user experience can be 0 .

N improved.

O

N

If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the before-described functions may be optional or may be combined

Various embodiments have been presented. It should be appreciated that in this document, words comprise, include and contain are each used as open-ended expressions with no intended exclusivity.

The foregoing description has provided by way of non-limiting examples of particular implementations and embodiments a full and informative description of the best mode presently contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention. It is however clear to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted to details of the embodiments presented in the foregoing, but that it can be implemented in other embodiments using equivalent means or in different combinations of embodiments without deviating from the characteristics of the invention.

Furthermore, some of the features of the afore-disclosed example embodiments may be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features. As such, the foregoing description shall be considered as merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention, and not in limitation thereof. Hence, the scope of the invention is only restricted by the appended patent claims.

N

O

N

<+ <Q o

O

I a a 0 5

LO

N

O

N

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatically controlling a cable network (101), the method comprising periodically obtaining (301) status information from CMTS, wherein the status information comprises information about status of cable modems associated with the CMTS; identifying (303), based on the obtained status information, one or more first cable modems that operate in a suboptimal mode; and sending (304), to the CMTS, reset commands to reset the first cable modems, wherein the reset command is a delete command configured to delete information of the respective cable modem from register of the CMTS.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring (305) the first cable modems for a first period of time after sending the reset commands and preventing additional reset commands for the first cable modems for the first period of time.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating a maintenance ticket if one or more of the first cable modems continues to operate in suboptimal mode after the first period of time. =

S

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein the first period of time is 5-15 days. <+ <Q 3

- 5. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising ignoring cable modems a = 25 that have not been provisioned and cable modems for which a maintenance ticket

0 .

5 already exists. LO N O N

6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein a cable modem operates in suboptimal mode if the status of the cable modem is one of the following: offline, partial mode, expired, rejected.

7. The method of any preceding claim, wherein a cable modem operates in suboptimal mode if the cable modem has been inactive or offline for a second period of time, or if a third period of time has passed since the last reset of the cable modem, or if frequency channels are partially down in the cable modem, or if the status of the cable modem is online, but the cable modem is not in any bonding group, or if network capabilities exceed capabilities of the cable modem.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second period of time is 24-72 hours and/or the third period of time is 30-60 days.

9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the status information is obtained 2-8times a day. = & +

10. Themethod of any preceding claim, wherein the reset commands are sent at = predefined point of time. O I = co 25

11. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the reset commands are sent < aj LO during night time. N O N

12. An apparatus (20, 111) comprising a processor (21), and a memory (22) including computer program code; the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11.

13. A computer program comprising computer executable program code (23) which when executed by a processor causes an apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11. N O N <+ <Q o O I a a 0 5 LO N O N