Cisco Technology, Inc.

Vecima Networks Inc.

Keil Brewer

Philip Winterbottom

Chrisanto Leano

De Fu Li

Hui Sun

James An

Rajamouli Gujjari

John J Downey

James S An

Chrisanto D Leano

A novel method of operating a Distributed Cable Modem Termination System is provided. Each branch CMTS node in a distributed CMTS supports a complete CMTS system and with full-spectrum ports. One or more MAC domains are defined at each branch CMTS node. A MAC domain defined at a branch CMTS node includes only service flows of the CMs that are connected to the branch CMTS node. Identifiers of service flows coming from a branch CMTS node are always unique, i.e., two different service flows of the branch CMTS would always have different SIDs, even if they belong to different MAC domains. On the other hand, service flows belonging to different branch CMTS nodes are free to reuse the same identifiers.

Upstream channels for distributed CMTS

Disclosed are apparatus and methods for managing upstream channels on a per cable modem basis. In certain embodiments, one or more thresholds are defined for each of a plurality of upstream logical channels of a headend system for receiving data from a plurality of cable modems (or other types of access nodes). Each defined threshold corresponds to a measurable parameter of the corresponding upstream logical channel. One or more metrics are collected for each cable modem of each upstream logical channel. It is determined whether to downgrade a selected cable modem to a selected one of the logical channels that has a lower performance level than the selected cable modem's current logical channel. Such downgrade determination is based on whether the selected cable modem's collected one or more metrics have failed a condition of the one or more defined thresholds and whether a percentage of a total of the cable modems of such current logical channel that have failed a condition for the one or more defined thresholds is less than a predefined percentage level. The selected cable modem is then caused to move from the current logical channel to the selected logical channel when the percentage of the total cable modems that have failed is below a predefined level if such selected logical channel is available. Otherwise, the current logical channel's modulation profile may be altered when the percentage of the total cable modems that have failed is above (or equal to) the predefined level.

Apparatus and methods for moving cable modems between upstream channels

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Keil Brewer