British Telecommunications Public Limited Company

British Telecommunications Corporation

Philip Antony Everett

Trevor Philip Linney

Ashley Pickering

Christopher Marcus Croot

John Wolsey Cook

David M Rohlfing

Gary John Dalby

Alan Edson Cooper

Norwin Simms

David Michael Rohlfing

Ian Edwin Horsley

Pickering Ashley

An access network comprises a plurality of access nodes (DSLAMs), a plurality of network access servers (CP BRASs) and an ANCP relay. The access network control relay component relays data between an access node and a plurality of network access servers and includes one or more interfaces and associated functionality in an ANCP listener component for enabling a connection between the relay component and the access node, for transmitting data and/or messages thereover, and an interface (ANCP Agents) for a connection to be made with each of the plurality of network access servers (via ANCP listeners contained within the BRASs) for transmitting ANCP messages thereover; and a mapping database for storing mapping data to determine to which network access server a message should be transmitted from the relay component, together with a CP authentication database and a workflow processing component for controlling operation of components within the ANCP relay.

Method and apparatus for communicating with an access node

The invention measures the rates of a whole population of existing lines together with a line characteristic, such as capacitance, that can be measured prior to provisioning. Using these measures, a rating we refer to as a 'quality figure' is generated for each distribution point by looking at the rate of the lines running through that distribution point, and comparing those rates to the rates of other lines having the same line characteristic across the whole population of lines. Distribution points that have lines operating better (faster) than the average for their given line characteristic will have higher quality figures. To estimate the rate of a new line, the quality figure of the distribution point that the new line passes through is used in conjunction with the measured line characteristic as a look up on the whole population of lines.

Estimating line rate

A management device () for use in an access network () including a plurality of data connections () between end user devices () and an aggregation transceiver device () where the connections () are aggregated for onward connection through the access network (), the access network storing in association with each data connection a Dynamic Line Management, DLM, profile which specifies a set of values for a plurality of parameters associated with the respective data connection, together with a stability level specifying a desired level of stability for the data connection. The device comprises means for receiving monitoring data specifying the stability of each respective data connection over a predetermined period of time; means for selecting a DLM profile to be applied to the connection in dependence on both the monitoring data and the stored stability level associated with the data connection; and means for requesting an OSS system of the access network to apply the selected profile to the data connection.

Data communication in an access network

A management device for use in an access network including a plurality of data connections between end user devices and an aggregation transceiver device where the connections are aggregated for onward connection through the access network, the access network storing in association with each data connection a Dynamic Line Management, DLM, profile which specifies a set of values for a plurality of parameters associated with the respective data connection, together with a stability level specifying a desired level of stability for the data connection. The device includes means for receiving monitoring data specifying the stability of each respective data connection over a predetermined period of time; means for selecting a DLM profile to be applied to the connection in dependence on both the monitoring data and the stored stability level associated with the data connection; and means for requesting an OSS system of the access network to apply the selected profile to the data connection. The DLM profile selection means disregards any resynchronizations or errors estimated to have occurred as a result of an area wide event such as a thunderstorm. It performs this estimation by detecting a large number of retrains and or errors occurring within a predetermined short test period.

Dynamic line management

A telecommunications access network includes a plurality of telecommunications lines (), a plurality of aggregation devices (-), a plurality of data collector modules (-) and a line provisioning and de-provisioning system (), wherein each line is connected between customer premises equipment (----) and a line aggregation device (-). The access network is operable to provide data connections through at least a first sub-set of the lines () to a core network whereby network services may be provided over the network to the customer premises equipment. The access network further includes a management module () for managing at least a second sub-set of the lines () within the access network, the management module () being operable to receive aggregated data from a plurality of data collector modules, each data collector module (-) being operable to receive data from a plurality of the line aggregation devices. The network further comprises a file check module having a line status database () for storing information about the lines which are managed by the management module including the identity of the line aggregation device to which each line is connected and means for receiving information from the line provisioning and de-provisioning system and means for using the information received from the line-provisioning and de-provisioning system to maintain the file check module's database current. The file check module further comprises means () for receiving received data information from the management module specifying what data it has received and means () for comparing the received data information with data from the database () to generate comparison data, and output means () for outputting the generated comparison data.

Data collection in an access network

A Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexor (DSLAM) for operation within an access network includes a plurality of digital subscriber line modems for terminating a plurality of corresponding digital subscriber lines and aggregating them for onward connection through the access network. The DSLAM is operable, each time a data connection is established or re-established over one of the digital subscriber lines, to generate line data about the data connection at the DSLAM, to store the line data, to wait a predetermined period of time, to determine if the data connection is still operating successfully since the establishment of the connection without having suffered loss of connection during the predetermined period and then to transmit the line data to a management device which performs dynamic line management based on the data.

Dynamic line management of digital subscriber line connections

In a method and system for operating an ADSL access network which has a plurality of data connections () between the access network and end user devices (), and in which the access network controls the rate at which data is transferred between the user devices and an onward connection (), the access network stores a plurality of capped profiles each of which specifies a respective upper data rate to which the connection is limited and which is below the maximum achievable rate for the connection. The access network operates using a Dynamic Line Management (DLM) algorithm which, for a given data connection, operates to enable data transfer at a variable data rate up to the maximum rate, monitors the error performance and signal to noise margin variation for different data rates and, in the event that one or both are outside respective limits for a predetermined period, selects and applies one of the capped profiles to limit the upper data rate, selection being determined by the highest data rate achieved for which the error performance was within acceptable limits.

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London, United Kingdom

Philip Antony Everett