Abstract: Approaches for dynamic assignment of a MAC address. An article of manufacture may comprise a non-volatile memory and a network element that comprises a CPU. The network element may be a remote PHY device, an Ethernet switch, a Remote MACPHY Device (RMD), a Passive Optical Network (PON) Optical Line Terminal (OLT), a Passive Optical Network (PON) Optical Network Unit (ONU), a Wi-Fi hot spot router, a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) device, an O-Ran device, or a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) routing device. A communication link exists between the CPU of the network element and the non-volatile memory of the article of manufacture. A module on the network element causes the network element to retrieve, across the communication link, at least one MAC address from the non-volatile memory of the remote PHY node and adopt a MAC address to identify itself any time that the article of manufacture reboots.

Abstract: Assigning an appropriate modulation profile for an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) channel. The current modulation profile assigned to a specific cable modem for communicating over a specific OFDM channel is examined to determine whether to consider reassigning the specific cable modem to a different modulation profile. Only upon determining consideration should be given, an assessment is made as to which modulation profile, of a set of candidate modulation profiles available to that cable modem for communicating over the specific OFDM channel, should be assigned to the specific cable modem using linear domain averaging over the OFDM subcarriers of the ratios between a Mean Error Rate (MER) threshold per subcarrier for the specific cable modem and the MER reported by the specific cable modem per subcarrier. A new modulation profile is assigned to the specific modem based on the assessment.