Abstract: An apparatus for interconnecting a fiber-optic network and a coax network comprising a coax line terminal (CLT) configured to couple to an optical line terminal (OLT) at the fiber-optic network and a plurality of coax network units (CNUs) at the coax network and to cache data received from the CNUs and forward the cached data to the OLT upon receiving a message from the OLT that assigns a transmission cycle for a specified CNU, wherein the CLT forwards the cached data to the OLT upon receiving the message regardless of whether the cached data corresponds to the specified CNU.

Abstract: An optical line terminal (OLT) including a processor coupled to a transmitter. The processor is configured to send a first encrypted fiber to coax unit (FCU) message containing an optical domain multicast key to an FCU via an optical network. The optical domain multicast key is associated with encryption in an optical domain associated with the optical network. The processor is also configured to send a second encrypted FCU message containing an electrical domain multicast key to the FCU, and to send an encrypted coax network unit (CNU) message containing the electrical domain multicast key to a CNU via the FCU and a coaxial network. The electrical domain multicast key is associated with encryption in an electrical domain associated with the coaxial network. The first and second encrypted FCU messages and the encrypted CNU message may be operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) messages.

Abstract: A method implemented by a middlebox comprising registering a customer premises equipment (CPE) in the middlebox, wherein the CPE is coupled to the middlebox via an electrical line, and facilitating registration of the CPE in a central office (CO) equipment coupled to the middlebox.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are mechanisms to support the management of multicast keys for a multicast group comprising one or more optical line terminals (OLTs), one or more fiber to coax units (FCUs), and a plurality of coax network units (CNUs). The disclosed embodiments may support the management of multicast keys over optical and coaxial networks. In some embodiments, an FCU may facilitate communication of operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) messages containing multicast keys from one or more OLTs to one or more CNUs (typically a plurality of CNUs). Some embodiments may employ one multicast key over both the optical network and coaxial network. Other embodiments may employ an optical domain multicast key over the optical network and an electrical domain multicast key over the coaxial network. Embodiments may comprise adding a first CNU to a multicast group as well as adding subsequent CNUs to the multicast group.

Abstract: A method implemented by a middlebox comprising registering a customer premises equipment (CPE) in the middlebox, wherein the CPE is coupled to the middlebox via an electrical line, and facilitating registration of the CPE in a central office (CO) equipment coupled to the middlebox.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes establishing a communication channel between a first network element and a second network element; identifying a video processing characteristic for a data stream in a network environment; embedding a plurality of bits into the data stream in order to identify the video processing characteristic that has been identified by the first network element; and communicating the data stream with the plurality of bits to a next destination.

Abstract: A Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprising a receiver configured to receive a plurality of upstream transmission request messages from a plurality of coaxial units via an electro-optical network, wherein the upstream transmission request messages each request permission to transmit a specified amount of data, a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to allocate Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) minislots to each coaxial unit based on the amount of data requested in the associated upstream transmission request message, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit at least one Uplink Allocation Map (UL-MAP) message to indicate minislot allocations to the coaxial units.

Abstract: A coaxial cable tap comprises a housing, and a faceplate coupled to the housing. The faceplate comprises a first directional tap port, and a diagnostic reverse (DR) port configured to receive a first upstream signal originating downstream from the coaxial cable tap, and inject a downstream test signal in a downstream direction. A hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network comprises a headend, a first amplifier coupled to the headend, and a tap coupled to the first amplifier, configured to couple to a plurality of cable modems (CMs), and comprising a diagnostic forward (DF) port configured to receive a downstream signal originating from the first amplifier, and inject an upstream test signal in an upstream direction for reception at the headend.

Abstract: A coaxial line terminal (CLT) comprising an optical port configured to couple to an optical line terminal (OLT) via an optical distribution network (ODN), an electrical port configured to couple to a coaxial network unit (CNU) via an electrical distribution network, and a processor coupled to the optical port and the electrical port, wherein the processor is configured to receive from the OLT a plurality of first frames addressed to the CNU, receive from the OLT a plurality of second frames not addressed to the CNU, forward the first frames to the CNU, and prohibit the second frames from being forwarded to the CNU.

Abstract: A method implemented in a Fiber Coaxial Unit (FCU) comprising receiving a plurality of Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) report messages from a plurality of Coaxial Network Units (CNUs) across a coaxial network, receiving an EPON gate message comprising Time Quanta (TQ) information indicating an upstream transmission time grant for the FCU across the optical network, translating the TQ based upstream transmission time grants to OFDM resource block grants in a time domain and in a frequency domain across the coaxial network for each CNU based on the configurable constants, and transmitting an EPON over Coaxial (EPoC) gate message to each CNU, wherein each EPoC gate message comprises a CNU profile indicating the Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) resource block grants for the an associated CNU and a start time.

Abstract: A method comprising generating an updated security key upon expiration of a key exchange timer, transferring the updated security key to a Coaxial Network Unit (CNU), retaining an original key, wherein the updated security key comprises a different key identification number than the original key, accepting and decrypting upstream traffic that employs either the original key or the updated key, after transferring the updated security key to the CNU, creating a key switchover timer, before the key switchover timer expires, verify that upstream traffic transferred from the CNU on a logical link uses the updated security key, and when upstream traffic is encrypted using the updated security key, begin using the updated security key to encrypt downstream traffic and clear the key switchover timer.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a receiver configured to receive a plurality of transmission requests from a plurality of end nodes via an optical network and an electrical network, a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to dynamically allocate optical transmission time slots to the end nodes according to measured RTTs of the end nodes, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the allocated transmission time slots to the end nodes. Also disclosed is a method performed by an OLT comprising receiving a plurality of transmission requests from a plurality of network units via a PON and an electrical network, and allocating optical transmission time slots to the network units dynamically according to measured RTTs of the network units.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a data framer comprising a physical layer protocol stack comprising a coax convergence layer, a coax framing layer next to the convergence layer, wherein the coax framing layer is configured to decompose and assemble data packets in a coax network, a coax coding layer next to the coax frame layer, wherein the coax coding layer is configured to protect the coax transmissions from impairments, a coax modulation layer next to the coax coding layer, wherein the coax modulation layer is configured to modulate the data according to a coax physical layer (PHY), and a radio frequency layer next to the coax modulation layer and configured to interface to an electrical medium for a coaxial network.

Abstract: An OLT comprising an optical port configured to couple to an optical distribution network, a processor coupled to the optical port and configured to generate a DL-MAP based on non-broadcast downstream bandwidth allocations for a plurality of network units, wherein each of the downstream bandwidth allocations is not assigned to all of the network units, generate an EPON MPCP downstream gate message comprising the DL-MAP, and embed the DL-MAP in the EPON MPCP downstream gate message, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and the optical port, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the EPON MPCP downstream gate message to the network units via the PON.

Abstract: A method of allocating bandwidth in a network comprising receiving a GATE message allocating a transmission time window in an optical portion of the network to a coaxial network unit (CNU) in a coax portion of the network, and generating a coax network resource map by mapping the transmission time window to communication channel resources in the coax portion of the network; and sending the coax network resource map to the CNU.

Abstract: A method comprising receiving a coaxial network unit (CNU) registration request from a CNU via a coaxial portion of a network, wherein the registration request is addressed to an optical line terminal (OLT), and forwarding the CNU registration request to the OLT via an optical portion of the network. Included is an OLT comprising a processor configured to receive a registration request including a logical node identifier (LNID) assigned to a coaxial line terminal (CLT) in a payload of the registration request, wherein the CLT intermediates between the OLT via an optical portion of a unified optical-coaxial network and a CNU via an electrical network portion of the unified optical-coaxial network, assign a logical link identifier (LLID) to the CNU, and send the LLID to the CNU via the CLT.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are mechanisms to support the management of multicast keys for a multicast group comprising one or more optical line terminals (OLTs), one or more fiber to coax units (FCUs), and a plurality of coax network units (CNUs). The disclosed embodiments may support the management of multicast keys over optical and coaxial networks. In some embodiments, an FCU may facilitate communication of operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) messages containing multicast keys from one or more OLTs to one or more CNUs (typically a plurality of CNUs). Some embodiments may employ one multicast key over both the optical network and coaxial network. Other embodiments may employ an optical domain multicast key over the optical network and an electrical domain multicast key over the coaxial network. Embodiments may comprise adding a first CNU to a multicast group as well as adding subsequent CNUs to the multicast group.

Abstract: A method comprising generating an updated security key upon expiration of a key exchange timer, transferring the updated security key to a Coaxial Network Unit (CNU), retaining an original key, wherein the updated security key comprises a different key identification number than the original key, accepting and decrypting upstream traffic that employs either the original key or the updated key, after transferring the updated security key to the CNU, creating a key switchover timer, before the key switchover timer expires, verify that upstream traffic transferred from the CNU on a logical link uses the updated security key, and when upstream traffic is encrypted using the updated security key, begin using the updated security key to encrypt downstream traffic and clear the key switchover timer.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes generating a first document and a second document associated with video data that includes a group of pictures (GOPs). The method also includes hashing a plurality of video frames associated with the video data. Additionally, the method includes appending each of the video frames' respective hash and respective display times to the first document, and appending each of a plurality of I-frames' respective hash and respective display times to the second document. The method further includes communicating the first document and the second document in a reliable manner over a network to a next destination.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first radio frequency (RF) frontend interface configured to receive a reference signal via a first signal path and a second RF frontend interface configured to receive an interference signal via a second signal path. The apparatus further comprises a first signal adjustment chain coupled to the first RF frontend interface and configured to reconstruct a first portion of the interference signal by adjusting a first signal property of a first reference signal portion of the reference signal, and a second signal adjustment chain coupled to the first RF frontend interface and configured to reconstruct a second portion of the interference signal by adjusting a second signal property of a second reference signal portion of the reference signal, wherein the reference signal and the interference signal are associated with a same source signal.