Abstract: In a computer network, services are provisioned for a user over the network, typically via a series of messages. Depending on the particular service to be provisioned many network entities may be concerned with the provision of a particular service. However, an initiator of a service request may be unaware of all the network entities concerned with a service provision request. A system which receives a single request for service provisioning from an initiator, determines each network entity corresponding to the request from a common repository of network entities, and applies the operations concerned with the service provision request at each corresponding network entity, allows a service to be provisioned without manually searching and examining the network to determine the network entities concerned with a particular service provision request.

Abstract: In a network system, services are provided to users via network interconnections from a service provider. Such services include data, voice, video, and others, and are typically implemented and/or initiated via an interconnection from a network node operated by the service provider to customer premises equipment (CPE) operable to receive the service. Service provisioning includes identifying the service to be provided, identifying the CPE to receive the service, and the determining the manner in which the service is to be provided. In an execution environment such as a hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) network, service deployment time and cost, and maintenance are reduced, and reliability increased, by an executable element generator operable to generate workflow definition files, such as an XML (Extensible Markup Language) script. A plurality of services are defined according to a workflow model, in which each of the services corresponds to one or more of the executable scripts.

Abstract: Hybrid fiber/coax networks employ the existing cable plant used for cable TV and transmit data signals in a frequency bandwidth above that which is used for cable TV. As this cable plant was deployed in a tree and branch topology, data transmissions may be susceptible to noise, variable transmission loss and frequency dispersion, particularly in the upstream direction. Further, due to the tree and branch topology, homes at the far end of the network experience much greater loss than do the homes that are near to the headend/ONU. The present system, which uses point-to-point data links between intelligent network elements located in the feeder/distribution network to provide reliable, secure, bi-directional broadband access. Connections are established by a call admission control (CAC) server which determines utilization, computes required bandwidth and selectively allows additional connections based on available bandwidth.