Abstract: Systems and methods are described for configuring customer premises equipment in a wireless network in response to reconnection of subscriber station to a base station. A set of rules is provided that governs configuration of a network interface based in part on whether the interface connects to a different base station after reconnection. Reconfiguration may include cycling power of the network interface and the decision to cycle power may be based on network configuration determined after the loss of communication. This decision can be made after the loss of communication and after the network interface is reconnected to the wireless network through the same or a different base station. The rules may be processed by a combination of subscriber equipment, network interface and base station. Power may be cycled responsive to a message transmitted by the one base station to the network interface.

Abstract: A system and method for Internet telephony between a caller station and a callee station are described. The caller station is connected to a first edge network via a first telephony interface, and the callee station is connected to a second edge network via a second telephony interface. An intermediate network is connected to the first edge network via a first router and is connected to the second edge network via a second router. The callee station is associated with a callee station number. The first router initiates the call in response to a setup message that includes the callee station number. A first gatekeeper, controlling the first router, and a second gatekeeper, controlling the second router, together mediate the process of setting up the call. A back end server, in communication with the first and second gatekeepers, stores the addresses and station numbers needed to set up the call.

Abstract: A method and application programming interface for using multiple network addresses on a common physical layer. The host protocol stack supports multiple Internet Protocol interfaces. When a process makes a function call to create a new socket, a new IP address is associated with the socket. Each socket is then bound to an IP address that is distinct from the IP addresses bound to other sockets. This is in contrast to conventional sockets that are bound to a common IP address. In this manner, each process may be associated with a unique IP address. Such a configuration may useful in Internet telephony where each call process receives a unique private IP address in a virtual private network.

Abstract: A method to use the data packet carrying ability of cable TV networks as described in DOCSIS to accurately and quickly transmit a voice call from a cable user to another user over a cable TV cable. The cable telephone, or cable modem, is given the ability to detect when voice activity from the subscriber is above and below a predetermined value. When the cable modem has voice activity, the cable modem knows that it will have a continuous stream of voice data packets which need to be sent very quickly and very accurately to the CMTS. Therefore, the cable modem requests a periodic stream of time slots from the CMTS. When the cable modem detects no voice activity or a silence period from the subscriber, the cable modem indicates that the periodic stream of time slots is no longer needed and the CMTS stops providing the periodic stream of time slots.

Abstract: A modem, communications system and method are provided with a transmitter and a receiver connected to a modem termination system (CMTS) by a medium. The modem has a memory forming a transmit queue including voice and video. The modem has a controller for sending data units from the receive queue to CMTS. The modem requests unsolicited grant service (UGS) from CMTS when the frame controller detects periodic stream to transmit. Upon detecting a data accumulation in the receive queue, the controller asserts a queue indicator. The Modem receives an occasional extra grant per interval and uses these grants until the queue indicator is not asserted. According to another feature, during transmission, the modem requests subsequent grants in a subsequent interval using an extended header having multiple bits for requesting the multiple grants. The CMTS allocates at least an extra grant to form a grant burst in response to the request.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating persistent private network addresses between private networks. An Internet Protocol (“IP”) address of a multimedia device (e.g., a Voice-over-IP (“VoIP”) device) is publicly available and the device, the device's location or the device's user may be identified and become the target of a hacker. Persistent private IP addresses may be used for such multimedia devices. Persistent private IP addresses are unique and persistent for a duration of a multimedia session between two private networks. The persistent private IP addresses are not routable on a public network like the Internet. The persistent private IP addresses allow a first network device on a first private network to establish a data session with a second network device on a second private network over a public network such as the Internet.

Abstract: A method and system is provided to send and receive Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (“DHCP”) messages in a data-over-cable system via a route with one or more routers. The routers may apply one or more different protocol filters to DHCP messages, such as filtering out DHCP messages with a “Martian” Internet Protocol (“IP”) address (e.g., 0.0.0.0) and other characteristics. The Martian IP address is commonly used as an initial IP address in a DHCP initialization sequence but is often filtered out by routers as an invalid IP address. DHCP messages are received by a first protocol agent from a first User Datagram Protocol (“UDP”) port. The first UDP port is used by DHCP servers and network devices such as cable modems and customer premise equipment to send and receive DHCP messages via a route that may apply one or more DCHP filters.

Abstract: A method and system for network address maintenance in a data-over-cable system. The method includes determining whether a network device, such as a cable modem, responds to a request in a timely manner. When updating network address tables, such as Address Resolution Protocol tables, an Internet Control Message Protocol (“ICMP”) echo message is generated and sent to the Internet Protocol (“IP”) address of a network device. If an ICMP echo reply message is not detected within a pre-determined time, the network address is deleted from the network address table. The deletion of the network address ensures that the device is isolated from the network. The method and system provide for the rapid removal of stale network addresses, freeing valuable memory space, and increasing security in a data-over-cable system.

Abstract: A system and method for Internet telephony between a caller station and a callee station are described. The caller station is connected to a first edge network via a first telephony interface, and the callee station is connected to a second edge network via a second telephony interface. An intermediate network is connected to the first edge network via a first router and is connected to the second edge network via a second router. The callee station is associated with a callee station number. The first router initiates the call in response to a setup message that includes the callee station number. A first gatekeeper, controlling the first router, and a second gatekeeper, controlling the second router, together mediate the process of setting up the call. A back end server, in communication with the first and second gatekeepers, stores the addresses and station numbers needed to set up the call.

Abstract: A method for network address maintenance in a data-over-cable system. The method includes receiving a message containing a first network address, such as an Internet Protocol address, to be stored in a network address table, such as an Address Resolution Protocol table. If the first network address equates to a second network address stored in the network address table, one or more network addresses associated with the second network address are deleted from the network address table. A third network address is then stored in the network address table. The method provides for the removal of stale network addresses, freeing memory space and increasing security in the data-over-cable system.

Abstract: A method and system for provisioning network addresses in a data-over-cable system. Provisioning of network addresses allows multiple “always-on” network devices with multiple associated devices to be used on a data-over-cable system with a limited public network address pool. The “always-on” network devices provide services, such as, Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”), that typically require instant access to data-over-cable system. Network devices such as “always-on” cable modems may allocated private network addresses (e.g., Internet Protocol addresses) on the data-over-cable system. The private network addresses are not addressable outside the data-over-cable system. Other network devices associated with the cable modems, such as customer premise equipment, may be allocated public network addresses (e.g., Internet Protocol Addresses) on the data-over-cable system. The public network addresses are addressable outside the data-over-cable system.

Abstract: A method and system for network address maintenance in a data-over-cable system. The method includes determining whether a network device, such as a cable modem, registers in a timely manner. When updating network address tables, such as Address Resolution Protocol tables, a time value is associated with an address, such as an Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, of a network device. If a time between two registration events exceeds this time value, the network address is deleted from the network address table. The deletion of the network address ensures that the device is isolated from the network. The method and system provide for the rapid removal of stale network addresses, freeing valuable memory space, and increasing security in a data-over-cable system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for optimizing data flow in a data network. Data that is to be transferred across the network at a constant bitrate is handled differently by a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer compared to other data. A TCP congestion control process is adapted to recognize whether data packets from an application are to be transferred across the data network at a constant bitrate. The constant bitrate channel may be recognized by a Quality of Service identifier or a TCP port number. If the data packets do belong to the constant bitrate channel, the TCP congestion control limits the congestion window for these data packets. The congestion window for data packets other than those in the constant bitrate channel is allowed to increase, as usual, until data packets are lost, at which point the congestion window is reduced to a maximum segment size. The congestion window for constant bitrate packets, however, is increased until it reaches a maximum value.

Abstract: A method and system for quality-of-service in a data-over-cable system is provided. A cable modem in a data-over-cable system makes a connection request to a cable modem termination system with a requested quality-of-service. The requested quality-of-service includes class-of-service, quality-of-service and other related parameters. The connection request is sent from a cable modem or a cable modem termination system to a Quality-of-Service (“QoS”) server. The OoS server determines if the cable modem termination system has enough bandwidth to make the connection to the cable modem with the requested quality-of-service. If the cable modem termination system has enough bandwidth, a quality-of-service identifier is to returned to the cable modem termination system. The cable modem termination system uses the quality-of-service identifier to make a connection to the cable modem with the requested QoS to the cable modem.

Abstract: A method and system for virtual network administration with a data-over-cable system. A virtual networking tag and a network address (e.g., an Internet Protocol address) assigned by a network other than a data-over-cable system is used to provide a virtual network to one or more network devices, such as cable modems via a data-over-cable system. The virtual networking tag may also be used to request a desired service class (e.g., Class-of-Service, Quality-of-Service, Type-of-Service, Service Level Agreements, etc.), for a desired end-to-end networking service (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol). The virtual networking tag can be mapped to a data-over-cable service class. The data-over-cable service class can be mapped into a transport service class for a transport network. The virtual networking tag is used to provide a desired end-to-end networking service from a network device on a first external network (e.g.

Abstract: A method and system for changing type-of-service with an associated quality-of-service in a data-over-cable system is provided. The method and system allow a cable modem or a cable modem termination system to dynamically override the statically assigned type-of-service supplied to the cable modem in a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (“DHCP”) initialization sequence. A selection input can request a second type-of-service that may or may not be supported by the cable modem on the cable modem termination system. If the requested second type-of-service with an associated second quality-of-service is permitted on the cable modem, the cable modem termination system dynamically changes the first type-of-service to the requested second type-of-service. Allowing a cable modem and cable modem termination system to change the statically assigned type-of-service to a second type-of-service allows the user greater flexibility for configuration cable modems in a data-over-cable system.

Abstract: Methods for processing a media flow at an end of a tunneling association in a data network. One method includes receiving a data packet on a public network, such as the Internet, and recognizing that it encapsulates another data packet for a virtual connection to an application. The virtual connection is addressed by private network addresses. Another method includes constructing a data packet for a virtual connection to the application and encapsulating it for transmission on the public network. The methods provide for hiding the identity of the originating and terminating ends of the tunneling association from the other users of the public network. Hiding the identities may prevent interception of media flow between the ends of the tunneling association or eavesdropping on Voice-over-Internet-Protocol calls. The methods increase the security of communication on the data network without imposing a computational burden on the devices in the data network.

Abstract: A system and method for managing the data channel usage in a data over cable system having more than one data channel. The system includes network devices, which are cable modems connected in at least a downstream connection to one of the data channels in a cable network. The upstream connection to the cable modem may be to the cable network or to alternative networks such as, the public switched telephone network. During initialization, the cable modems attempt to communicate over a channel designated for it in the configuration parameters provided for the cable modems. If unable to use the channel, or if no channel has yet been defined for it, the cable modem scans the bandwidth for an available data channel. The cable modem may lock on the first found data channel. The cable modems register with the cable network and are assigned to a cluster. The user of a network administrator analyzes channel usage and moves cable modems to different channels in clusters.

Abstract: A method for initiating a tunneling association in a data network. The method includes negotiating private addresses, such as private Internet Protocol addresses, for the ends of the tunneling association. The negotiation is performed on a public network, such as the Internet, through a trusted-third-party without revealing the private addresses. The method provides for hiding the identity of the originating and terminating ends of the tunneling association from the other users of the public network. Hiding the identities may prevent interception of media flow between the ends of the tunneling association or eavesdropping on Voice-over-Internet-Protocol calls. The method increases the security of communication on the data network without imposing a computational burden on the devices in the data network.

Abstract: A method and system for forwarding data-packets in a data-over-cable system, is provided. The data-packets received by the head-end of the data-over-cable system are sorted according to the Quality-of-Service identifiers assigned to the destination for the respective data-packets. The sorted data-packets are forwarded subsequently in accordance with the Quality-of-Service settings corresponding to their respective Quality-of-Service identifiers. Data-packets that cannot be transmitted in accordance with their respective Quality-of-Service identifiers are cached for transmission at a later time point.