Abstract: A method of upgrading a platform in a subscriber gateway device involves remote management. The platform includes an operating system, a management agent, and a management information object. The management agent responds to remote management requests received by the subscriber gateway device. The management information object indicates a service interruption impact assessment of a subscriber gateway device as determined by a current status of the subscriber gateway device. According to the method, a request is sent to the management agent, and in response to the request, a value of the management information object is returned. Based upon the response, it is determined whether or not to initiate a platform upgrade for the subscriber gateway device.

Abstract: A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device includes sending a customized configuration file to the cable modem. The configuration file contains service provisioning information and further includes information indicative of a network address type for the customer premise equipment device. A message is passed from the cable modem to the customer premise equipment device indicative of the network address type. The customer premise equipment device is provided with a network address in accordance with the network address type indicated in the message. In this way, the customer premise equipment device knows what kind of address to obtain, and excessive transactions are avoided.

Abstract: A method of configuring an edge device in a network wherein a transport network interfaces with edge devices that interface with client devices involves a configuration file in a dynamic file format. The edge device is configured by downloading the configuration file to the edge device. The method comprises connecting the edge device to the network, downloading the configuration file to the edge device, and configuring the edge device. The configuration file is in a dynamic file format and contains configuration information for the edge device including information relating to at least one edge device input and information relating to at least one radio frequency output.

Abstract: A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device includes, prior to receiving the configuration file for the cable modem, providing an equipment identification message containing a description of the customer premise equipment device connected to the cable modem. In the case where the cable modem has yet to be provisioned, the configuration file received from the network server is a particular access-limiting configuration file that is selected from a group of access-limiting configuration files. The selection of the particular access-limiting configuration file is based on the description of the customer premise equipment device in the equipment identification message. This allows different devices to have different network restrictions or different walled gardens.

Abstract: A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device includes sending a customized configuration file to the cable modem. The configuration file contains service provisioning information and further includes information indicative of a device-to-device communication configuration. A message is passed from the cable modem to the customer premise equipment device indicative of the device-to-device communication configuration. The customer premise equipment device is initialized for device-to-device communication with any other customer premise equipment devices in accordance with the device-to-device communication configuration indicated in the message, which relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among customer premise equipment devices. In this way, the customer premise equipment device knows how to communicate with other customer premise equipment devices, for example, at the same subscriber location.

Abstract: A communications system and method for monitoring modems on a communications network includes at least one modem that is configured to have at least a first and a second state. A media protocol device is also included that is configured to determine whether the modem is in the first state or the second state. The media protocol device also has a memory for storing the state of the modem. The media protocol device monitors whether the modem is toggling between the first and the second state and provides a flag when the a number of the toggles between the first and the second states is greater than a predetermined registration threshold.