WO2001029684A1

WO2001029684A1 - Dns request interception and cpe url registration

Info

Publication number: WO2001029684A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/028960
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lauren T. May
Original assignee: Next Level Communications Inc
Current assignee: Motorola Wireline Networks Inc
Priority date: 1999-10-20
Filing date: 2000-10-19
Publication date: 2001-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 2002-04-20
Also published as: AU1337301A

Abstract

A method for providing name resolution services in Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) for easy access to a mini-web server embedded therein. A user enters a CPE unique URL on a web browser and a DNS request for CPE name resolution is generated and transmitted to an access network (710). An access unit modem, such as a residential gateway (120), intercepts the request and directly responds with the IP address of the CPE (740). A method for CPE to obtain an IP address and register the IP address and a CPE URL to a DNS server. A newly installed CPE registers its unique URL to the DNS server (510) after obtaining an IP address (500). The URL is then forwarded to a network management system (520). In this embodiment, a network manager can request a name resolution service to the DNS server in order to access a mini-web server embedded in the CPE using the URL instead of the IP address (530).

Description

TITLE

DNS Request In terception and CPE URL Regis tra tion

Cross-Reference to Related Applications

This application claims the priority of U.S. provisional application 60/160,592 filed on October 20, 1999. Application 60/160,592 is incorporated in its entirety by reference .

Background of the Invention

Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) within a location, such as residences or businesses, are often integrated together to form a Local Area Network (LAN) . The LAN and CPE are often connected to a high-speed digital access network. The CPE are commonly managed by users via a browser on a personal computer (PC) . A common method for managing devices is to connect the browser to a mini-web server embedded in the CPE. This is accomplished by entering the CPE Internet protocol (IP) address on the browser's address line. This method requires that the user know the CPE IP address. An IP address is not an easy thing for a user, and specifically a non-technical user, to remember. It is much easier for a user to remember a meaningful Uniform Resource Locator (URL) . For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method and apparatus for providing easy access to a CPE mini-web server from a user browser using a URL.

Moreover, when CPE is installed it needs to be assigned an IP address in order to communicate using IP-based protocols. An IP-based network management technique cannot be used to set the IP address of the CPE. Therefore, the user typically needs to configure a specific known IP address into the CPE at the direction of the network access provider in order for a network manager to access the CPE.

For the foregoing reason there is a need for a method and apparatus to allow CPE to acquire an IP address and register its URL to a Domain Name Server (DNS) . Furthermore, there is a reason for allowing the network manager to use the CPE unique URL to acquire the CPE IP address and thus communicate with the CPE without needing to know the CPE IP address . Summary of the Invention

The present invention is directed at a method and apparatus for providing name resolution services in Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) for easy access to a mini-web server embedded therein. According to one embodiment, a user connects to the mini-web server using the CPE unique URL. In one embodiment, the user's PC sends a DNS request for a CPE name resolution, with an access unit modem intercepting the request and responding with the IP address of the CPE. In a preferred embodiment the access unit modem is a residential gateway (RG) device that is connected to the network using twisted wire pairs or another transport medium.

The present invention is also directed to a method and apparatus for CPE to obtain an IP address and register the IP address and a CPE URL to a DNS server. In one embodiment, a newly installed CPE registers its unique URL to a DNS server after obtaining an IP address. The URL is then forwarded to a network management system. In this embodiment, a network manager can request a name resolution service to the DNS server in order to access a mini-web server embedded in the CPE using the URL instead of the IP address.

These and other features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments that should be read in light of the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings: FIG. 1 represents a communication system that can utilize the method of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment that utilizes a DSL network as the access network;

FIG. 3 illustrates a DSL network; FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the DSL access system connecting to the Internet;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart for the CPE URL registration;

FIG. 6 illustrates a CPE protocol stack; and FIG. 7 shows the signal flow for a CPE name resolution.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. With reference to the drawings, in general, and FIGS. 1 through 7 in particular, the method and apparatus of the present invention is disclosed.

FIG. 1 illustrates numerous devices within a central location 100, such as a residence, an apartment complex, or a business office, connected to each other via a Local Area Network (LAN) . As illustrated, the LAN is connected to an access network 110. The access network 110 providing the devices within the central location 100 with access to a public network 170, a private network 180 as well as the

Internet 190. The access network 110 may be a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network, a fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) network, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, or other access networks that are now known or later conceived.

As illustrated, all of the devices within the home communicate with the access network 110 through one central device. The central device is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a residential gateway (RG) 120. In a preferred embodiment, the RG 120 will include a modem for communicating with the access network. The type of access network will dictate the type of modem that is required. In an alternative embodiment, the modem (not illustrated) will be external to the RG 120.

According to one embodiment (not illustrated) , the RG 120 simply controls communications between the devices and the access network 110. Thus, the devices connected to the access network 110 via the RG 120 may require an interface sub-system (either external to the device or built in the device) that can convert the current format of the signal being transmitted over the access network 110 to the service interface required by the devices. For example, a TV set-top box (STB) converts digital video signals to analog signals compatible with a TV 130, an Ethernet Bridge or Router (EBR) generates a signal compatible with a PC 140, and a Premises Interface Device (PID) extracts time division multiplexed information and generates a telephone signal compatible with a telephone 150.

According to a preferred embodiment, in addition to controlling communications between the devices and the access network 110, the RG 120 can provide the interface between the access network 110 and the devices. For example, the RG 120 may have the functionality of an STB, an EBR, and a PID incorporated therein so that each individual TV 130 would not require a separate STB, each individual PC 140 would not require a separate EBR, and each individual telephone 150 would not require a separate PID. In addition to TVs 130, PCs 140, and telephones 150, devices within the central location that can be connected to the access network via the RG 120 can include stereos, modems, routers, STBs or any other device that can be attached to the LAN. These other devices can include smart appliances such as refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, stoves, etc. As one skilled in the art would recognize there are numerous devices that would be well within the scope of the current invention. These other devices are simply illustrated as customer premises equipment (CPE) 160. As used herein, CPE 160 refers to these other devices whereas CPE (without the reference number 160) refers to any of the devices within central location 100 that are connected to each other via a LAN. Thus, CPE (without the reference number 160) can, for example, include any of RG 120, TV 130, PC 140, and telephone 150. The LAN can be based on Ethernet or any other local network such as token ring or token bus. As would be obvious to one skilled in the art, there are a multitude of devices, connections, and protocols that could be used to connect the RG 120 to devices that would be within the scope of the current invention. For example, the LAN interface may be a Home Phoneline Network Alliance (HPNA) based interface, a wireless interface, or other network interfaces that would be known to one skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the RG 120 is capable of processing a digital video signal encoded in Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) or other known video encoding formats. In another embodiment, the RG 120 supports data signals delivered using Internet Protocol (IP) or other transmission protocols. In a preferred embodiment, the RG 120 is the N³ residential gateway produced by Next Level Communications (NLC) , Rohnert Park, California. Various embodiments of the RG are described in the following co-pending U.S. Applications assigned to NLC: • 09/026,038 entitled "In-Home Wireless", and

09/026,036 entitled "Video, Data and Telephony Gateway" both filed on February 19, 1998;

• 09/525,488 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Transmitting Wireless Signals Over Media", 09/526,100 entitled "Optical Conversion Device", and 09/525,412

"Media Interface Device" all of which were filed on March 15, 2000; and

• 09/612,562 entitled "Wireless and xDSL Residential Gateway and System" filed on July 7, 2000. All of the above applications are herein incorporated by reference, but are not admitted to be prior art. FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment that utilizes a DSL network as the access network 110. In this embodiment, the RG 120 is connected to the DSL network through an xDSL link 210 running on a twisted wire pair. According to one embodiment, the xDSL link 210 is terminated within the access network at a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) or a Next Generation Digital Loop Carrier (NGLDC) , hereinafter referred to as DSLAM/NGDLC 220. The termination point in the access network is a DSLAM or NGDLC depending on the provider of the access network and other factors that would be obvious to those skilled in the art. The DSLAM/NGDLC 220 can be located in the field as part of a central office configuration, remotely located enclosure, or in a customer premises, typically an apartment or office building. The DSLAM/NGDLC 220 contains linecards with xDSL modems that can support analog phone services, high-speed data and video. In the downstream direction, the DSLAM/NGDLC 220 multiplexes both analog phone signals, high-speed data and video into the xDSL link 210. According to one embodiment, the access network also includes a Remote Terminal (RT) 230 downstream from the DSLAM/NGDLC 220. The RT 230 allows the access network to reach more subscribers over greater distances as the DSLAM/NGDLC 220 transmits data to numerous RTs 230 and the RTs 230 transmit the data to numerous subscribers. In this embodiment, the xDSL link 210 would be terminated at the RT 230.

In a preferred embodiment, the access network is a DSL network deployed by NLC. FIG. 3 illustrates a DSL network that includes a Broadband Digital Terminal (BDT) 310 connected to a Public Switched Telecommunications Network (PSTN) 304 and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network 302. The BDT 310 can also receive special service signals from private or non-switched public networks 306. The physical interface to the PSTN 304 may be twisted wire pairs carrying DS-1 signals, or optical fibers carrying Optical Carrier (OC)-3 optical signals. The BDT 310 has three OC-12c broadcast ports, which receive signals carrying ATM cells, and one 0C-12c interactive port which receives and transmits signals . An Element Management System (EMS) 320 is connected to the BDT 310 and forms part of an Element Management Layer (EML) that is used to provision services and equipment on the DSL network. The EMS 320 is software based and can be run on a personal computer in which case it will support one BDT 310 and the associated digital network equipment connected to it, or can be run on a workstation to support multiple BDTs 310 and the associated digital network equipment.

A Universal Service Access Multiplexer (USAM) 330 is located in the serving area, and is connected to the BDT 310 via optical fiber 335. The USAM 330 includes a xDSL modem

340 that provides for the transmission of high-speed digital data to and from the residence, over a twisted wire pair, drop line cable 345. When used herein, the term xDSL refers to any one of the twisted wire pair digital subscriber loop transmission techniques including High Speed Digital

Subscriber Loop, Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop, Very high speed Digital Subscriber Loop, Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Loop, or other similar twisted wire pair transmission techniques. Such transmission techniques are known to those skilled in the art. The xDSL modem 340 contains the circuitry and software to generate a signal which can be transmitted over the twisted wire pair, drop line cable 345, and which can receive high speed digital signals transmitted from the RG 120 or other devices connected to the subscriber network.

Traditional analog telephone signals are combined with the digital signals for transmission to the residence. A NID/filter 350 is used to separate the analog telephone signals from the digital signals. The majority of xDSL transmission techniques leave the analog voice portion of the spectrum (from approximately 400 Hz to 4,000 Hz) undisturbed. The analog telephone signal, once separated from any digital data signals in the spectrum, is sent to a telephone over internal twisted wire pairs. The digital signals that are separated at the NID/filter 350 are sent from a separate port on the NID/filter 350 to the RG 120. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 is a central office configuration, which includes a USAM Central Office Terminal (COT) 360 connected to the BDT 310. A USAM COT-BDT connection 365 is a twisted wire pair that transmits a STS3c signal in a preferred embodiment. The USAM COT 360 has the same mechanical configuration as the USAM 350 in terms of power supplies and common control cards, but has line cards which support twisted wire pair interfaces to the PSTN 304 (including DS-1 interfaces) and cards which support STS3c transmission over the twisted wire pair of the USAM COT-BDT connection 365.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, also includes a Channel Bank (CB) 370 in the central office. The CB 370 is used to connect special networks 306 comprised of signals from private or public networks, to the DSL network. In a preferred embodiment, a CB-USAM COT connection 375 includes DS1 signals over twisted wire pairs. FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the DSL access system connecting to the Internet. As illustrated, the BDT 310 includes a Network Interface Unit (NIU) 400 for receiving video and data services from the ATM network 302. An ATM switch 410 may be present if data is being received from multiple ATM networks. The ATM network 302 is connected to a hybrid Ethernet switch/bridge (HESB) 420 for providing ATM cell switching and bridging for LAN attached devices. The HESB 420 can switch traffic to a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) server 430, a gateway/router 440, a network management server (NMS) 450, or to a Domain Name System (DNS) server 460.

The DHCP server 430 is accessed when an Internet Protocol (IP) address is requested by a LAN attached device. The DNS server 460 is accessed to either assign a URL to an IP address or to perform name resolution of a URL. The DNS server can provide name resolution services to the NMS 450 or other devices such as PC 140. The gateway/router 440 provides connectivity from the access network to the Internet 190 and vice versa. The NMS 450 can configure devices attached to the network including CPE, such as the RG 120, and can also monitor the network traffic and performance.

In one embodiment, CPE 160 can register a unique Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to the DNS server 460. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method for allowing CPE 160 to register a unique URL to the DNS server 460 that permits an entity such as the NMS 450 to access the CPE 160 through a web browser. The CPE 160 acquires an IP address using well- known methods such as DHCP at step 500. The DHCP server 430 provides an IP address to the CPE 160. IP address assignment using the DHCP mechanism is well known to those skilled in the art. At step 510, the CPE 160 registers its unique URL to the DNS server 430. The CPE 160 forwards its URL to the NMS 450 at step 520. In an alternate embodiment, the CPE 160 can forward its URL to the NMS 450 prior to the IP address acquisition of step 500. The CPE URL can be derived from its Media Access Control (MAC) address and read over a phone to a network manager supervising the NMS 450. Other mechanisms can be used to forward the CPE URL to the NMS 450 including the use of an Element Management System (EMS) to learn the CPE MAC address.

For management purposes, a network manager can connect to CPE 160 using a web browser, as illustrated by step 530. In this embodiment, the CPE 160 is embedded with a mini-web server. The network manager can then use Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Management Information Bases

(MIBs) to configure the CPE 160, view its IP address and, ultimately reassign a new IP address to CPE 160.

The present invention allows the CPE 160 to communicate with a DNS server 460 and a DHCP sever 430 and to include a mini-web server functionality. To support this functionality, the CPE 160 is provided with a protocol suite for supporting these features.

FIG. 6 illustrates a protocol stack that can be implemented within the CPE 160. The protocol stack of FIG. 6 depicts a situation where the CPE 160 is a LAN-attached device using DHCP to acquire an IP address. In this embodiment, the CPE 160 includes a DHCP client software to perform this operation as illustrated in FIG. 5. DNS client software is also present in the protocol stack to provide a mechanism for resolving a domain name. The mini-web server functionality is supported by the HTTP layer. These application-level protocols use either Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) at the transport layer. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the network layer is based on an IP stack which runs on top of the network interface, represented here as the data link/physical layer. The network interface can be Ethernet or other known network interfaces including token ring and token bus.

Although the protocol stack illustrates the embodiment wherein the CPE 160 is attached to a LAN, the present invention can be utilized in an alternative embodiment where the CPE 160 connects to a remote network, including a private network and a public network such as the Internet, through the PSTN. In this alternate embodiment, the protocol stack of CPE 160 includes a point-to-point protocol (PPP) client to acquire an IP address and to establish an IP connection with the remote network. Use of PPP to obtain an IP address and to establish IP connection is well known to those skilled in the art.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for resolving the CPE IP address from its URL. This allows CPE 160 to be accessed by a PC co-located in the same LAN using its URL. In this embodiment, the PC 140 can connect its browser to the CPE 160 mini-web server for configuration or other purposes using the CPE 160 unique URL. FIG. 7 shows the signal flow for a CPE name resolution. In this embodiment, a user types the CPE 160 unique URL on the browser's address line to access the CPE 160 mini-web server. As shown in FIG. 7, the PC requests a DNS name resolution to acquire the corresponding IP address of the URL by sending a DNS Query for Name Resolution signal 710. The DNS and DNS messages are well known to those skilled in the art and the document entitled "Internetworking with TCP/IP" volume 1, by Douglas E. Comer, provides a discussion on the DNS and DNS messages. This document is herein incorporated by reference.

In one embodiment, the residential gateway 120 acts as a server CPE device and intercepts all DNS messages receiving the DNS Query for Name Resolution signal 710. In this embodiment, the RG 120 maintains a local database 700 containing information on the CPE attached to the RG 120. The information includes URL, MAC address, IP address and other CPE parameters. The RG 120 can learn this information by using the method described previously wherein the CPE registers its URL along with its IP address to the RG 120.

The RG 120 upon intercepting the DNS request determines if the request is for a local name resolution by searching through the local database 700. In a preferred embodiment, a DNS request for a local name resolution is not forwarded to the DNS server 460 but instead, the local database 700 is accessed to retrieve the corresponding IP address. In this embodiment, the RG 120 issues a request to the local database to obtain the IP address. This request is represented herein as RG Query for Name Resolution signal 720. The local database 700 can be any storage device including magnetic and optical disk or it can be a memory area embedded inside the residential gateway 120. The distinct representation of these two devices in FIG. 7 does not preclude the possibility of having the local database as part of the residential gateway 120.

The local database 700, responsively, sends an RG Response for Name Resolution signal 730 to the residential gateway 120. The RG Response for Name Resolution signal 730 contains the IP address of the CPE 160. The residential gateway 120 sends a DNS Response for Name resolution signal 740 to the PC 140 that issued the DNS Query for Name Resolution 710.

Although this invention has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made, which clearly fall within the scope of the invention. The invention is intended to be protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for internally providing name resolution to devices within a first network, the first network being connected to a telecommunications network having a name resolution server for providing name resolution, the method comprising: generating a name resolution query at a first device in the first network, wherein the name resolution query is destined for the name resolution server; intercepting the name resolution query at a second device in the first network that acts as a gateway to the telecommunications network; determining if the second device can resolve the name resolution query; and providing a name resolution response to the first device, responsive to a determination that the second device can resolve the name resolution query; or forwarding the name resolution query to the name resolution server responsive to a determination that the second device cannot resolve the name resolution request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising discarding the name resolution query without forwarding the name resolution query to the name resolution server, subsequent to said providing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining includes determining if the name resolution query is for a name corresponding to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining includes determining if the name resolution query is for a name corresponding to a third device also connected to the first network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on a set of gateway forwarding rules, whether to forward the name resolution request to the name resolution server, prior to said forwarding.

6. A method for providing logical name registration to devices within a first network that are connected to a telecommunications network via a first device acting as a gateway to the telecommunications network, the method comprising: sending a name registration message from a second device to a name resolution server, wherein the name registration message includes a logical name and a network address; and storing the association of the logical name and the network address on the name resolution server.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: sending an address registration message from the second device within the first network to an address assignment server; and receiving the network address from the address assignment server.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving a name resolution request at the name resolution server from a telecommunications network management system; resolving the name resolution request at the name resolution server so that the telecommunications network management device establishes connectivity with the second device using the logical name.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first device and the second device are the same.

10. A method for providing an access network management system with access to customer premises equipment within a central location by using a logical name, the method comprising: sending a name resolution request from the access network management system to a name resolution server; resolving the name resolution request at the name resolution server so that the access network management device establishes connectivity with the customer premises equipment using a logical name.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: sending an address registration message from the customer premises equipment to an address assignment server; and receiving the network address from the address assignment server.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: sending a name registration message from the customer premises equipment to a name resolution server, wherein the name registration message includes the logical name and a network address; and storing the association of the logical name and the network address on the name resolution server.