Method and system for provisioning specification subsets for standards-based communication network devices
View Patent ↗A communication protocol specification is divided into subsets of parameters based on patterns established by equipment vendors. A combination of subsets is selected based on parameters and features supported by particular network devices installed in a network. A user interface facilitates convenient creation or modification of a configuration file, which instructs a network device how to format a communication message and what information is to be contained therein. After the configuration file is loaded into a device, it controls software switches in the device such that features and parameters corresponding to the parameters selected with the user interface and controlled by the switches are either enabled or disable based on the parameters selected. Supported parameter combinations for popular equipment may be prestored so that selection with the interface of a particular piece of equipment automatically edits the configuration file according to the features and parameters supported by said equipment.
1. A method for configuring a first network device in a communication network, comprising:
selecting at least one subsets of a plurality of standardized network equipment configuration parameters, each subset comprising a plurality of individual configuration parameters that may be enabled and disabled together;
representing each selected at least one subset by a value of an associated grouping variable;
saving each value associated with each grouping variable into a configuration file on a server, each value representing each selected at least one subsets, thereby creating a configuration file that governs switches executed by the first network device to switch on and/or off the at least one subsets of standardized network equipment configuration parameters according to the values associated with the grouping variables;
loading the configuration file from the server to the first network device; and setting software switches within the first network device according to at least one of the grouping variable values in the configuration file, thereby switching on and/or off subsets of standardized network equipment configuration parameters within the first network device according to at least one of the group representative values in the configuration file.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one subset is selected with a user interface.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface is a computing device.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the computing device is a personal computer.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the computing device is a personal digital assistant.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the server is a trivial file transfer protocol server.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first network device is an embedded MTA.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication features facilitate communication between the first network device and a second network device.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the second network device is a cable modem termination system.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the second network device is a PacketCable provisioning server.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein the second network device is a media gateway.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the second network device is a PacketCable call management server.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network device performs a selected provisioning method responsive to at least one of the values in the configuration file.