Method and apparatus for maintaining behavior of a network terminal

1. A method of controlling a behavior of an element in a passive optical network (PON) comprising:

issuing a message from a first PON element to a second PON element to cause the second PON element to enter or maintain a state of upstream communications (a) expected by the first PON element and (b) independent of (i) a state of upstream communications maintained by the second PON element at a time the second PON element receives the message and (ii) an ability of the second PON element to respond to ranging grants, the message being issued dependent on the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by the first PON element and the state of upstream communications being an enabled state or a disabled state;

ranging the second PON element by the first PON element if the state of upstream communications of the second PON element is in the enabled state; and

bypassing the ranging of the second PON element if the state of upstream communications of the second PON element is in the disabled state.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising detecting at least one second PON element which is disrupting the upstream communications of at least one other second PON element.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein detecting comprising:

causing at least one of the multiple of second PON elements to enter into the disabled state of the state of upstream communications; and

causing at least one of the multiple of second PON elements to enter into the enabled state of the state of upstream communications.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein detecting comprising

causing the multiple of second PON elements to enter into the disabled state of the state of upstream communications; and

causing at least one of the multiple of second PON elements to enter into the enabled state of the state of upstream communications.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising maintaining the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by the first PON element at a time other than when the first PON element ranges the second PON element.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising causing the state of upstream communications of at least one second PON element to enter into the disabled state when upstream communications are disrupted.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the message is a Physical Layer Operations, Administration and Maintenance (PLOAM) message.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by the first PON element is stored in a database in communication with the first PON element.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the second PON element disables its transmitter when the state of upstream communications of the second PON element is in the disabled state.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first PON element issues the message to a plurality of second PON elements at substantially the same time.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first PON element issues the message when the second PON element is provisioned with an ability to have the state of upstream communications enabled or disabled.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first PON element issues the message at substantially the same time as ranging the second PON element.

13. A method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by first PON element as long as a valid serial number is provisioned for the second PON element.

14. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

at the first PON element, determining an expectation of whether the second PON element is to be in either an enabled or disabled state of upstream communications based on a provisioned state of upstream communication of the second PON element stored in a database in communication with the first PON element;

in an event the expectation is that the state of upstream communications of the second PON element is disabled, sending a Physical Layer Operations, Administration and Maintenance (PLOAM) message with an B-STOP-OFF indication to the second PON element to enable upstream communications; and

in an event the expectation is that the state of upstream communications of the second PON element is enabled, sending a PLOAM message with an B-STOP-ON indication to the second PON element to disable upstream communications.

15. A passive optical network (PON) system comprising:

a first PON element;

at least one second PON element optically coupled to the first PON element, the first PON element being configured, at each occurrence of ranging the at least one second PON element, (i) to issue a message to the at least one second PON element to cause the at least one second PON element to enter or maintain a state of upstream communications (a) expected by the first PON element and (b) independent of (1) a state of upstream communications maintained by the second PON element at a time the second PON element receives the message and (2) an ability of the second PON element to respond to ranging grants, the message being issued dependent on the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by the first PON element and (ii) to range the at least one PON element after issuing the message to the at least one PON element.

16. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the first PON element detects at least one second PON element which is disrupting the upstream communications of at least one other second PON elements.

17. The PON system according to claim 16 wherein the first PON element (i) causes at least one second PON element to enter a disabled state of upstream communications and (ii) causes at least one other second PON element to enter an enabled state of upstream communications.

18. The PON system according to claim 16 wherein the first PON element (i) causes a plurality of second PON elements to enter a disabled state of upstream communications and (ii) causes at least one of the plurality of second PON elements to enter an enabled state of upstream communications.

19. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the first PON element maintains the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by the first PON element at a time other than when the first PON element ranges the second PON element.

20. The PON system according to claim 19 wherein the first PON element causes at least one second PON element to enter a disabled state of upstream communications while upstream communications are disrupted.

21. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the message is a Physical Layer Operations, Administration and Maintenance (PLOAM) message.

22. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by the first PON element is stored in a database in communication with the first PON element.

23. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the second PON element disables its transmitter when it enters a disabled state of upstream communications.

24. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the first PON element issues the message to a plurality of second PON elements at substantially the same time.

25. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the first PON element issues the message when the second PON element is provisioned with an ability to have the state of upstream communications.

26. The PON system according to claim 15 wherein the first PON element issues the message at substantially the same time that it ranges the second PON element.

27. A method of controlling a behavior of an element in a passive optical network (PON) comprising:

at each occurrence of ranging, issuing a message from a first PON element to a second PON element to cause the second PON element to enter or maintain an enabled state of upstream communications (a) expected by the first PON element and (b) independent of (i) a state of upstream communications maintained by the second PON element at a time the second PON element receives the message and (ii) an ability of the second PON element to respond to ranging grants, the message being issued dependent on the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as expected by the first PON element; and

ranging the second PON element by the first PON element.

28. A method of controlling a behavior of an element in a passive optical network (PON) comprising issuing a message from a first PON element to a second PON element to cause the second PON element to enter or maintain a state of upstream communications (a) expected by the first PON element and (b) independent of (i) a state of upstream communications maintained by the second PON element at a time the second PON element receives the message and (ii) an ability of the second PON element to respond to ranging grants, the message being issued dependent on the state of upstream communications of the second PON element as maintained by the first PON element and the state of upstream communications being an enabled state or a disabled state.