Patent ID: 6058421
Filing Date: 2000-05-02
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
In a data-over-cable system with telephony return including a plurality of network devices, a method of addressing network host interfaces, the method comprising the following steps:receiving upon initialization on a first network device on a downstream cable connection from a second network device on a first network, an information message including a first network address used to identify a downstream cable connection from the second network device, wherein the first network device receives data on the downstream cable connection from the second network device and sends data on an upstream telephony connection to a third network device on a second network;creating a first message with a first message type with a network address allocation protocol on the first network device, the first message having the first network address from the information message in a first message field, wherein the first message is used to request a second network address for communicating with a third network;sending the first message from the first network device on the upstream telephony connection to the third network device on the second network;forwarding the first message from the third network device on the second network to a plurality of network host interfaces available on the first network using the first network address from the first field in the first message;creating a plurality of second messages with a second message type using the network address protocol with the first network address from the first message in a first message field and a second network address in a second message field, on the plurality of network host interfaces available on the first network in response to the first message forwarded from the first network by the second network;forwarding the plurality of second messages from the first network via the second network device over the downstream connection to the first network device using the first network address from the first message field to identify the downstream connection to the first network device from the second network device;selecting on the first network device, a second network address from one of the plurality of second messages from one of the network host interfaces available on the first network and thereby establishing a virtual connection between the third network and the first network device,wherein the virtual connection includes receiving data from the third network on the second network address on the second network device on the first network, and forwarding the data from the second network device over the downstream cable connection to the first network device, and sending data including the second connection address from the first network device to the third network over the upstream telephony connection via the third network device on the second network.