A method comprising: interfacing to a currently operating DSL line operating within a DSL system having a plurality of DSL lines operating therein; evaluating an active configuration of the currently operating DSL line by collecting operational data for the DSL line during operation of the DSL line; determining the currently operating DSL line is subject to either a) multi-line constraints due to operating as a bonded DSL line or as a vectored DSL line, or b) single DSL line constraints; determining a plurality of candidate configurations for the currently operating DSL line, the plurality of candidate configurations being operationally compatible with the currently operating DSL line, wherein said step of determining a plurality of candidate configurations comprises: constructing the candidate configurations from a repository of multi-line candidate configurations where the currently operating DSL line is subject to multi-line constraints, or constructing the candidate configurations from a repository of single-line candidate configurations where the currently operating DSL line is subject to single DSL line constraints; eliminating one or more of the plurality of candidate configurations by filtering the repository of candidate configurations according to the constraints; generating a list of configuration tuples from the remaining plurality of candidate configurations; selecting one of the sub-set of the plurality of candidate configurations as the selected configuration for the DSL line based on a preferred operational characteristic, said selecting comprising identifying the configuration tuple which maximizes the preferred operational characteristic; and transitioning the currently operating DSL line from operating using the active configuration for the DSL line to operating using the selected configuration for the DSL line, said transitioning comprising sending instructions for the currently operating DSL line to adopt the identified configuration tuple which maximizes the preferred operational characteristic. interfacing to a currently operating DSL line operating within a DSL system having a plurality of DSL lines operating therein; evaluating an active configuration of the currently operating DSL line by collecting operational data for the DSL line during operation of the DSL line; determining the currently operating DSL line is subject to either a) multi-line constraints due to operating as a bonded DSL line or as a vectored DSL line, or b) single DSL line constraints; determining a plurality of candidate configurations for the currently operating DSL line, the plurality of candidate configurations being operationally compatible with the currently operating DSL line, wherein said step of determining a plurality of candidate configurations comprises: constructing the candidate configurations from a repository of multi-line candidate configurations where the currently operating DSL line is subject to multi-line constraints, or constructing the candidate configurations from a repository of single-line candidate configurations where the currently operating DSL line is subject to single DSL line constraints; eliminating one or more of the plurality of candidate configurations by filtering the repository of candidate configurations according to the constraints; generating a list of configuration tuples from the remaining plurality of candidate configurations; selecting one of the sub-set of the plurality of candidate configurations as the selected configuration for the DSL line based on a preferred operational characteristic, said selecting comprising identifying the configuration tuple which maximizes the preferred operational characteristic; and transitioning the currently operating DSL line from operating using the active configuration for the DSL line to operating using the selected configuration for the DSL line, said transitioning comprising sending instructions for the currently operating DSL line to adopt the identified configuration tuple which maximizes the preferred operational characteristic.