Patent ID: 8774629

Claim:
A method for authentication in a passive optical network (PON) comprising an optical line terminal (OLT) and a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) connected the OLT via an optical distribution network (ODN), the method comprising: receiving a terminal serial number from an ONU; transmitting a request for logic registration code if it is determined that the terminal serial number does not match a terminal serial number stored on the OLT; in response to the request for logic registration code, receiving, at the OLT, a physical layer operation and maintenance (PLOAM) message from the ONU in the PON the PLOAM message including a first field for carrying an ONU identifier (ONU-ID) and a second field for carrying a first logic registration code, wherein the ONU-ID is assigned by the OLT to identify the ONU and wherein the first logic registration code is assigned to a user by an operation management system communicatively connected to the OLT, and is provisioned for the authentication; judging, at the OLT, whether the first logic registration code received from the ONU matches a second logic registration code provisioned by the operation management system to the OLT; promoting, at the OLT, the ONU into service if the first logic registration code received from the ONU matches the second logic registration code.