Patent ID: 7392301

Claim:
A method of providing automated assistance in configuring customer premises equipment for communication with service provider network element, comprising: automatically identifying a first valid protocol, a first valid channel, a second valid protocol, and a second valid protocol for configuration with the customer premises equipment without a user intervention; and assisting the user in configurating the customer premises equipment for use with the identified valid protocols; wherein automatically identifying the valid protocols for configuration with the customer premises equipment comprises: communicating toward a first service provider network element a first probing configuration signal; receiving a response to the first signal; identifying the first valid protocol and first valid channel via the response from the first signal; communicating toward a second service provider network element a second probing configuration signal; receiving a response to the second signal; identifying the second valid protocol and second valid channel via the response from the second signal, wherein the first and second valid protocols are different protocols, and wherein the CPE is configured with the first valid protocol, the first valid channel, the second valid protocol, and the second valid channel, wherein communicating the probing configuration signal comprises communicating the probing configuration signal over a plurality of virtual channels, each virtual channel being a logical signal connection, wherein communicating the probing configuration signal comprises communicating a plurality of probing configuration signals approximately simultaneously, wherein communicating a plurality of probing configuration signals approximately simultaneously comprises: spawning a plurality of threads, each thread operable to process signals associated with a virtual channel; communicating a probing configuration signal over a plurality of virtual channels; and monitoring the probing configuration signal associated with each virtual channel using a separate thread.