Patent ID: 7305460

Claim:
An apparatus for initializing a cable modem comprising: a tuner unit adapted to receive, tune and output a plurality of downstream signals received from a cable modem termination system and to receive, tune and output a plurality of upstream signals to the cable modem termination system; a downstream unit adapted to demodulate the downstream signals from the tuner unit and separate general data from a media access control (MAC) management message; a message processor adapted to detect name information and version information of a configuration file for initializing the cable modem and manufacturing automation protocol (MAP) information according to the MAC management message input from the downstream unit; a CPU adapted to control the message processor; and an upstream unit adapted to generate and modulate the upstream signal according to the MAP information detected by the message processor, wherein the CPU compares the name information of the configuration file for initializing the cable modem to name information of a configuration file previously stored in a memory, downloads the configuration file for initializing the cable modem if the name information of the configuration file for initializing the cable modem and the name information of the previously stored configuration file are different, compares the version information of the configuration file for initializing the cable modem to version information of the previously stored configuration file only if the name information of the configuration file for initializing the cable modem is identical to the name information of the previously stored configuration file, downloads the configuration file for initializing the cable modem if the version information of the configuration file for initializing the cable modem is more recent than the version information of the previously stored configuration file, and reads the previously stored configuration file and initializes the cable modem based on the previously stored configuration file when the version information of the configuration file for initializing the cable modem is identical to the version information of the previously stored configuration file.