1. A method of communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network to a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending a message addressed for the component in-band through at least one optioned communication channel unit of the network assigned to the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services;
disabling a data (D) channel associated with IDSL services;
detecting the in-band message in the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line at an edge of the network;
converting the detected in-band message to an addressed out-of-band message; and
sending the converted message over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line from the edge of the network toward the component.
2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving the converted message at the component; and
in response, performing a testing or maintenance related operation.
3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the testing or maintenance related operation comprises establishing or tearing down a loop-back condition of the at least one optioned communication channel unit on the digital subscriber line through the component.
4. A method as in claim 2, further comprising:
sending an out-of-band response message over the embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line from the component to the edge of the network;
detecting the response message at the edge of the network;
converting the detected response message to an in-band message; and
sending the converted response message over the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line.
5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the message addressed for the component uses a Digital Data Service (DDS) protocol and an embedded operations channel (EOC) protocol for Integrating Services Digital Network (ISDN).
6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the edge of the network comprises a line card coupled to the digital subscriber line.
7. A method as in claim 6, wherein the line card is a line card of a channel bank of a carrier system.
8. A method as in claim 6, wherein the line card is a basic rate interference terminal equipment (BRITE) card.
9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the digital subscriber line comprises an ISDN digital subscriber line.
10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the components is an ISDN compatible element selected from the group consisting of: a mid-span repeater, a central office terminal of a digital loop carrier system, a remote terminal of a digital loop carrier system, and a network termination at a customer premises.
11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel unit includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the at least one pair of B-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
14. A method of communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network from a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending an out-of-band message over an embedded operation channel on the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and ISDL services from the component to an edge of the network;
detecting the out-of-band message at the edge of the network;
disabling a data (D) channel associated with IDSL services;
converting the detected out of band message to an in-band message; and
sending the converted message together in-band through the network with upstream data from at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line to a testing or maintenance device.
15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the out-of-band message uses an embedded operations channel (EOC) protocol for Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and a Digital Data Service (DDS) protocol.
16. A method as in claim 14, wherein the edge of the network comprises a line card coupled to the digital subscriber line.
17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the line card is a line card of a channel bank of a carrier system.
18. A method as in claim 16, wherein the line card is a basic rate interference terminal equipment (BRITE) card.
19. A method as in claim 14, wherein the digital subscriber line comprises an ISDN digital subscriber line.
20. A method as in claim 14, wherein the component is an ISDN compatible element selected from the group consisting of: a mid-span repeater, a central office terminal of digital loop carrier system, a remote terminal of a digital loop carrier system, and a network termination at a customer premises.
21. A method as in claim 14, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel unit includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
22. A method as in claim 14, wherein the at least one pair of B-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
23. A method as in claim 22, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
24. A line card for connection at an edge of a communication network to a digital subscriber line, the line card comprising:
a network interface for two-way digital communication of information for the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services through at least one optioned communication channel unit of the network assigned to the digital subscriber line;
a line interface in communication with the network interface for connection to the digital subscriber line and for two-way digital communication of information between the assigned at least one optioned communication channel unit, the line interface also providing two-way digital communications over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line, the embedded operations channel being logically separate from the at least one optioned communication channel unit on the line; and
a processor, coupled to the interfaces, for converting maintenance or testing messages between an in-band protocol used on the assigned at least one optioned channel unit and a protocol used on the embedded operations channel, wherein the processor converts between Digital Data Service (DDS) protocol and embedded operations channel (EOC) protocol for Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).
25. A line card as in claim 24, wherein the line interface is capable of providing an ISDN digital subscriber line service over the line.
26. A line card as in claim 24, wherein the network interface is compatible with multiplexing circuitry of a channel bank at the edge of the network.
27. A line card as in claim 24, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
28. A line card as in claim 27, wherein the at least one pair of b-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
29. A line card as in claim 28, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
30. A communication network, comprising:
(a) a transport fabric for carrying digital communication channels assigned to subscriber lines;
(b) a test device for conducting tests relating to the subscriber lines and for communicating test related messages through the digital communication channels;
a digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services running from a customer premises to an edge of the transport fabric of the network and carrying at least one optioned communication channel unit and a logically separate embedded operations channel;
a communication component connected along the digital subscriber line for providing throughput of the at least one optioned communication channel unit on the digital subscriber line, a line component communicating test messages via the embedded operations channel on the line; and
a line card for connection to the digital subscriber line at the edge of transport fabric of the network for throughput between the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line in the transport fabric, said line card communicating test related messages with the test device via the assigned at least one optioned communication channel unit and communicating the test messages with the communication component via the embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line.
31. A communication network as in claim 30, wherein the line card and the communication component support the ISDN and IDSL services over the digital subscriber line.
32. A communication network as in claim 30, wherein the communication component is a device selected from the group consisting of a mid-span repeater, a central office terminal of a digital loop carrier system, a remote terminal of a digital loop carrier system, and a network termination at the customer premises.
33. A communication network as in claim 30, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel unit includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
34. A communication network as in claim 33, wherein the at least one pair of B-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
35. A communication network as in claim 34, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
36. A method for communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network to a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending a message addressed for the component in-band through at least one optioned communication channel unit of the network assigned to the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services;
detecting the in-band message in the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line at an edge of the network;
converting the detected in-band message to an addressed out-of-band message; and
sending the converted message over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line from the edge of the network toward the component without utilizing a data (D) channel associated with said IDSL service.
37. A method of communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network from a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending an out-of-band message over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services from the component to an edge of the network;
detecting the out-of-band message at the edge of the network;
disabling a data (D) channel associated with IDSL services;
converting the detected out of band message to an in-band message; and
sending the converted message together in-band through the network with upstream data from at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line to a testing or maintenance device without utilizing a data (D) channel of said ISDL service.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus which relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point sections and distributes cryptographic keys used for encryption of a radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said wireless LAN access authentication system comprising:
an access control section provided for each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems for controlling the situation of access of said radio terminal apparatus in the own communication area to said authentication server and checking the presenceabsence of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server when said radio terminal apparatus moves to a communication area of a new access point section; and
a cryptographic key control section provided for each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems for controlling cryptographic keys distributed from said authentication server and distributing, when said access control section confirms that said radio terminal apparatus which has moved to the communication area of the other access point section has already accessed said authentication server, the cryptographic key for said radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said new access point section in the area to which said radio terminal apparatus has moved.
2. The wireless LAN access authentication system according to claim 1, wherein said access control section and said cryptographic key control section are arranged in said gateway apparatus.
3. The wireless LAN access authentication system according to claim 2, wherein said access control section comprises a control section that controls at least one access amount of an access time of said radio terminal apparatus or communication packet amount and requests said radio terminal apparatus for reauthentication when said access amount reaches a predetermined amount.
4. The wireless LAN access authentication system according to claim 1, wherein said radio terminal apparatus comprises an information card which records ID information and uses the ID information recorded in said information card as an authentication ID at the time of access authentication of said radio terminal apparatus.
5. A wireless LAN access authentication method in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus which relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections, and
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point sections and distributes cryptographic keys used for encryption of a radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said wireless LAN access authentication method comprising:
an access control step of controlling the situation of access of said radio terminal apparatus in each of said wireless LAN network systems to said authentication server and checking the presenceabsence of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server when said radio terminal apparatus moves to a communication area of a new access point section; and
a cryptographic key control step of controlling cryptographic keys distributed from said authentication server and distributing, when it is confirmed in said access control step that the radio terminal apparatus which has moved to the communication area of the other access point section has already accessed said authentication server, the cryptographic key for the radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said new access point section in the area to which said radio terminal apparatus has moved.
6. An authentication server placed in a center station which carries out access authentication of a radio terminal apparatus in a wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems,
said authentication server comprising:
an access authentication section that performs access authentication when said radio terminal apparatus accesses a predetermined access point section of each of said wireless LAN networks; and
a cryptographic key distribution section that distributes cryptographic keys of a radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus accesses each gateway apparatus of each of said wireless LAN networks all together.
7. A gateway apparatus in each of wireless LAN networks in a wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point section and distributes cryptographic keys used for encryption of a radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said gateway apparatus comprising:
a transmissionreception section that transmitsreceives said data signals and said control signals tofrom the center station gateway apparatus of said center station;
an access control section that controls the situation of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server within each of said wireless LAN networks and checks the presenceabsence of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server when said radio terminal apparatus moves to a communication area of a new access point section; and
a cryptographic key control section that controls said cryptographic keys distributed from said authentication server through said access control section and distributes, when it is confirmed that said radio terminal apparatus which has moved to the communication area of the other access point section has already accessed said authentication server, said cryptographic key for the radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and the new access point section in the area to which said radio terminal apparatus has moved.
8. The gateway apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said access control section comprises a control section that controls an access amount of at least one of an access time or communication packet amount of said radio terminal apparatus and requests said radio terminal apparatus for reauthentication at the time at which said access amount has reached a predetermined amount.
9. A radio terminal apparatus used in a wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station which controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus transmittingreceiving a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point section and distributes the cryptographic key used for encryption of the radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said radio terminal apparatus comprising an information card in which ID information is recorded when access authentication is performed by said authentication server of said center station.