Bi-directional CPE Router Troubleshooting for Configuration Mismatches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Identifying the cause of communication service issues between customer premises equipment (CPE) and service provider routers is challenging due to the difficulty in isolating problems at the customer side versus the service provider side, requiring bilateral analysis to detect mismatches in configuration parameters and ensure service level agreement (SLA) compliance.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for real-time bi-lateral troubleshooting that simultaneously initiates tests on both CPE and router interfaces, collects and compares measurements, and applies rules to identify configuration mismatches and their impact on service performance, enabling quicker issue resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If unidirectional testing is performed on either CPE or router interface, then testing simplicity is maintained, but problem isolation accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines unidirectional testing operations into a bidirectional testing framework. Tests are initiated from both CPE and router interfaces simultaneously, and the results are merged and compared to identify configuration mismatches. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining operational simplicity through automated test initiation while achieving superior problem isolation accuracy through bilateral analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where test results from both sides are collected, compared, and used to generate diagnostic information. The system provides feedback about configuration mismatches and their impact on service performance, enabling accurate problem isolation while maintaining ease of operation through automated analysis.
2Measurement precision
If bilateral testing is implemented on both CPE and router interfaces, then problem isolation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a troubleshooting tool as an intermediary that manages the complexity of bidirectional testing. This tool automatically initiates tests on both interfaces, collects results, performs comparisons, and generates diagnostic information. By centralizing the complexity management in this intermediary tool, the patent achieves high problem isolation accuracy without significantly increasing the complexity burden on individual network devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing system performs self-service through automated test initiation, result collection, and analysis. The bidirectional testing mechanism automatically compares results and identifies configuration mismatches without requiring manual analysis, thereby achieving high accuracy while minimizing operational complexity.
3Reliability
If real-time bidirectional testing is performed, then service performance verification is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary configuration parameter verification through bidirectional testing before service issues manifest. By proactively testing and comparing configurations at both CPE and router interfaces, the system can identify mismatches early, reducing the time needed for subsequent troubleshooting and service restoration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous monitoring and testing of service parameters from both interfaces. This continuous action ensures that performance verification is ongoing rather than periodic, improving reliability detection while the automation maintains efficient time consumption through parallel processing of tests.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of troubleshooting a communication service is disclosed. The method comprises creating an association between a customer premise equipment (CPE) in a customer network and a communication service provider router providing the communication service. The method also comprises determining a CPE configuration of the CPE in the customer network and a router configuration of the communication service provider router providing communication services to the CPE based on the association. The method also comprises determining CPE measurements associated with the CPE and router measurements associated with the router based on the association, and determining whether the CPE measurements and the router measurements are normal based on an analysis of the CPE configuration and the router configuration. The method then identifies a cause of the abnormal measurements, determines a corrective action for the identified cause, and issue a trouble ticket indicating the cause and the corrective action.