Optical Line Terminal Whitelist Broadcast for ONT Provisioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing and maintaining large whitelists on optical network terminals (ONTs) within passive optical networks (PONs) is inefficient, requiring complex systems and impacting user services due to the need for frequent updates and provisioning across potentially millions of ONTs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for downloading and maintaining IP stream whitelists on ONTs, utilizing a management interface to broadcast and enforce whitelists across ONTs, allowing for efficient configuration and minimal disruption to user services through broadcast and unicast mechanisms, enabling secure and flexible whitelist management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional individual provisioning methods are used to manage whitelists on each ONT, then customization and control are improved, but system complexity and provisioning time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the whitelist management process into two distinct parts: a broadcast component that distributes the whitelist to all ONTs, and a unicast component that allows individual ONTs to request or update their specific whitelists. This segmentation enables the system to maintain customization capabilities while reducing overall complexity by separating the general distribution mechanism from individual provisioning needs.
2Reliability
If frequent whitelist updates are pushed to all ONTs, then service security is improved, but network traffic and service disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by allowing ONTs to selectively receive whitelist updates based on their specific needs and current state. Instead of forcing all ONTs to receive and process every update, the system enables ONTs to request updates only when necessary, reducing unnecessary network traffic while maintaining security through targeted updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where ONTs can indicate their whitelist status and needs to the OLT. This feedback loop allows the OLT to intelligently determine which ONTs require updates and when, optimizing the update distribution process to minimize network traffic while ensuring security requirements are met.
3Ease of operation
If complete whitelists are downloaded to each ONT, then service provisioning is improved, but download time and memory usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential whitelist information that each ONT needs to function properly, rather than downloading complete whitelists to every device. The OLT maintains the complete whitelist and extracts or provides specific portions to individual ONTs based on their service requirements, significantly reducing download time and memory usage while maintaining adequate service provisioning.
4Manufacturing precision
If manual whitelist configuration is performed on each ONT, then configuration accuracy is improved, but provisioning time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where ONTs can autonomously obtain and configure their whitelists by requesting them from the OLT. This eliminates the need for manual configuration of each ONT while maintaining configuration accuracy, as the ONTs automatically receive their appropriate whitelists based on their identification and service profile, significantly improving provisioning time and operational efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatus, methods and computer program products are provided for downloading a whitelist onto a passive optical network including a passive optical network and a management interface communicatively coupled to the passive optical network and configured to provision the whitelist. An optical line terminal also on the passive optical network includes a passive optical network card operable to broadcast the whitelist to optical network terminals which are configured to receive and enforce the whitelist.