Virtual cable modem termination system redundancy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10623822-B2
Application number	US-201715788837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 20, 2017
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

Virtual cable modem termination system redundancy may be provided. First, a new virtual cable modem termination system (vCMTS) instance may be spawned. Then a backhaul connection between the new vCMTS instance and a data center network may be created. Next, a database connection between the new vCMTS instance and a database may be created. Upstream and downstream traffic of a node may then be switched from an active vCMTS instance to the new vCMTS instance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
spawning a new virtual Cable Modem Termination System (vCMTS) instance within a vCMTS;
creating a backhaul connection between the new vCMTS instance and a data center network;
creating a database connection between the new vCMTS instance and a database; and
switching upstream traffic and downstream traffic of a node from an active vCMTS instance to the new vCMTS instance, wherein switching the upstream traffic and the downstream traffic comprises:
replacing a destination address and a destination port number in the upstream traffic to the destination address and the destination port number associated with the new vCMTS instance from the destination address and the destination port number associated the active vCTMS instance; and
replacing a source address and a source port number in the downstream traffic to the source address and the source port number associated with the active vCMTS instance from the source address and the source port number associated with the new vCMTS instance.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein spawning the new vCMTS instance comprises spawning the new vCMTS instance in response to determining that the active vCMTS instance has failed.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein spawning the new vCMTS instance comprises spawning the new vCMTS instance in response to determining a load increase on the vCMTS.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backhaul connection between the new vCMTS instance and the data center network comprises a gateway to the internet.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the database connection further comprises synchronizing a state of the new vCMTS instance with the database.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the node comprises a Remote Physical Layer (RPHY) node.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein switching the upstream traffic and the downstream traffic comprises switching the upstream traffic and the downstream traffic at a load balancer.

8. A system comprising:
a memory storage; and
a processor coupled to the memory storage, wherein the unit processor is operative to:
spawn a new virtual Cable Modem Termination System (vCMTS) instance within a vCMTS;
create a backhaul connection between the new vCMTS instance and a data center network;
create a database connection between the new vCMTS instance and a database; and
switch upstream traffic and downstream traffic of a node from an active vCMTS instance to the new vCMTS instance, wherein the processor being operative to switch the upstream traffic and the downstream traffic comprises the processor being operative to:
replace a destination address and a destination port number in the upstream traffic to the destination address and the destination port number associated with the new vCMTS instance from the destination address and the destination port number associated the active vCTMS instance, and
replace a source address and a source port number in the downstream traffic to the source address and the source port number associated with the active vCMTS instance from the source address and the source port number associated with the new vCMTS instance.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor being operative to spawn the new vCMTS instance comprises the processor being operative to spawn the new vCMTS instance in response to determining that the active vCMTS instance has failed.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor being operative to spawn the new vCMTS instance comprises the processor being operative to spawn the new vCMTS instance in response to determining a load increase on the vCMTS.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the data center network comprises a gateway to the internet.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor being operative to create the database connection further comprises the processor being operative to synchronize a state of the new vCMTS instance with the database.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the node comprises a Remote Physical Layer (RPHY) node.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions which when executed perform a method executed by the set of instructions comprising:
spawning a new virtual Cable Modem Termination System (vCMTS) instance within a vCMTS;
creating a backhaul connection between the new vCMTS instance and a data center network;
creating a database connection between the new vCMTS instance and a database; and
switching upstream traffic and downstream traffic of a node from an active vCMTS instance to the new vCMTS instance, wherein switching the upstream traffic and the downstream traffic comprises:
replacing a destination address and a destination port number in the upstream traffic to the destination address and the destination port number associated with the new vCMTS instance from the destination address and the destination port number associated the active vCTMS instance, and
replacing a source address and a source port number in the downstream traffic to the source address and the source port number associated with the active vCMTS instance from the source address and the source port number associated with the new vCMTS instance.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein spawning the new vCMTS instance comprises spawning the new vCMTS instance in response to determining that the active vCMTS instance has failed.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein spawning the new vCMTS instance comprises spawning the new vCMTS instance in response to determining a load increase on the vCMTS.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the backhaul connection between the new vCMTS instance and the data center network comprises a gateway to the internet.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein creating the database connection further comprises synchronizing a state of the new vCMTS instance with the database.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the node comprises a Remote Physical Layer (RPHY) node.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein switching the upstream traffic and the downstream traffic comprises switching the upstream traffic and the downstream traffic at a load balancer.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Shen Xiaowei
• Chen Yuliang
• Chen Jian
• Lo Yu-Chan

Classifications

• H04L12/2801

  Broadband local area networks · CPC title

• H04N21/6118

  involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem · CPC title

• H04N21/6338

  directed to network · CPC title

• H04N21/615 Primary

  Signal processing at physical level (signal processing in analog two-way television systems H04N7/173) · CPC title

• H04N21/64707 Primary

  for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless · CPC title