User-controlled electronic modification of operating system firmware resident in remote measurement unit for testing and conditioning of subscriber line circuits

For use with a communication system having a supervisory facility, and one or more remote sites at which respective programmable remote test units are located, a respective programmable remote test unit containing a resident test routine operating system which, when executed, is controllably operative to monitor and test network lines and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto, said communication system further including at least one data terminal unit which has the capability of accessing said one or more remote test units, a method of modifying a test routine resident operating system in said respective programmable remote test unit comprising the steps of:

• (a) establishing a communication path between a data terminal unit and said programmable remote test unit;
• (b) examining analyzing, via said data terminal unit, information stored in said programmable remote test unit to identify at least one disabled operational feature and determine which operational features of said active test routine operating system are currently enabled;
• and
• (c) via said data terminal unit, activating at least one disabled operational feature of said active test routine operating system of said programmable remote test unit, so that said at least one activated operational feature may be employed by the active test routine operating system of said programmable remote test unit.

For use with a communication system having a supervisory facility, and one or more remote sites at which respective programmable test devices are located, a respective programmable test device containing a resident operating system which is operative to monitor and test network lines and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto, said communication system further including at least one data terminal unit which has the capability of accessing said respective programmable test devices, a respective programmable test device containing a first memory system which stores a currently active version of a monitor and test operating system, and a second memory system which stores an inactive version of a monitor and test operating system, a method of deactivating an operational feature contained within the currently active version of a monitor and test operating system stored in said first memory system of said programmable test device comprising the steps of:

• (a) establishing a communication path between a data terminal unit and said programmable test device;
• and
• (b) via said data terminal unit, modifying the contents of the operating system stored in said first memory system of said programmable test device, so as to disable an operational feature and thereby prevent the operational feature that has been disabled from being employed in the course of execution of the currently active version of the monitor and test operating system of said programmable test device.

For use with a communication system having a supervisory facility, and one or more remote sites at which respective programmable test devices are located, a respective programmable test device containing a resident communication path monitor and test operating system for monitoring and testing network communication links and subscriber equipment coupled thereto, said communication system further including at least one data terminal unit which has the capability of accessing one or more respective programmable test devices, a respective programmable test device containing a first memory system which stores a currently active version of said operating system, and a second memory system which stores an inactive version of said operating system, a method of downgrading the currently active version of said operating system comprising the steps of:

• (a) establishing a communication path between a data terminal unit and said programmable test device;
• (b) via said data terminal unit, causing a prescribed invalid code to be written into a prescribed portion of the operating system stored in said first memory system within said programmable test device, which prescribed invalid code is effective to declare the version of the operating system stored in said first memory system invalid and prevent its use in the course of an initial default condition of said programmable test device;
• and
• (c) via said data terminal unit, causing said programmable test device to be reset to said initial default condition, in response to which the previously inactive operating system stored in said second memory system becomes a newly currently active operating system executed by said programmable test device.

For use with a communication system having a supervisory facility, and one or more remote sites at which respective programmable test devices are located, a respective programmable test device containing a resident test routine operating system for monitoring and testing network lines and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto, said communication system further including at least one data terminal unit which has the capability of accessing said one or more remote test devices, a method of modifying the test routine operating system resident in the programmable test device of a remote site comprising the steps of:

• (a) establishing a communication path between a data terminal unit and said programmable test device;
• (b) via said data terminal unit, examining information stored in said programmable test device to determine the version of one or more test routine operating systems currently stored in said programmable test device;
• (c) via said data terminal unit, replacing the currently active version of a test routine operating system in said programmable test device by a different version of said test routine operating system;
• and
• (d) activating, via said data terminal unit, said different version of said test routine operating system, so that different version of said test routine operating system may be executed by said programmable test device.