Intelligent loop diagnostics for digital subscriber line services to support a service assurance system

A residential gateway device, comprising:

• a terminator module;
• a memory to store computer instructions;
• and
• a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the terminator module, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:
• receiving a first instruction from a network device of an access network;
• directing the termination module to configure at a first end of a transmission loop an open-loop configuration responsive to the receiving of the first instruction, wherein the first end of the transmission loop terminates at the termination module, wherein a second end of the transmission loop terminates at the network device, and wherein the transmission loop provides a first communication link between the network device and the residential gateway device;
• receiving a second instruction from the network device responsive to the access network performing a first single-ended loop test at the second end of the transmission loop with the first end of the transmission loop in the open-loop configuration;
• and
• directing the terminating module to configure the first end of the transmission loop in a terminated-loop configuration responsive to receiving the second instruction, wherein the access network performs a second single-ended loop test at the second end of the transmission loop with the first end of the transmission loop in the terminated-loop configuration, and wherein the access network subtracts a first trace associated with the first single-ended loop test and a second trace associated with the second single-ended loop test to determine a third trace and wherein the third trace corresponds to a length of the transmission loop.

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by a residential gateway device comprising a processor, a first instruction from a network device of an access network;
• directing, by the residential gateway device, a termination module to configure at a first end of a transmission loop an open-loop configuration responsive to the receiving of the first instruction, wherein the first end of the transmission loop terminates at the termination module, wherein a second end of the transmission loop terminates at the network device, and wherein the transmission loop provides a first communication link between the network device and the residential gateway device;
• receiving, by the residential gateway device, a second instruction from the network device responsive to the access network performing a first single-ended loop test at the second end of the transmission loop with the first end of the transmission loop in the open-loop configuration;
• and
• directing, by the residential gateway device, the terminating module to configure the first end of the transmission loop in a terminated-loop configuration responsive to receiving the second instruction, wherein the access network performs a second single-ended loop test at the second end of the transmission loop with the first end of the transmission loop in the terminated-loop configuration, and wherein the access network subtracts a first trace associated with the first single-ended loop test and a second trace associated with the second single-ended loop test to determine a third trace and wherein the third trace corresponds to a length of the transmission loop.