Method and system for enabling layer 2 transmission of IP data frame between user terminal and service provider
First Claim
1. A communication method comprising the steps of:
- (a) performing processing for designation of a service provider, user authentication, and IP address assignment, by exchanging management frames between a user terminal and a service provider through an access network; and
(b) exchanging between said user terminal and said service provider through said access network main-signal frames each containing a Layer 2 address of the user terminal as a source Layer 2 address;
wherein said management frames have a form which can be discriminated from the main-signal frames in Layer 2, and said access network holds information on at least one correspondence between at least one source Layer 2 address and at least one virtual private network, and in step (b), said access network recognizes one of the at least one virtual private network connected to said service provider, based on said Layer 2 address contained in each of said main-signal frames, and transfers the main-signal frames in Layer 2 by MAC bridging.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a communication method: processing for designation of a service provider, user authentication, and IP address assignment is performed by exchanging management frames between a user terminal and a service provider through an access network; and main-signal frames each having an IPoE form and containing a source Layer 2 address of the user terminal are exchanged between the user terminal and the service provider through the access network. The management frames have a form which can be discriminated from the main-signal frames in Layer 2, and the access network holds information on correspondences between source Layer 2 addresses and virtual private networks. The access network recognizes one of the virtual private networks connected to the service provider, based on the source Layer 2 address contained in each main-signal frame, and transfers the main-signal frames in Layer 2 by MAC bridging.
-
Citations
42 Claims
-
1. A communication method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) performing processing for designation of a service provider, user authentication, and IP address assignment, by exchanging management frames between a user terminal and a service provider through an access network; and
(b) exchanging between said user terminal and said service provider through said access network main-signal frames each containing a Layer 2 address of the user terminal as a source Layer 2 address;
wherein said management frames have a form which can be discriminated from the main-signal frames in Layer 2, and said access network holds information on at least one correspondence between at least one source Layer 2 address and at least one virtual private network, and in step (b), said access network recognizes one of the at least one virtual private network connected to said service provider, based on said Layer 2 address contained in each of said main-signal frames, and transfers the main-signal frames in Layer 2 by MAC bridging.
-
-
2. A communication system comprising:
-
an access network; and
at least one user terminal each including a user-side session management unit and a main-signal transmission-and-reception unit;
wherein said user-side session management unit performs processing for designation of one of at least one service provider, user authentication, and IP address assignment, by exchanging management frames with the access network in an authentication phase, said main-signal transmission-and-reception unit exchanges main-signal frames each having an IPoE form with said one of the at least one service provider through said access network in a communication phase, and said access network realizes a virtual private network so that said main-signal frames are transferred in Layer 2 between each of said at least one user terminal and each of the at least one service provider through the access network. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A user terminal comprising:
-
a user-side session management unit which performs processing for designation of a service provider to be connected to said user terminal, user authentication, and IP address assignment, by transmitting and receiving management frames in an authentication phase; and
a main-signal transmission-and-reception unit which transmits a first main-signal frame being directed to said service provider, and receives a second main-signal frame being transferred from said service provider, in a communication phase. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A subscriber-side edge switch comprising:
-
a transfer control unit; and
a network-side session management unit which performs processing for signaling control; and
when said subscriber-side edge switch receives a first main-signal frame from a user terminal, said transfer control unit attaches to the first main-signal frame a first tag indicating a first virtual private network, and outputs the first main-signal frame, and when said subscriber-side edge switch receives a second main-signal frame from a service provider, and a second tag indicating a second virtual private network is attached to the second main-signal frame, said transfer control unit removes the second tag from the second main-signal frame, and outputs the second main-signal frame toward a user terminal. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A provider-side edge switch comprising:
-
a first transfer control unit;
a second transfer control unit; and
at least one port;
when said provider-side edge switch receives a first main-signal frame from a first user terminal, and a first tag corresponding to a first one of the at least one port is attached to the first main-signal frame, said first transfer control unit recognizes the first one of the at least one port based on the first tag, removes the first tag from the first main-signal frame, and outputs the first main-signal frame through the first one of the at least one port, and when said provider-side edge switch receives a second main-signal frame through a second one of the at least one port, said second transfer control unit recognizes the second one of the at least one port, attaches to the second main-signal frame a second tag corresponding to the second one of the at least one port, and outputs the second main-signal frame toward a second user terminal. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
-
-
35. A communication control server comprising;
-
an authentication control unit which controls operations for authentication in a centralized manner so that the communication control server behaves as an authentication server, where the operations for authentication includes collection of authentication information from a user terminal, transfer of the authentication information to one of at least one service provider to which the user terminal is connected, and transfer of an authentication frame to the user terminal, and the authentication frame indicates a result of an operation for authentication performed by said one of the at least one service provider; and
a session management unit which performs processing for signaling control so that the communication control server behaves as a session management server. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38)
-
-
39. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program which makes a computer behave as a user terminal comprising:
-
a user-side session management unit which performs processing for designation of a service provider to be connected to said user terminal, user authentication, and IP address assignment, by transmitting and receiving management frames in an authentication phase; and
a main-signal transmission-and-reception unit which transmits a first main-signal frame having an IPoE form and being directed to said service provider, and receives a second main-signal frame having an IPoE form and being transferred from said service provider, in a communication phase. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42)
-
Specification