Information collecting system for providing connection information to an application in an IP network

• US 20050021746A1
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Drouet, Francois-Xavier, Marmigere, Gerard, Lefevre, Frederic
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Information collecting system wherein at least an Application Service Provider (ASP) provides services to a user through an Internet network and wherein there are at least an access network to which is connected the user and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network connected to each access network by a RADIUS client, the Internet network being connected to the ISP network by a proxy. This system comprises a RADIUS Client Agent (RCA) connected to the ISP network and adapted to collect information about parameters of the connection of the user to the system, and at least a Provisioning Proxy Agent (PPA) adapted to receive the information from the RCA and to add this information in the request sent by the user to the ASP.

Claims

1. Information collecting system wherein at least an Application Service Provider (ASP) provides services to a user through an Internet network and wherein there are at least an access network to which is connected said user and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network connected to each access network, said Internet network being connected to said ISP network by a proxy;

said system comprising;

a Remote Access Dial-in User Server (RADIUS) Client Agent (RCA) connected to said ISP network and adapted to collect information about parameters of the connection of said user to the system, and

at least a Provisioning Proxy Agent (PPA) adapted to receive said information from said RCA and to add said information in a request sent by the user to said ASP.

2. Information collecting system according to claim 1, wherein said information about the parameters of the user connection includes an identification of the user, a connection type and a connection speed.

3. Information collecting system according to claim 2, further comprising a RADIUS server adapted to provide authentication of said user to a RADIUS client connecting said ISP network to each access network.

4. Information collecting system according to claim 3, further comprising a RADIUS proxy connected to said ISP network and adapted to intercept authentication and accounting messages exchanged between said RADIUS client and said RADIUS server.

5. Information collecting system according to claim 4, wherein said information about the parameters of the user connection is collected by said RCA in said RADIUS proxy.

6. Information collecting system according to claim 5, wherein said RCA can collect other information such as a speed used during the session by sending Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) commands directly to said RADIUS client or other devices such as modems or routers.

7. Information collecting system according to claim 2, wherein said PPA includes a session table defining, for each user IP address, values of said parameters of the user connection.

8. Information collecting system according to claim 7, wherein said RCA includes a table containing in each row a filter for a PPA associated with said RCA, said filter being either a range of IP addresses, a Realm, a RADIUS client IP address or a called number.

9. Information collecting system according to claim 8, wherein said PPA includes an application table enabling said proxy to determine said information in each user request transmitted to said ASP.

10. Information collecting system according to claim 9, wherein said application table provides for an URL contained in said request a proxy Plug-in.

11. Information collecting system according to claim 10, wherein said PPA is incorporated in said proxy.

12. Method of collecting information in a system wherein at least an Application Service Provider (ASP) provides services to a user through an Internet network and wherein there are at least an access network to which is connected said user and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network connected to each access network, said Internet network being connected to said ISP network by a proxy, said method comprising the steps of:

collecting by a Remote Access Dial-in User Server (RADIUS) Client Agent (RCA) connected to said ISP network information about parameters of the connection for a user request to said ASP,

providing by a Provisioning Proxy Agent (PPA) to said proxy all said information about the user connection parameters collected by said RCA, and

adding by said proxy said information in said user request before sending it to said ASP.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein said information about the parameters of the user connection includes an identification of the user, a connection type and a connection speed.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein said information about the parameters of the user connection is collected by said RCA in a RADIUS proxy which intercepts authentication and accounting messages exchanged between a RADIUS client connecting said ISP network to each access network and a RADIUS server in charge of processing a RADIUS protocol.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein other information such as a speed used during a user session is collected by said RCA by sending Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) commands directly to said RADIUS client or other devices such as modems or routers.

16. Method according to claim 12, wherein a session table in said PPA defines, for each user IP address, values of said user connection parameters.

17. Method according to claim 16, wherein a table in said RCA contains in each row a filter for a PPA associated with said RCA, said filter being either a range of IP addresses, a Realm, a RADIUS client IP address or a called number.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein an application table in said PPA enables said proxy to determine said information in each user request transmitted to said ASP.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein said application table provides for an URL contained in said request a proxy Plug-in.