Change of subscriber information in a multi-chassis network access environment

• US 7,865,576 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cuervo, Fernando, Farid, Hamdy, Vrana, Miroslav, Haberman, Ron E., Regan, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US11/712,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201, 709/223, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Managing subscriber host information is disclosed. A new or updated information about a subscriber host is received. It is determined whether the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering. If it is determined that the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering, the new or updated information is propagated to a peer chassis associated with the multi-chassis peering.

Claims

1. A method of managing subscriber host information, comprising:

receiving, at a first access server, a new or updated information about a subscriber host;

determining whether the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering including multiple peer access servers each configured to provide the subscriber host access to network service(s);

and in the event it is determined that the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering including multiple peer access servers each configured to provide the subscriber host access to network service(s), configuring the first peer chassis access server with a tag or other identifier associated with the multi-chassis peering to associate with a communication port with which the subscriber host is associated and propagating the new or updated information about the subscriber host to a peer chassis access server of the first access server associated with the multi-chassis peering,

wherein said subscriber host information is propagated to said peer chassis access server via a communication path associated with said multi-chassis peering, wherein said communication path has associated with it an IP or other address specific to the multi-chassis peering;

wherein said step of propagating the new or updated information about the subscriber host to a peer chassis access server is not performed if the new or updated information with respect to the subscriber host is received from a peer chassis access server of the multi-chassis peering.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a new or updated information about a subscriber host comprises extracting information from a monitored DHCP lease communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a new or updated information about a subscriber host comprises retrieving information from a RADIUS server or other external repository of subscriber host information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a subscriber management functionality with respect to said subscriber host.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the new or updated information indicates a change of authorization with respect to the subscriber host.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the new or updated information indicates a change in a service level to be provided with respect to tile subscriber host.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-chassis peering is one of a plurality of multi-chassis peerings, each associated with different set of one or more peer access server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a separate peering-specific communication path is associated with each of at least a subset of said plurality of multi-chassis peerings.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication to transition from an active state to a standby state with respect to the subscriber host.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising continuing to propagate to said peer access server, while in the standby state, new or updated subscriber host information received subsequent to entering the standby state, in the event it is determined that the subscriber host is associated with the multi-chassis peering;

wherein the subscriber host is determined to be associated with the multi-chassis peering if the “

q tag”

or other identifier associated with a port or circuit with which the subscriber host is associated is determined to be associated with the multi-chassis peering.

11. A network provider equipment, comprising:

an inter-chassis communication interface; and

a processor coupled to the inter-chassis communication interface and configured to;

receive, at a first access server, a new or updated information about a subscriber host;

determine whether the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering; and

in the event it is determined that the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering including multiple peer access servers each configured to provide the subscriber host access to network service(s), configuring the first peer chassis access server with a tag or other identifier associated with the multi-chassis peering to associate with a communication port with which the subscriber host is associated, and propagate to a peer server of the first access server associated with the multi-chassis peering, via the inter-chassis communication interface, the new or updated information;

wherein said subscriber host information is propagated to said peer chassis access server via a communication path associated with said multi-chassis peering, wherein said communication path has associated with it an IP or other address specific to the multi-chassis peering;

wherein said propagating the new or updated information about the subscriber host to a peer chassis access server is not performed if the new or updated information with respect to the subscriber host is received from a peer chassis access server of the multi-chassis peering.

12. The network provider equipment of claim 11 further comprising a second communication interface associated with the subscriber host.

13. The network provider equipment of claim 11 configured to store the new or updated subscriber host information.

14. A computer program product for managing subscriber information, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving, at a first access server, a new or updated information about a subscriber host;

determining whether the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering including multiple peer access servers each configured to provide the subscriber host access to network service(s); and

in the event it is determined that the subscriber host is associated with a multi-chassis peering including multiple peer access servers each configured to provide the subscriber host access to network service(s), configuring the first peer chassis access server with a tag or other identifier associated with the multi-chassis peering to associate with a communication port with which the subscriber host is associated, and propagating the new or updated information to a peer access server associated with the multi-chassis peering;

wherein said subscriber host information is propagated to said peer chassis access server via a communication path associated with said multi-chassis peering, wherein said communication path has associated with it an IP or other address specific to the multi-chassis peering;

wherein said step of propagating the new or updated information about the subscriber host to a peer chassis access server is not performed if the new or updated information with respect to the subscriber host is received from a peer chassis access server of the multi-chassis peering.