Dynamic modification of a subscriber connection

• US 7,987,276 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Bal, Manpreet, Stoner, Thomas M., Arberg, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger; Tonia L. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mirza; Adnan
• Application Number:
  US11/980,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 370/230, 370/232
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1086 session scope modification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a request to modify a subscriber connection to a network element. The method also includes modifying attributes of the subscriber connection, within a memory of the network element, without disconnecting the subscriber connection from the network element.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a request to update at least one of a set of one or more attributes corresponding to a subscriber connection coupling a computing device associated with a subscriber to a network, wherein the set of one or more attributes are stored in a subscriber record associated with the subscriber, wherein the subscriber is a user of the computing device, wherein the computing device sends data to the network via the subscriber connection and the network sends data to the computing device via the subscriber connection, and wherein the set of attributes indicate functionality of the subscriber connection;

upon determining that the subscriber connection is active, authenticating the subscriber associated with the active subscriber connection;

upon determining that the subscriber authentication is successful,

modifying the set of attributes stored in the subscriber record corresponding to the active subscriber connection according to the request to dynamically modify the active subscriber connection without disconnecting the active subscriber connection to change the functionality of the active subscriber connection; and

updating an account corresponding to the active subscriber connection according to the modified set of attributes.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon determining that the subscriber connection is not active,

incorporating the requested set of attributes into a new subscriber record associated with a new active subscriber connection, and

updating an account corresponding to the new active subscriber connection according to the requested set of attributes.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the set of attributes corresponding to the active subscriber connection includes modifying a connection rate at which data is received into the computing device from the network.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the set of attributes corresponding to the active subscriber connection includes modifying a connection rate at which data is transmitted from the computing device to the network.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the set of attributes corresponding to the active subscriber connection includes modifying an access control list of the active subscriber connection.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the set of attributes of the active subscriber connection includes modifying an access control attribute of the active subscriber connection upon the user logging onto the computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating an account corresponding to the active subscriber connection according to the modified set of attributes is performed when at least one of the set of attributes that are modified affect a cost of the active subscriber connection.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from the subscriber through a web interface.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from an ISP allowing the subscriber connection, and the request is made for bandwidth balancing purposes.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a memory to store a set of one or more attributes associated with a subscriber connection that couples a computing device associated with a subscriber to a network, wherein the subscriber is a user of the computing device, wherein the computing device is configured to send data to the network via the subscriber connection and the network is configured to send data to the computing device via the subscriber connection, and wherein the set of attributes indicate functionality of the subscriber connection; and

a forwarding engine coupled with the memory, the forwarding engine to,

modify at least one of the set of attributes associated with the subscriber connection while the subscriber connection is active and without disconnecting the subscriber connection to change the functionality of the subscriber connection in response to a request to modify the at least one of the set of attributes associated with the subscriber connection, and

update a subscriber record in response to a modification of the at least one of the set of attributes.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one of the set of attributes includes a rate at which data may be received into the computing device from the network.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one of the set of attributes includes a rate at which data may be transmitted from the computing device to the network.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one of the set of attributes includes an access control list.

14. A network element comprising:

a traffic card to couple a computing device associated with a subscriber with a network through a subscriber connection, wherein the traffic card is to receive data from the network destined for the computing device and is to receive data from the computing device destined for the network, and wherein the subscriber is a user of the computing device; and

a forwarding card coupled with the traffic card, the forwarding card to store a number of attributes associated with the subscriber connection that indicate functionality of the subscriber connection, the forwarding card to include authentication logic to authenticate the subscriber associated with the subscriber connection, and the forwarding card to include a forwarding engine, the forwarding engine to modify at least one of the number of attributes associated with the subscriber connection while the subscriber connection is active and without disconnecting the subscriber connection to change the functionality of the subscriber connection in response to a request to modify the at least one of the number of attributes associated with the subscriber connection.

15. The network element of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the number of attributes includes a rate at which data may be received into the computing device from the network.

16. The network element of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the number of attributes includes a rate at which the data may be transmitted from the computing device to the network.

17. A machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause said machine to perform operations, comprising:

receiving a request to update at least one of a set of one or more attributes corresponding to a subscriber connection coupling a computing device associated with a subscriber to a network, wherein the set of one or more attributes are stored in a subscriber record associated with the subscriber, wherein the subscriber is a user of the computing device, wherein the computing device sends data to the network via the subscriber connection and the network sends data to the computing device via the subscriber connection, and wherein the set of attributes indicate functionality of the subscriber connection;

upon determining that the subscriber connection is active, authenticating the subscriber associated with the active subscriber connection;

upon determining that the subscriber authentication is successful,

modifying the set of attributes stored in the subscriber record corresponding to the active subscriber connection according to the request to dynamically modify the active subscriber connection without disconnecting the active subscriber connection to change the functionality of the active subscriber connection; and

updating an account corresponding to the active subscriber connection according to the modified set of attributes.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

upon determining that the subscriber connection is not active,

incorporating the requested set of attributes into a new subscriber record associated with a new active subscriber connection, and

updating an account corresponding to the new active subscriber connection according to the requested set of attributes.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein modifying the set of attributes corresponding to the active subscriber connection includes modifying a connection rate at which data is received into the computing device from the network.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein modifying the set of attributes corresponding to the active subscriber connection includes modifying a connection rate at which data is transmitted from the computing device to the network.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein modifying the set of attributes corresponding to the active subscriber connection includes modifying an access control list of the active subscriber connection.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein modifying the set of attributes of the active subscriber connection includes modifying an access control attribute of the active subscriber connection upon the user logging onto the computing device.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein updating an account corresponding to the active subscriber connection according to the modified set of attributes is performed when at least one of the set of attributes that are modified affect a cost of the active subscriber connection.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the request is received from the subscriber through a web interface.

25. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the request is received from an ISP allowing the subscriber connection, and the request is made for bandwidth balancing purposes.