Support for WISPr attributes in a TAL/CAR PWLAN environment

• US 8,924,459 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gagne, Francois, Huang, Yi, Buduguru, Chandra Sekhar, Van Horne, Edwin J. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad M
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, KAI J
• Application Number:
  US11/323,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,287 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-222, 709227-229, 455/414.2, 455/456.1, 455/436, 455/437, 455/440, 455/442, 370/338, 370/352, 370/475, 370/331
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A computer configured to serve data services in a one-way cable plant having telco-return for upstream data resources to requesting computers in a networked environment is disclosed. The computer includes a subscriber edge services manager server and a radius proxy server, the radius proxy configured to classify received radius requests into a plurality of types and handle requests classified as a first type from requests classified as non-first types. The computer also includes an access point, the access point providing communication connection to at least one computing device. The subscriber edge services manager server and radius proxy server are configured to communicate with the access point to acquire information from the access point, and user location information is configured on the access point in a vendor-specific attribute.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a RADIUS location attribute descriptive of a location of an access point at a gateway located upstream from the access point;

caching the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point at the gateway in association with an address associated with a client computing device;

caching the RADIUS location attribute at a server that provides RADIUS services, the server located upstream from the gateway;

subsequently, intercepting, at the gateway, traffic from the client computing device;

and

including the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point in one or more RADIUS requests sent from the gateway to another server to negotiate service for the client computing device, the service to include providing location dependent content in a session with the client computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the location attribute is a Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr) RADIUS attribute.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more RADIUS requests include one or more RADIUS Access requests.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving a RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of an access point at a gateway comprises:

receiving the location attribute in an Accounting Start request sent to the gateway.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to the client computing device roaming from the access point to another access point, receiving a new RADIUS location attribute descriptive of a location of the another access point at the gateway.

6. A communications network including:

an access point configured to provide a communication connection to a client computing device, the access point operable to send a RADIUS location attribute descriptive of a location;

a gateway located upstream from the access point and configured to receive and cache the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point in association with an address of the client computing device, and to subsequently intercept traffic from the client computing device, retrieve the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point using the address, and to include the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point in one or more RADIUS requests sent from the gateway to another server to negotiate service for the client computing device, the service to include provision of location dependent content in a session with the client computing device; and

a server configured to provide RADIUS services, the server located upstream from the gateway, the server configured to cache the RADIUS location attribute.

7. The network of claim 6 wherein the location attribute is a Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr) RADIUS attribute.

8. The network of claim 6 wherein the one or more RADIUS requests include one or more RADIUS Access requests.

9. The network of claim 6 wherein the access point is configured to send the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point in an Accounting Start request.

10. The network of claim 6 wherein the gateway is a device implementing a service selection gateway (SSG).

11. The network of claim 6 wherein the another server is a device implementing a subscriber edge services manager (SESM) that presents a location-dependent web page to the client computing device.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, at a service selection gateway (SSG) located upstream from an access point that provides a communication connection to a client computing device, a RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point;

caching the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point at the SSG in association with an address associated with the client computing device;

caching the RADIUS location attribute at a server that provides RADIUS services, the server located upstream from the SSG;

subsequent to the caching, intercepting, at the SSG, traffic from the client computing device;

communicating the RADIUS location attribute descriptive of the location of the access point from the SSG to another server that offers portal services to negotiate service for the client computing device, the portal services comprising at least one location based service according to the location of the access point; and

providing portal service to the client computing device from the another server that includes providing location dependent content in a session with the client computing device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the RADIUS location attribute is a Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr) RADIUS attribute.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more RADIUS requests include one or more RADIUS Access requests sent from the SSG to another server.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the receiving further comprises:

receiving an Accounting Start request at the SSG including the RADIUS location attribute.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the another server is a device implementing a subscriber edge services manager (SESM) that presents a location-dependent web page to the client computing device.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, at a service selection gateway (SSG) located upstream from an access point that provides a communication connection to a client computing device, a Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr) RADIUS attribute descriptive of the location of the access point;

caching the WISPr RADIUS attribute descriptive of the location of the access point at the SSG in association with an address associated with the client computing device;

caching the WISPr RADIUS attribute at a server that provides RADIUS services, the server located upstream from the SSG;

subsequent to the caching, intercepting, at the SSG, traffic from the client computing device;

communicating the WISPr RADIUS attribute descriptive of the location of the access point from the SSG to a subscriber edge services manager (SESM) that offers portal services to negotiate service for the client computing device, the portal services comprising at least one location based service according to the location of the access point; and

providing portal service from the SESM that includes presenting a location-dependent web page to the client computing device.