Capability exchange during an authentication process for an access terminal

• US 9,439,075 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2015
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yegani, Parviz, Iyer, Jayaraman, Sastry, Venkateshwara
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/722,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 : Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 : with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 : Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 : over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 : adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

In one embodiment, during an authentication process between a network device and an access terminal, an authentication message for access to the network is received. The network device is configured to allow access to an IP network. The network device determines one or more capabilities of the access terminal from the authentication message. An action is then performed based on the one or more capabilities of the access terminal. The action may include using the capabilities to set up a session with the access terminal. Also, the network device may send its own capabilities to the access terminal in an authentication response. Accordingly, a capability negotiation between the access terminal and network device may be provided during an authentication process. This may facilitate a faster session setup as capabilities are exchanged during authentication can be used in the configuration of the session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a network element located between an access terminal and a network an authentication request from the access terminal, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to the network and including an indication of capabilities of the access terminal, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;

sending an authentication response to the access terminal in response to the authentication request, the authentication response including an indication of network capabilities of the network element; and

configuring a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the authentication request and the authentication response further comprises an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the access terminal before sending the authentication response.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network element is an Internet Protocol Gateway (“

IPG”

) device and the network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

7. A method comprising:

sending an authentication request to a network device located between an access terminal and an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) network, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to a network and including an indication of access terminal capabilities, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;

receiving in response to the authentication request an authentication response that includes an indication of network capabilities supported by the network device;

configuring a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the authentication request and the authentication response further comprises an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) message.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the authentication request and the authentication response are exchanged prior to the configuration of the session.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

12. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

logic encoded in one or more non-transitory tangible storage media for execution by the one or more computer processors, and when executed operable to;

receive at a network element located between an access terminal and a network an authentication request from the access terminal, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to the network and including an indication of capabilities of the access terminal, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;

send an authentication response to the access terminal in response to the authentication request, the authentication response including an indication of network capabilities of the network element; and

configure a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the authentication request and the authentication response are exchanged prior to the configuration of the session.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

16. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

logic encoded in one or more non-transitory tangible storage media for execution by the one or more computer processors, and when executed operable to;

send an authentication request to a network device located between an access terminal and an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) network, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to a network and including an indication of access terminal capabilities, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;

receive in response to the authentication request an authentication response that includes an indication of network capabilities supported by the network device; and

configure a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

17. The apparatus claim 16, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the authentication request and the authentication response are exchanged prior to the configuration of the session.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one of the authentication request and the authentication response further comprises an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) message.