Using an authentication server to obtain dial-out information on a network

• US 6,526,444 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blair, Dana L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US09/676,023
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/224, 709/223, 709/217, 709/219, 709/226, 709/229, 713/201, 707/3
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A method for using an authentication server to obtain dial-out information about a network including the steps of receiving a destination network address to the authentication server; obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database; applying said network mask to said destination network address and comparing the result to said network number; retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and network mask from a database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and repeating said obtaining, applying, and retrieving steps if said network number does not match the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address.

Claims

1. A computer system including:

a first database queryer which obtains a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database;

a de-masker which applies said network mask to a destination network address and compares the result to said network number;

a second database queryer which retrieves a profile corresponding to said network number and said network mask from said database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and

a repeater which activates said first database queryer, said de-masker, and said second database queryer continuously until said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said first database queryer includes:

a profile remover which removes a profile from said database; and

a profile reader which obtains a network number and a corresponding network mask from said profile.

3. The computer system of claim 2 wherein said first database queryer and said second database queryer retrieve the same profile.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said profile may contain more than one pair of network numbers and corresponding network masks.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said profile corresponding to said network number and said network mask contains dial out information.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said dial out information includes a phone number.

7. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a profile reader which locates dial out information in said profile.

8. The computer system of claim 5 further comprising:

means to forward said dial out information to an access server; and

means to forward said profile to said access server.

9. A computer system including:

determining if an information is a destination network address or a username;

a first database queryer which obtains a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database if said information is a destination network address;

a de-masker which applies said network mask to said destination network address and compares the result to said network number if said information is a destination network address;

retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and network mask from a second database queryer if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address and if said information is a destination network address;

a repeater which activates said first database queryer, said de-masker, and said second database queryer continuously if said information is a destination network address until said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and

a profile extractor which extracts a profile corresponding to said username from a database if said information is a username.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said first database queryer includes:

removing a profile from said database; and

obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from said profile.

11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein said first database queryer and said second database queryer retrieve the same profile.

12. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said profile may contain more than one pair of network numbers and corresponding network masks.

13. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said profile corresponding to said network number and network mask contains dial out information.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said dial out information includes a phone number.

15. The computer system of claim 9 further comprising:

a profile reader which locates dial out information in said profile.

16. The computer system of claim 9 further comprising:

means to forward said dial out information to an access server.

17. An apparatus to obtain dial-out information, comprising:

means for obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database;

means for applying said network mask to a destination network address and comparing the result to said network number;

means for retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and said network mask from a database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and

means for activating continuously said means for obtaining, said means for applying and comparing, and said means for retrieving until said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

means for removing a profile from said database; and

means for obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from said profile.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said means for removing and said means for retrieving obtain the same profile.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said profile may contain more than one pair of network numbers and corresponding network masks.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said profile corresponding to said network number and network mask contains dial out information.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said dial out information includes a phone number.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

means for locating dial out information in said profile.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

means to forward said dial out information to an access server; and

means to forward said profile to said access server.

25. An apparatus to obtain dial-out information, comprising:

means for determining if an information is a destination network address or a username;

means for obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database if said information is a destination network address;

means for applying said network mask to said destination network address and comparing the result to said network number if said information is a destination network address;

means for retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and network mask from a database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address and if said information is a destination network address;

means for continually activating said apparatus if said information is a destination network address until said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and

means for extracting a profile corresponding to said username from said database if said information is a username.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

means for removing a profile from a database; and

means for obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from said profile.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said means for removing and said means for retrieving obtain the same profile.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said profile may contain more than one pair of network numbers and corresponding network masks.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said profile corresponding to said network number and network mask contains dial out information.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said dial out information includes a phone number.

31. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

means for locating dial out information in said profile.

32. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

means to forward said dial out information to an access server.

33. A method for obtaining dial out information, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database;

applying said network mask to a destination network address and comparing the result to said network number;

retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and said network mask from a database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and

activating continuously said obtaining, applying, and retrieving steps until said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

removing a profile from said database; and

obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from said profile.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said profile from said removing step and said profile from said retrieving step are the same profiles.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein said profile may contain more than one pair of network numbers and corresponding network masks.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein said profile corresponding to said network number and said network mask contains dial out information.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said dial out information includes a phone number.

39. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

locating dial out information in said profile.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising:

forwarding said dial out information to an access server; and

forwarding said profile to said access server.

41. A method to obtain dial-out information, comprising:

determining if an information is a destination network address or a username;

obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database if said information is a destination network address;

applying said network mask to said destination network address and comparing the result to said network number if said information is a destination network address;

retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and network mask from a database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address and if said information is a destination network address;

activating said apparatus continually if said information is a destination network address until said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and

extracting a profile corresponding to said username from a database if said information is a username.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

removing a profile from said database; and

obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from said profile.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein said profile from said removing step and said profile from said retrieving step and are the same profile.

44. The method of claim 41 wherein said profile may contain more than one pair of network numbers and corresponding network masks.

45. The method of claim 41 wherein said profile corresponding to said network number and network mask contains dial out information.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein said dial out information includes a phone number.

47. The method of claim 41 further including the step of:

locating dial out information in said profile.

48. The method of claim 47 further including the step of:

forwarding said dial out information to an access server.

49. The method of claim 41 further including the step of:

forwarding said profile to an access server.

50. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for obtaining dial out information, the method comprising:

obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database;

applying said network mask to a destination network address and compares the result to said network number; and

retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and network mask from a database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address.

51. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for obtaining dial out information, the method comprising:

determining if an information is a destination network address or a username;

obtaining a network number and a corresponding network mask from a database if said information is a destination network address;

applying said network mask to said destination network address and comparing the result to said network number if said information is a destination network address;

retrieving a profile corresponding to said network number and network mask from a database if said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address and if said information is a destination network address;

activating said apparatus continually if said information is a destination network address until said network number matches the result of applying said network mask to said destination network address; and

extracting a profile corresponding to said username from a database if said information is a username.