U.S. patent application number 09/812313 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-06 for method and apparatus for coordinating user selection of network service providers over a broadband communications network.
Invention is credited to Carolan, Sean E., Garrett, John W., Kalmanek, Charles Robert JR., Nguyen, Han Q., Ramakrishnan, Kadangode K..
Application Number | 20010049737 09/812313 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22702147 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010049737 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Carolan, Sean E. ; et
al. |
December 6, 2001 |
Method and apparatus for coordinating user selection of network
service providers over a broadband communications network
Abstract
A method of configuring a network access device connected to an
access network connected to a plurality of service networks, the
network device having a first network address allocated to a
subscriber of services of a first service provider provided by a
first service network, with a new network address allocated to a
second subscriber of services of either the first service provider,
or a second service provider provided by a second service network.
The method comprises the steps of: displaying a plurality of
service providers on a graphical user interface; in response to a
subscriber selection on the graphical user interface, sending a
request from the network access device to the access network
requesting a change to a second service provider; receiving a
response from the access network; and initiating a network address
change request using a configuration protocol. In this manner, a
second network address allocated to the subscriber of services of
the second service provider is assigned to the network access
device, the second network address being utilized by the network
access device to communicate data packets to the service network
providing the selected service.
Inventors: |
Carolan, Sean E.; (Jackson,
NJ) ; Garrett, John W.; (Neshanic Station, NJ)
; Kalmanek, Charles Robert JR.; (Short Hills, NJ)
; Nguyen, Han Q.; (Marlboro, NJ) ; Ramakrishnan,
Kadangode K.; (Berkeley Heights, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Samuel H. Dworetsky
AT&T CORP.
P.O. Box 4110
Middletown
NJ
07748-4110
US
|
Family ID: |
22702147 |
Appl. No.: |
09/812313 |
Filed: |
March 20, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60190633 |
Mar 20, 2000 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/228 ;
709/229; 709/245 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 45/306 20130101;
H04L 12/4633 20130101; H04L 9/40 20220501; H04L 67/01 20220501;
H04L 12/2856 20130101; H04L 69/329 20130101; H04L 47/20 20130101;
H04L 69/22 20130101; H04L 12/5692 20130101; H04L 61/00 20130101;
H04L 67/1001 20220501; H04L 67/75 20220501; H04L 69/16 20130101;
H04L 12/2872 20130101; H04L 12/2898 20130101; H04L 61/10 20130101;
H04L 61/58 20220501; H04L 61/5014 20220501; H04L 67/51 20220501;
H04L 61/5084 20220501; H04L 69/161 20130101; H04L 12/2801
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/228 ;
709/229; 709/245 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/16 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of configuring a network access device having a first
network address allocated to a subscriber of services of the first
service provider provided by a first service network, with a new
network address allocated to a subscriber of services of a second
service provider provided by a second service network, wherein the
network access device is connected to an access network connected
to a plurality of service networks, comprising the steps of:
displaying a plurality of service provider selections on a
graphical user interface; in response to a subscriber selection on
the graphical user interface, sending a request from the network
access device to the access network requesting a change to a second
service provider; receiving a response from the access network; and
initiating a network address change request using a configuration
protocol, whereby, a second network address allocated to the
subscriber of services of the second service provider is assigned
to the network access device, the second network address being
utilized by the network access device to communicate data packets
to the service network providing the selected service.
2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said request to said
access network includes an authentication request for the
subscriber
3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said response received
from said access network includes an authentication status for the
subscriber from the second service provider and, if authenticated,
initiating said network address change request.
4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the host configuration
protocol is a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP).
5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the network access device
receives an Internet Protocol address.
6. A method of configuring a network access device having a first
network address allocated to a subscriber of services of the first
service provider provided by a first service network, with a new
network address allocated to a subscriber of services of a second
service provider provided by a second service network, wherein the
network access device is connected to an access network connected
to a plurality of service networks, comprising the steps of:
displaying a plurality of service provider selections on a
graphical user interface; in response to a subscriber selection on
the graphical user interface, sending a request from the network
access device to the access network requesting a change to a second
service provider; receiving a response from the access network; and
initiating a network address change request using a DHCP
configuration protocol, whereby a second network address allocated
to the subscriber of services of the second service provider is
assigned to the network access device, the second network address
being utilized by the network access device to communicate data
packets to the service network providing the selected service.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to communication
network services, and, more particularly, to a method for enabling
a client to change between service providers in a broadband
communications network.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Customers of communication network services often desire
access to a plurality of different services and different service
providers. For example, when using a dial-up connection to a
packet-switched data network such as the Internet, a customer can
choose from multiple service providers by dialing different
telephone numbers in the PSTN. The physical path from the customer
to the customer's Internet Service Provider (ISP) is dedicated to
the connection for the duration of the telephone call. The ISP
assigns an IP address to the customer and can link the
authenticated customer and the assigned IP address to the physical
address (e.g. dial-up modem) used by the customer. With this
linkage, the ISP can ensure the customer only uses the address
authorized by the ISP and can use the customer's IP address to
manage access to the ISP's services. Both the physical connection
between a customer and the ISP, and the linkage to IP address
assignment and customer authentication are terminated when the
dial-up connection is terminated.
[0003] Constrained by the physical capacity of these temporary
connections across the PSTN, many service providers are moving to
high-speed access architectures (e.g., digital subscriber line
(DSL), wireless, satellite, or cable) that provide dedicated
physical connectivity directly to the subscriber and under the
control of the ISP. These alternatives to shared access through the
switched telephone network, however, do not lend themselves to
shared access by multiple services and/or service providers, and/or
shared access by multiple subscribers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention provides in an illustrative
embodiment, a method of configuring a network access device having
a first network address allocated to a subscriber of services of a
first service provider provided by a first service network, with a
new network address allocated to a subscriber of services of a
second service provider provided by a second service network,
wherein the network access device is connected to an access network
connected to a plurality of service networks. The method comprises
the steps of: displaying a plurality of service providers on a
graphical user interface; in response to a subscriber selection on
the graphical user interface, sending a request from the network
access device to the access network requesting a change to a second
service provider; receiving a response from the access network; and
initiating a network address change request using a configuration
protocol. In this manner, a second network address allocated to the
subscriber of services of the second service provider is assigned
to the network access device, the second network address being
utilized by the network access device to communicate data packets
to the service network providing the selected service.
[0005] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the subscriber
is authenticated by a service activation system coupled to the
access network prior to initiating the configuration protocol.
Accordingly, the request to the access network includes an
authentication request for the subscriber. The response received
from the access network therefore includes an authentication status
for the subscriber from the second service provider. If the
subscriber is authenticated, the client initiates the network
address change request.
[0006] These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent
to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following
detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates an interconnection of packet-switched
service networks and an access network embodying principles of the
invention.
[0008] FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B is conceptual representation of an
exemplary embodiment illustrating principles of the invention based
on an HFC access architecture with corresponding end-to-end
protocol layers.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a browser user interface showing the
service provider manager function of the client software;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a conceptual representation of a DHCP message
exchanged between the network access device and a DHCP server;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a timeline diagram of messages exchanged in the
assignment of a network address associated with a particular
service to a network access device, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of another aspect of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 6 is timeline diagram of messages exchanged in the
assignment of a network address associated with a particular
service to a network access device, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of another aspect of the invention; and
[0013] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the actions of the service client
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0014] In FIG. 1, a plurality of subscribers operating network
access devices 101, 102, 103, . . . 104 are provided access to
communication network services, which are facilitated by a
plurality of packet-switched data networks, shown in FIG. 1 as 151
and 152. Packet-switched data networks 151 and 152, referred to
herein as "service networks," offer access to different services
and/or are operated by different service providers. For example,
service network 151 could provide packet-switched connectivity to
public data networks while service network 152 could offer
packet-switched telephony service (or the same public data network
connectivity, but from a different service provider). The service
networks, as is well known in the art, utilize a network addressing
scheme to route datagrams to and from hosts: for example, where the
service networks utilize the TCP/IP protocol suite, Internet
Protocol (IP) addresses are assigned to each host and utilized in
the process of routing packets from a source to a destination in
the networks. See, e.g., "INTERNET PROTOCOL," IETF Network Working
Group, RFC 791 (September 1981); S. Deering, R. Hinden, "Internet
Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification," IETF Network Working
Group, RFC 1883 (December 1995), which are incorporated by
reference herein. The invention shall be described herein with
particular reference to the TCP/IP protocol suite and IP addresses,
although those skilled in the art would readily be able to
implement the invention using any of a number of different
communication protocols.
[0015] The network access devices 101 . . . 104 are typically
customer premises equipment (CPE) such as a personal computer,
information appliance, personal data assistant, data-enabled
wireless handset, or any other type of device capable of accessing
information through a packet-switched data network. Each network
access device 101 . . . 104 is either connected to or integrated
with a network interface unit 111 . . . 114, e.g. a modem, which
enables communication through an access network infrastructure,
shown as 120 in FIG. 1. Each network access device is assigned an
IP address, which, in accordance with an aspect of the invention,
is associated with a particular service or service provider to
which the user of the device is subscribed. For example, network
access device 101 is assumed to have been assigned, for purposes of
the description herein, an IP address associated with a service
provider operating service network 151. As further described
herein, it is advantageous to provide a service activation system
160 which advantageously permits the dynamic allocation,
assignment, and reassignment of IP addresses to the plurality of
network access devices based on customer subscriptions to
particular services.
[0016] The network access device 101 communicates with the service
network 151 through the access network infrastructure 120, which,
in accordance with aspects of the invention, is capable of
recognizing and directing traffic to the proper service network.
The access network infrastructure 120 advantageously can be
operated and maintained by an entity that is the same as or
different from the entities operating and maintaining the service
networks 151 and 152. In accordance with an embodiment of an aspect
of the present invention, the different IP-based services offered
by the different service networks 151 and 152 utilize shared layer
one and layer two resources in the access network 120. Layer three
routing procedures, however, are modified to permit IP traffic from
network access device 101 to flow to the correct subscribed service
network 151. The access network 120 has a router 130 on the edge of
the access network. The router 130 has a first interface with a
connection to a router 141 in service network 151 and a second
interface with a connection to a router 142 in service network 152.
As further described herein, the router processes packets and is
capable of directing traffic to the proper service network.
[0017] FIG. 2A shows an exemplary access architecture based on a
hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) access network. As is known in the art,
each network interface device 201 . . . 202 is either connected to
or integrated with a cable modem 211 which enables communication
through the HFC network 221. In accordance with the Data Over Cable
Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), a Cable Modem Termination
System (CMTS), shown as 225 in FIG. 2A, communicates with the cable
modems 211 and manages access to both upstream and downstream cable
capacity on the HFC networks 221. See, e.g., "Data-Over-Cable
Service Interface Specifications: Cable Modem Termination
System-Network Side Interface Specification," Cable Television
Laboratories, Inc., SP-CMTS-NSI-I01-960702; "Data-Over-Cable
Service Interface Specifications: Cable Modem to Customer Premise
Equipment Interface Specification," Cable Television Laboratories,
Inc., SP-CMCI-C02C-991015; "Data-Over-Cable Service Interface
Specifications: Baseline Privacy Plus Interface Specifications,"
Cable Television Laboratories, Inc., SP-BPI+-I06-001215, which are
incorporated by reference herein. The CMTS 225 manages the
scheduling of both upstream and downstream transmission and
allocates cable capacity to individual customers identified by a
Service IDs (SIDs). The CMTS 225 can have an integrated router 228
or can be a separate device 226 that bridges to a fast Ethernet
switch 227 which connects to the router 228. The IP router 228
provides connectivity to an IP network 222, which further comprises
the router 230 (corresponding to router 130 in FIG. 1) which
interfaces to IP routers 241 and 242 in service networks 251 and
252, respectively. Accordingly, the HFC network 221, the CMTS 225,
and the IP network 222 correspond to the access network
infrastructure 120 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2B shows a conceptual
diagram of the end-to-end communication protocol stack from a
network access device 201 (101) to a router 241 (141) in service
provider's network 251 (151). As is known in the art, the lowest
layer deals with the physical layer (PL) of the protocol stack,
e.g. the Ethernet physical media device (PMD) layer; the second
layer deals with the data link layer, e.g. the Ethernet Media
Access Control (MAC) layer; which the third layer in the protocol
stack deals with the network layer, e.g. the IP layer.
[0018] Router 130 in the access network 120 in FIG. 1
(corresponding to IP router 230 in FIG. 2) separates the IP traffic
to/from the multiple services or service providers as well as
combines traffic from the multiple service or service providers. In
accordance with an aspect of the invention, IP packets are routed
from network access device 101 to the subscribed service network
151 using source address-based policy routing. Conventional routing
is destination-based: the router consults an internal routing table
which maps the destination addresses of all inbound packets to a
physical interface address for use for outgoing packets. Policy
routing schemes, however, will selectively choose different paths
for different packets even where the packet's destination address
may be the same. Since network access devices are assigned
addresses associated with a particular network service provider,
the source address based policy routing scheme ensures packets from
a network access device will go to the appropriate service network.
Generally, the router receives an incoming packet, reads the packet
header and retrieves the packet filtering rules, typically stored
in an access list. The router then applies the packet filtering
rules, and compares the source IP address in the packet header to a
list of addresses allocated to subcribers to a first service
provider, e.g. operating service network 151 in FIG. 1. If the
source address matches one of these addresses, then the router
forwards the packet to a router in service network 151, e.g. router
141 in FIG. 1. The router compares the source IP address in the
packet header to a list of addresses allocated to subscribers of a
second service provider, e.g. operating service network 152 in FIG.
1. If the source IP address matches one of these addresses, then
the router forwards the packet to a router in service network 152,
e.g. router 142 in FIG. 1. The router continues in this fashion
with any other packet filtering rules identifying IP addresses
allocated to subscribers of any other service providers. Assuming
the IP source address does not match any such addresses associated
with a service provider, the router applies any remaining packet
filtering rules and routes or denies the packet accordingly.
[0019] The network access device (or "client") 101 includes, in an
exemplary embodiment as a personal computer, a processing unit,
memory, and a bus that interfaces the memory with the processing
unit. The computer memory includes conventional read only memory
(ROM) and random access memory (RAM). An input/output system (BIOS)
contains the basic routines that help to transfer information
between elements within the network access device 101 such as, for
example, during start up. These are stored in the ROM. The network
access device 101 may further include a hard disk drive, a magnetic
disk (e.g., floppy disk) drive, and an optical disk drive (e.g.,
CDROM) in a conventional arrangement. The hard disk drive, magnetic
disk drive and optical disk drive are coupled to the bus by
suitable respective interfaces. The drives and associated
computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage for the network
access device 101. The network interface unit 111 (211) as depicted
in FIGS. 1 and 2 is coupled to an appropriate network interface
communicating with the system bus.
[0020] Client software residing in the computer memory associated
with any particular network access device 101 . . . 104 may provide
a user interface for accessing several different communication
network services at different times and in different browsing
sessions. For example, browser software running on network access
device 101 (FIG. 1) may serve as a user interface for accessing
both service network 151 and service network 152.
[0021] An illustrative browser user interface 790 generated by
software running on the client is depicted in FIG. 3. The browser
user interface 790 includes an HTML display area 791, and a
windows-type border area including a function bar 792 having a
plurality of buttons 793. A branding region 794 is provided in the
border area for displaying brand indicia 795 as described copending
application entitled "Method and Apparatus for Dynamically
Displaying Brand Information In a User Interface," assigned to a
common assignee and filed concurrently herewith. The branding
region may be located in the border 792 as shown, or may be located
elsewhere in the border area of the browser. The brand indicia 795
displayed in the branding region 794 consists of information
retrieved by the network access device from a branding data server
(not shown).
[0022] The browser user interface 790 provides a graphical user
interface (GUI) and includes a service provider manager function or
module that enables the user to switch between service providers
(e.g., associated with networks 151, 152). The service provider
manager function is enabled by selecting the appropriate button or
control on the menu bar 792. This may be explicitly presented on a
particular button 793 or such function can be part of a selection
on a drop-down menu. The service provider management function of
the client software permits the user to select a service provider
from a list of subscribed service providers. In the embodiment
depicted in FIG. 3, the service provider manager function has been
selected by the user and a window 720 is generated that contains a
plurality of choices, e.g., SERVICE PROVIDER-1, SERVICE PROVIDER-2,
SERVICE PROVIDER-3, and SERVICE PROVIDER-4 (hereinafter described
as svc-1, svc-2, etc). User credentials or each service provider
may be cached within the client memory. The service provider
manager can also offer to add new service providers in accordance
with the user's selection, and update information may be downloaded
as is well known in the art. As described herein, a subscriber to
svc-1 has an IP address currently allocated to svc-1, and desires
to change to svc-2. The process for effectuating this change will
be described in more detail below.
[0023] It is advantageous to enable the IP addresses--which
ultimately determine the service network utilized by the particular
network access device--to be allocated and reassigned dynamically.
With reference to FIG. 1, a service activation system 160 is shown
which further comprises a configuration server 161 and a
registration server 162 connected to the access network
infrastructure 120. The registration server 162 provides a
network-based subscription/authorization process for the various
services shared on the access network infrastructure 120. A
customer desiring to subscribe to a new service can access and
provide registration information to the registration server 162,
e.g. by using HTML forms and the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
(HTTP) as is known in the art. Upon successful service
subscription, the registration server 162 updates a customer
registration database 163 which associates the customer information
including the customer's hardware address (e.g., the MAC address of
the network access device 101) with the subscribed service.
[0024] The configuration server 161 uses the registration
information to activate the service. The configuration server 161
is responsible for allocating network addresses on behalf of the
service networks from a network address space associated with the
selected service. In a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the
invention, the configuration server 161 uses a host configuration
protocol such as the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to
configure the network addresses of the network access devices. See
R. Droms, "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol," IETF Network
Working Group, RFC 2131 (March 1997); S. Alexander, R. Droms, "DHCP
Options and BOOTP Vendor Extensions," IETF Network Working Group,
RFC 2132 (March 1997); which are incorporated by reference herein.
This aspect of the invention shall be described herein with
particular reference to DHCP, and the configuration server 161
shall be referred to herein as the DHCP server, although those
skilled in the art would readily be able to implement this aspect
of the invention using a different protocol.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary format for a DHCP
message is shown generally at 800. The message 800 comprises an xid
field 801, ciaddr field 802, yiaddr field 805, siaddr field 806,
giaddr field 807, chaddr field 808, and an options field 810
including a message type sub-field 815 and svc-id 820. Each DHCP
message is characterized by type, such as DHCPDISCOVER, DHCPOFFER,
DHCPREQUEST OR DHCPACK. The type of each DHCP message is encoded
into options field 810. Each DHCP message 800 is set to indicate
whether it is being communicated from a client 101 or the DHCP
server (part of the network administration system) 121. The message
identification is implemented by setting the op field to
BOOTREQUEST or BOOTREPLY, to respectively indicate the origin of
the message. The IP address is contained in the yiaddr field 805.
The chadddr field 808 contains the MAC address of the client
101.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an embodiment where
the subscriber registers the service selection with the
registration server which temporarily establishes the association
between the network access device's hardware address (e.g. the MAC
address of the device) and the chosen service selection. The
configuration server then uses the MAC address of the network
access device to assign an IP address from the proper address
space. FIG. 5 is a simplified timeline diagram of DHCP messages
exchanged, in accordance with such an embodiment. At 500, the
network access device 501 registers a service selection with the
registration server 503. The client 501 sends a "SET ISP" message
to the registration server 503. It is assumed that the subscriber
has passed the proper authentication procedures for the particular
service selected, either beforehand (e.g. through transactions
directly with the service provider's network) or in the same
session with the registration server. In this manner, each user of
the client must be individually authenticated for a particular
service. This is necessary to prevent anyone from obtaining
unauthorized access over the shared access network. At 505 the
registration server 503 stores the selected service and associates
the service selection with the hardware device address (MAC
address) of the network access device 501. It is advantageous for
the DHCP server 502 to set a client class to the selected service
provider with an "AUTHENTICATE UNTIL" option set to 10 minutes, to
avoid assignment of the service-related IP address to another
device. The registration server 503 sends an acknowledgment 506 to
the network access device 501. After receiving the acknowledgment
from the registration server 503, the network access device 501
releases any pre-existing address assignment by issuing a
DHCPRELEASE message at 507. At 508, the network access device
issues a standard DHCPDISCOVER message. The DHCP server 502
receives the DHCPDISCOVER message and, at 509, allocates an IP
address from the pool of address associated with the particular
service associated with the device's MAC address. The DHCP server
502 should check to see whether the current client set to ISP
"AUTHENTICATE UNTIL" has not expired. At 510, the DHCP server 502
sends a DHCPOFFER message that includes the IP address in a field
in the DHCP message. At 511, the network access device 501 receives
the DHCPOFFER and sends out a DHCPREQUEST back to the DHCP server
502. At 512, the DHCP server 502 commits to assigning the IP
address to the network access device 501, commits the binding to
persistent storage, and transmits a DHCPACK message containing the
configuration parameters for the device. If the DHCP server is
unable to satisfy the DHCPREQUEST message, the server responds with
a DHCPNAK message.
[0027] It is preferable that the DHCP servers and clients use some
mutual authentication mechanism to restrict address assignment to
authorized hosts and to prevent clients from accepting addresses
from invalid DHCP servers. For example, the "delayed
authentication" scheme described in R. Droms, W. Arbaugh,
"Authentication for DHCP Messages," IETF Network Working Group,
Internet Draft, <draft-ietf-dhc-authentication-_.txt>- ;;
or the Kerberos-based authentication mechanism described in K.
Hornstein, T. Lemon, B. Aboba, J. Trostle, "DHCP Authentication via
Kerberos V," IETF Network Working Group, Internet Draft,
<draft-hornstein-dhc-kerbauth-_>; which are incorporated by
reference herein. The "delayed authentication" mechanism supports
mutual authentication of DHCP clients and servers based on a shared
secret, which may be provisioned using out-of-band mechanisms. On
the other hand, the Kerberos-based mechanisms are very well suited
for inter-realm authentication, thereby supporting client mobility,
i.e. a network access device could connect to a particular access
network infrastructure without any prior registration with the
access network. Each service network provider could securely
authenticate the network access device accessing the service
network from another network "realm," e.g. the access network
infrastructure.
[0028] The operator of the relevant service network, e.g. service
network 152 in FIG. 1, may desire to maintain a separate
registration server, e.g. server 155 in FIG. 1, and to retain
responsibility for user authentication and authorization. The
service activation system 160 can provide a proxy server configured
to permit HTTP traffic only between local hosts and registration
server 155 in service network 152. The service provider operating
service network 152 would then be responsible for providing the
appropriate registration information required for proper service
selection to the service activation system 160. In this event, the
service provider would also be responsible for notifying the
service activation system 160 when service should be discontinued
to the particular user. Alternatively, the DHCP server 161 in the
service activation system 160 can interact with the registration
server 155 using a back-end authentication protocol, e.g. the
Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS). See C. Rigney,
A. Rubens, W. Simpson, S. Willens, "Remote Authentication Dial In
User Service (RADIUS)," IETF Network Working Group, RFC 2058
(January 1997), which is incorporated by reference herein. The DHCP
server can contain a RADIUS client and, thereby, leverage the large
RADIUS embedded base used for dial access authentication. FIG. 7
illustrates this embodiment of this aspect of the invention in a
flowchart corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. At 903,
the DHCP server 920 generates a random challenge and includes the
challenge along with the allocated IP address in the DHCPOFFER
message. The DHCP client 910 generates a response to the challenge
by encrypting the challenge with a key that is derived from the
subscriber's authentication information. At 904, the client 910
includes the challenge, response, and IP address in the DHCPREQUEST
message. The DHCP server 920 forwards both the challenge and
response in a RADIUS_ACCESS_REQ message to a RADIUS server 930 in
the selected service network. The RADIUS server 930 either accepts
or rejects the RADIUS request and responds accordingly at 906. If
the RADIUS request is accepted, the DHCP server 920 sends a DHCPACK
message at 907 and the client 910 enters a bound state. If the
RADIUS request is rejected, the DHCP server 920 sends a DHCPNACK
message which informs the client 910 that the IP address that was
allocated has been withdrawn.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting the actions of the service
client in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The
subscriber is logged into a profile with a working service
provider's IP address, e.g., the address allocated to the user of
svc-1 (151). Within a current login session, the subscriber desires
to change from the active service provider--svc-1 (151) to another
subscribed service provider, svc-2 (152). In accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the subscriber makes
the request using the service provider manager function of the
client, which will initiate a series of steps to effect a change in
the IP address for network access device 101. At step 301, the user
accesses the service provider manager function of the client shown
generally at 720 in FIG. 3. As discussed above, the service
provider manager function enables the user to select a service
provider from a stored list of service providers in the client. In
the illustrative embodiment, the user is currently using active
service provider svc-1 and desires to change to service provider
svc-2. At step 302, the client 101 fetches the current account
configuration data from the service activation system 160 over the
access network and checks whether the stored list of subscribed
service providers is current. Any changes can be reconciled before
displaying the selection of service providers to the user. The
service activation system 160 is described above and can utilize
user credentials, either explicitly requested or cached
automatically, to authorize the fetching of account configuration
data. If the cached credentials on the client are invalid, the
attempt to update the list of configured service providers may be
refused and the user alerted that the credentials need to be
updated. A specialized account restoration procedure can be
utilized by a properly-authorized administrative user to update the
cached credentials. Alternatively, the user may ignore the message
and continue using the old list of configured service providers.
These options may be displayed by the client software in a manner
analogous to what is commonly utilized in a dial-up connection
using text-based or graphical controls. At step 303, the user
selects an option within the service provider manager function to
switch to the new service provider (svc-2). If the second service
provider is not configured, then the service provider manager
function 720 of the client can offer to add the new service
provider. The client can be configured to automatically connect to
the service activation system 160 and enable the user to interact
with a service provider management feature in the service
activation system 160 as well as any necessary service
provider-specific registration sites. After receiving the proper
configuration data and any service provider access credentials, if
required by the service provider, the client can return back to
step 303 in FIG. 7. At step 304, the client displays a warning with
respect to switching between service providers while network
applications are running. The user can then choose to either
continue or cancel the operation. If the user chooses to cancel,
then, at step 305, the current service provider association remains
in effect and the client service provider manager function
ends.
[0030] If the user chooses to continue, the client signals the
service activation system 160 at step 306 for a service provider
change and provides the access device's (111) physical address
information, such as a MAC address as discussed above. The client
will also send the subscriber's credentials, in one exemplary
embodiment, to enable the service activation system to authenticate
the subscriber. The service activation system (registration server
162) will check the subscriber's credentials and credit information
utilizing a network-based subscription/authorization process for
the various services shared on the access network infrastructure.
As described above, each user of the client 101 must be
authenticated for a particular service since all subscribers of the
client are using a common broadband connection. At step 307, the
client receives confirmation from the service activation system 160
that the change to the new service provider is authorized. If the
authorization fails, the service activation system 160 returns an
error message to the client, the existing service provider
association remains in effect, and the client service provider
manager function ends. If authorization to switch to the new
service provider has succeeded, at step 308, the client sends a
message to a local DHCP process (controlled by network application
software in the client or on a networked system) requesting that it
release and renew the IP address of the access device 101 in
accordance with the methodology described above and illustrated in
FIG. 5. In this manner, a new IP address is assigned to the access
device from the selected service provider. At step 309, the client
can update the browser interface 790 to reflect the settings
specific to the active service provider (e.g., svc-2).
[0031] The present invention has been shown in what are considered
to be the most preferred and practical embodiments. It is
anticipated, however, that departures may be made therefrom and
that obvious modifications may be implemented by persons skilled in
the art.
* * * * *