TWAN Access Mode Selection Without SSID Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for authentication in 3GPP networks require TWANs to send SSIDs to AAA servers, necessitating interface modifications and extensive SSID configuration, complicating trusted WLAN access without impacting user equipment.
Innovation Solution
The method involves informing an authentication server about access modes for user equipment and selecting an appropriate mode based on the server's response, allowing TWANs to provide NSO or SaMOG services without modifying the TWAN-AAA Server interface or requiring AAA servers to handle multiple SSIDs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the TWAN sends the SSID to the 3GPP AAA server during authentication, then the AAA server can make access mode decisions, but the TWAN-AAA Server interface requires modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the SSID from the authentication request sent to the AAA server. Instead of including the SSID in the STa authentication request, the TWAN determines the access mode locally based on the SSID and other factors, then sends only the necessary authentication information to the AAA server. This removes the need to modify the TWAN-AAA Server interface while maintaining authentication reliability.
2Reliability
If the 3GPP AAA server is configured to know all relevant SSID information, then access mode decisions can be made, but the configuration complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the SSID-related configuration burden from the AAA server. The TWAN locally determines the access mode based on the SSID and subscriber profile without requiring the AAA server to be configured with SSID information. The AAA server only receives and processes the authentication request with the determined access mode, eliminating the need for extensive SSID configuration in the AAA server.
Solution Approach 2:
The TWAN acts as an intermediary between the SSID and the AAA server. It translates the SSID-based access requirements into access mode decisions locally, then communicates only the essential authentication information to the AAA server. This intermediary role eliminates the need for the AAA server to directly handle or be configured with SSID information.
3Device complexity
If the TWAN determines access mode locally without sending SSID to AAA server, then interface modifications are avoided, but the AAA server cannot make centralized access mode decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The TWAN performs self-service by locally determining the access mode based on the SSID and subscriber profile information. It uses its own capabilities and stored subscriber data to make access mode decisions without requiring centralized AAA server configuration or intervention in the SSID handling process. This self-service approach maintains interface simplicity while achieving adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The TWAN performs preliminary action by determining the access mode before sending the authentication request to the AAA server. It pre-processes the SSID and subscriber profile information to establish the appropriate access mode in advance, then includes this determined mode in the authentication request. This preliminary determination eliminates the need for the AAA server to make access mode decisions based on SSID information.
Data Source
AI summary
Access mode selection based on user equipment selected access network identity may be useful, for example, with respect to the authentication in third generation partnership project (3GPP) networks of subscribers attaching to a trusted wireless local area network (WLAN) access network (TWAN). A method of access mode selection can include informing, in a request, an authentication server regarding at least one access mode for a user equipment. The method can also include selecting a mode of the at least one access mode to use with respect to the user equipment based on a response received from the authentication server in response to the request.