System and method for establishing service access relations

Abstract

An access system (ACC 1 ) for relating communication service providers (SP 1 -SPn) and application service providers (AS) to users (U 11 -Um 1 ) includes an edge access server (EAS) connecting the service providers and penults (P 1 -Pk) connecting the users. User devices (UD 11 -UD 14 ) are connected via VLAN:s to user port (UP 11 ) on the penult. Service agents (SA 1 -San, ASA), an administrator (AD 1 ), a broadcast handler (BH 1 ) and handlers (H 1 -Hk) in the penults form a handling system. A user (U 11 ) decision including VLAN, service (SP 1 ) and user port (UP 11 ) is sent to the administrator (AD 1 ), which dynamically allocates to the relevant service agent (SA 1 ) a MAC address, defining a relation (r 11 ). A user device (UD 11 ) broadcasts an ARP request to get the MAC address to teh service agent (SA 1 ). A service access relation to the application service provider (AS) is provided such that it can be reached by users having relations (R 11 , R 21 ) to the communication service providers (SP 1 -SPn).

1 . An access system for communication between service providers and users via service access relations, the system including: 
 an edge access server having at least one service agent with a connection intended for one of the service providers;    at least one penult having at least one user port intended for one of the users; and    an interconnecting arrangement, supporting exchanging of Ethernet frames, interconnecting the edge access server and the penults, the edge access server being arranged to dynamically allocate unique Ethernet MAC addresses to at least a part of the service agents, the unique Ethernet MAC addresses defining each one service access relation with one of the user ports.    
   
   
       2 . An access system for communication between service providers and users via service access relations, the system including: 
 an edge access server having at least one service agent with a connection intended for one of the service providers;    at least one penult having at least one user port intended for one of the users; and    an interconnecting arrangement, supporting exchanging of Ethernet frames, interconnecting the edge access server and the penults,    the edge access server being arranged to dynamically allocate at least one Ethernet MAC address to each one of at least a part of the service agents, the edge access server also being arranged both to bind said Ethernet MAC addresses to the service access relations to the user ports and to bind relation identifiers to said service access relations, said identifier appearing in a header of a transmitted Ethernet frame.    
   
   
       3 . An access system for communication between service providers and users via service access relations, the system including: 
 an edge access server having at least one service agent with a connection intended for one of the service providers;    at least one penult supporting multicast access having at least one user port intended for at least one user Ethernet VLAN; and    an interconnecting arrangement, supporting exchanging of Ethernet frames, interconnecting the edge access server and the penults, said arrangement including switches supporting multicast,    the edge access server being arranged to dynamically allocate Ethernet MAC addresses to at least one of the service agents, the Ethernet MAC address defining a multicast service access relation with at least one of the user ports, the edge access server being arranged to bind one and the same identification of one of the user Ethernet VLAN:s to the multicast service access relation, said user Ethernet VLAN identification being intended for the users participating in the multicast service.    
   
   
       4 . The access system according to  claim 2 , said user port being intended for at least one user Ethernet VLAN, the edge access server being arranged to bind also an identification of one of the user Ethernet VLAN:s on said user port to the service access relation.  
   
   
       5 . The access system according to  claim 4  including a register in the edge access server for the service access relations, the register including the service agent MAC address, the user port and the identification of the user Ethernet VLAN.  
   
   
       6 . The access system according to  claim 5  including: 
 a handling system with a handler attributed to the penult and a broadcast handler attributed to the service agents;    the handler being arranged to receive a broadcast service attachment request from a user device having a user MAC address, the request including the user Ethernet VLAN identification; and    the handler in the penult being arranged both to add to said service attachment request an identification of the user port and to send unicast the request with the user port identification to the broadcast handler.    
   
   
       7 . The access system according to  claim 6  including: 
 the broadcast handler being arranged both to note the user port and the Ethernet VLAN identification and to point out the corresponding one of the service agent MAC addresses;    the broadcast handler being arranged to find the relevant service agent via the service agent MAC address; and    said service agent being arranged to allocate an IP address for said user device having said user MAC address.    
   
   
       8 . The access system according to  claim 7  including said service agent being arranged to transmit to said user device via the service access relation, both said allocated user device IP address and its own IP address.  
   
   
       9 . The access system according to  claim 8  including: 
 the handler being arranged to receive from the user device a broadcast address resolution protocol broadcast message including the Ethernet VLAN identification;    the handler being arranged to add to said address resolution broadcast message an identification of the user port; and    the handler being arranged to transmit unicast said address resolution broadcast message with the user port identification to the broadcast handler.    
   
   
       10 . The access system according to  claim 9  including: 
 the broadcast handler being arranged to note the user port and the Ethernet VLAN identification and to find the relevant service agent MAC address;    the broadcast handler being arranged to transmit the service agent MAC address to the handler in the penult; and    the handler being arranged to transmit the service agent MAC address to the user device.    
   
   
       11 . The access system according to  claim 10  including, in the handler, a handler register including the user port and the Ethernet VLAN identification pointing out the service agent MAC address.  
   
   
       12 . The access system according to  claim 11  including: 
 the handler being arranged to receive from the user device, an address resolution protocol broadcast message including the Ethernet VLAN identification;    the handler being arranged to find in the handler register the relevant service agent MAC address; and    the handler being arranged to transmit the service agent MAC address to the user device.    
   
   
       13 . A method for communication between service providers and users in an access system, the system having: 
 an edge access server having at least one service agent with a connection intended for one of the service providers;    at least one penult having at least one user port intended for one of the users; and    an interconnecting arrangement, supporting exchanging of Ethernet frames, interconnecting the edge access server and the penults, the method including the steps of:    dynamically allocating in the edge access server unique Ethernet MAC addresses to at least a part of the service agents; and    binding the unique service agent MAC addresses to solely each one service access relation with one of the user ports.    
   
   
       14 . A method for communication between service providers and users in an access system, the system having: 
 an edge access server having at least one service agent with a connection intended for one of the service providers;    at least one penult having at least one user port intended for one of the users; and    an interconnecting arrangement, supporting exchanging of Ethernet frames, interconnecting the edge access server and the penults,    the method including the steps of:    dynamically allocating in the edge access server at least one Ethernet MAC address to each one of at least a part of the service agents;    binding said Ethernet MAC addresses to the service access relations to the user ports; and    binding relation identifiers to said service access relations, said identifier appearing in a header of a transmitted Ethernet frame.    
   
   
       15 . A method for communication between service providers and users via service access relations in an access system, the system having: 
 an edge access server having at least one service agent with a connection intended for one of the service providers;    at least one penult supporting multicast access having at least one user port intended for at least one user Ethernet VLAN; and    an interconnecting arrangement, supporting exchanging of Ethernet frames, interconnecting the edge access server and the penults, said arrangement including switches supporting multicast,    the method including the steps of:    dynamically allocating in the edge access server Ethernet MAC addresses to at least one of the service agents, the Ethernet MAC address defining a multicast service access relation with at least one of the user ports; and    binding one and the same identification of one of the user Ethernet VLAN:s to the multicast service access relation,    said user Ethernet VLAN identification being intended for the users participating in the multicast service.    
   
   
       16 . The method in an access system according to  claim 14 , said user port being intended for at least one user Ethernet VLAN, the method including binding an identification of one of the user Ethernet VLAN:s on said user port to the service access relation.  
   
   
       17 . The method in an access system according to  claim 16 , the method including creating a register in the edge access server for the service access relations, the register including the service agent MAC address, the user port and the identification of the user Ethernet VLAN.  
   
   
       18 . The method in an access system according to  claim 17 , the access system including a handling system with a handler attributed to the penult and a broadcast handler attributed to the service agents, the method including: 
 receiving in the handler a broadcast service attachment request from a user device having a user MAC address, the request including the user Ethernet VLAN identification;    adding to said service attachment request an identification of the user port, the adding performed in the handler in the penult; and    sending unicast the request with the user port identification to the broadcast handler.    
   
   
       19 . The method in an access system according to  claim 18 , the method including: 
 noting in the broadcast handler the user port and the Ethernet VLAN identification;    pointing out the one of the service agent MAC addresses that corresponds to the user port and the Ethernet VLAN identification;    finding the relevant service agent via the service agent MAC address; and    allocating in said relevant service agent an IP address to said user device having said user MAC address.    
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 19  the method including transmitting, via the service access relation, both said allocated user device IP address and an IP address for the allocating service agent to said user device.  
   
   
       21 . The method according to  claim 20 , the method including: 
 receiving in the handler, from the user device, a broadcast address resolution protocol broadcast message including the Ethernet VLAN identification;    adding to the message an identification of the user port; and    transmitting unicast from the handler said address resolution broadcast message with the user port identification to the broadcast handler.    
   
   
       22 . The method according to  claim 21 , the method including: 
 noting in the broadcast handler the user port and the Ethernet VLAN identification;    finding the relevant service agent MAC address;    transmitting the service agent MAC address to the handler in the penult; and    transmitting from the handler the service agent MAC address to the user device.    
   
   
       23 . The method according to  claim 22 , the method including creating in the handler a handler register including the user port and the Ethernet VLAN identification pointing out the service agent MAC address.  
   
   
       24 . The method according to  claim 23 , the method including: 
 receiving in the handler, from the user device, an address resolution protocol broadcast message including the Ethernet VLAN identification;    finding in the handler register the relevant service agent MAC address; and    transmitting from the handler the service agent MAC address to the user device.    
   
   
       25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . The method according to  claim 19  including: 
 attributing an application service provider (AS) to the access network (ACC 1 ) via an application service agent (ASA) of the edge access server (EAS);    requesting, by the application service agent (ASA), at least one IP address in at least one of the networks of the communication service providers; and    allocating the IP address of the corresponding communication service agent to the requesting application service agent (ASA).    
   
   
       27 . The access system according to  claim 1 , said user port being intended for at least one user Ethernet VLAN, the edge access server being arranged to bind also an identification of one of the user Ethernet VLAN:s on said user port to the service access relation.  
   
   
       28 . The method in an access system according to  claim 13 , said user port being intended for at least one user Ethernet VLAN, the method including binding an identification of one of the user Ethernet VLAN:s on said user port to the service access relation.  
   
   
       29 . The method in an access system according to  claim 15 , the method including creating a register in the edge access server for the service access relations, the register including the service agent MAC address, the user port and the identification of the user Ethernet VLAN.  
   
   
       30 . The access system according to  claim 7  including: 
 an application service agent (ASA) in the edge access server (EAS);    an application service provider (AS) that is attributed to the access network (ACC 1 ) via the application service agent (ASA),    the application service agent (ASA) being arranged to request for at least one IP address in at least one of the networks of the communication service providers and the corresponding communication service agent being arranged to allocate its IP address to the requesting application service agent (ASA).