Using RADIUS to Manage Subscriber Service Sessions

Service Manager supports two RADIUS-based methods for dynamically activating subscriber service sessions. Dynamic service sessions that RADIUS activates are not stored in NVS. Both methods can also apply optional statistics and session threshold (volume and time) configurations. The two methods differ in how Service Manager activates a subscriber service session:

• RADIUS login method—The service session is activated when the subscriber logs in. At login, RADIUS verifies that the Activate-Service attribute is configured in the subscriber’s RADIUS record. RADIUS then uses vendor-specific attributes (VSAs) in the Access-Accept packet to activate the service session for the subscriber. This method is useful when your subscribers are not currently logged in.
• RADIUS CoA method—Supports dynamic service selection for subscribers. For example, the subscriber might have logged in without a service, or might have used the RADIUS login method to activate a service at login. If no service was activated at login (because of no Activate-Service attribute in the user’s RADIUS record), you can later use the CoA method and a separate RADIUS record to create a subscriber session and activate a service session for the subscriber. Or, if the RADIUS login method was used and the subscriber already has an active service session, you can use the CoA method and a new RADIUS record to activate a new service session for the subscriber (and optionally deactivate the existing service session). The RADIUS CoA method is useful when you have a large number of users already logged in through RADIUS and you want to activate new services for them. This method is also used for the guided entrance service described in Guided Entrance Service Definition Example.

  The RADIUS CoA method also supports the use of mutex groups to create mutex services. See Using Mutex Groups to Activate and Deactivate Subscriber Services.

Figure 29 compares the two RADIUS-based methods.

Figure 29: Comparing RADIUS Login and RADIUS CoA Methods

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