Guided Entrance Service Overview

The guided entrance service enables you to create a controlled Internet browsing environment. Guided entrance-based services, which are sometimes called walled gardens or captive portals, are becoming increasingly important offerings for service providers. When a subscriber logs in and opens a Web browser, the Service Manager guided entrance service transparently directs the subscriber to a specific Web site—at that Web site, the subscriber is presented with a selection of possible services to use. For example, a subscriber might be shown a Web site that offers services such as:

• Predefined services—A group of user-selectable services that meets a variety of needs of a single subscriber. The subscriber might select the high-priced highest access speed to perform critical financial transactions but select a lower speed (and lower cost) service for e-mail. For viewing a real-time sports event, the subscriber can select the video-on-demand service. The subscribers have control over the choice and cost of the services they need and use.
• Prepaid services—A group of specific services that have been prepaid by the subscriber. For example, a subscriber who has purchased the sports package service is presented with a Web page that lists the currently available sporting events. Or, a subscriber might prepay a VoIP service for a set amount of time.
• Controlled-service— An educational service that enables students at a school to access authorized research sites. Or, a limited service for young children that restricts access to safe, closely monitored, age-appropriate Web sites.

Figure 1 shows the sequence of actions that take place during a guided entrance service.

Figure 1: Guided Entrance

Service Manager requires additional configuration considerations for the guided entrance service.

• The <# redirectUrlName := "http://" $ serverIp $ ":" $ serverPort #> command in the service definition—Specifies the HTTP local service to which the subscriber is redirected after login. See Example: Guided Entrance Service Definition for a sample guided entrance service definition.

  Note: You must also configure a policy that redirects packets. See Creating an Exception Rule within a Policy Classifier Group in JunosE Policy Management Configuration Guide for information on creating redirect policies.

• HTTP local server application—Used by the policy in the activated service to direct a subscriber to a specific Web site when the subscriber logs in. See Configuring the HTTP Local Server to Support Guided Entrance for information about the HTTP local server.
• RADIUS Dynamic Request Server and CoA messages—Enables RADIUS to dynamically activate the new service that the subscriber selects at the Web site. Can also optionally deactivate the original guided entrance service session that is used when the subscriber logs in. See the Configuring RADIUS Dynamic-Request Server chapter in this guide.