Patent ID: 7774483
Filing Date: 2010-08-10
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: storing data representing whether a first subscriber and a second subscriber are in a same community and whether said first subscriber is permitted to administer rules on said second subscriber; enabling said first subscriber to administer a rule, wherein said rule indicates a service which said second subscriber is either permitted to access or not permitted to access, wherein said service is provided from one or more servers contained in a service network accessible at a layer-3 address, wherein an administrator defines a list of subscribers within the community, relationships between the subscribers in the community, a precedence associated with the relationships, and whether a selected one of the relationships are transitive and symmetrical, wherein if the selected relationship is transitive then the first subscriber and a third subscriber are both authorized to administer a first policy decision for the second subscriber, wherein the first policy decision involves access to a network service for the second subscriber and a firewall parameter associated with the second subscriber, and wherein if the selected relationship is symmetrical then a second policy decision made for the second subscriber by the first subscriber is automatically applied to a fourth subscriber without requiring additional input from the first subscriber, wherein the second policy decision involves access to the network service and the firewall parameter; and configuring a service selection gateway (SSG) according to said rule, wherein said SSG operates as a layer-3 switching device connecting a subscriber system and said one or more servers, wherein said subscriber system is used by said second subscriber to access said service.