Patent ID: 7477648
Filing Date: 2009-01-13
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A packet forwarding apparatus, which is located in an access network connected to an Internet service provider (ISP) network including a subscriber authentication server, for connecting a plurality of user terminals to an Internet network via said ISP network, the packet forwarding apparatus comprising: a plurality of line interfaces each coupled to one of said user terminals or to said ISP network through connection lines; a control unit; and a protocol processing unit for exchanging received packets among said line interfaces and said control unit, wherein said control unit includes: a user address management table for storing a plurality of table entries each indicating a relationship between an identifier of one of said user terminals and an lP address allocated thereto, inter-server communication control means for executing, for a user terminal having requested connection to the Internet, an authentication procedure between the user terminal and said subscriber authentication server, requesting an Internet Protocol (lP) address to be allocated to the user terminal from an address pool management server located in said access network when an authentication response packet instructing to use a sub-address pool was received from said subscriber authentication server, and storing the lP address acquired from the address pool management server in said user address management table in association with an identifier of the user terminal, and terminal communication control means for replying, after executing a communication procedure for subscriber authentication with the user terminal, the lP address corresponding to the identifier of the user terminal shown by said user address management table in response to the lP address request packet received from the user terminal.