Patent ID: 7269727
Filing Date: 2007-09-11
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for executing authentication in a network environment, comprising: a packet gateway operable to retrieve a group profile from an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server in response to receiving a request from a first end user and to locally cache the group profile, wherein the packet gateway determines if the first end user is authenticated and if the first end user is unauthenticated, then the packet gateway searches a local cache for the group profile associated with network digits of the first end user's mobile station identifier (MSID), whereby if the group profile is not in the local cache or has expired, then the packet gateway purges the expired group profile and requests the group profile from the AAA server, caches the group profile, and marks an expiry time that is provided within the group profile, once the group profile is in the cache, subsequent users that belong to a same group can be authorized with a realm and with authorization attributes and without involving the AAA server, the packet gateway being operable to provide a service to the first end user based on information included within the group profile and associated with the first end user, wherein the packet gateway is further operable to receive a request from a second end user and to determine if the second end user is included within the group profile such that in cases where the second end user is included in the group profile the packet gateway can locally cache the group profile in order to provide a service to the second end user without having to communicate with the AAA server.