Patent ID: 8584217

Claim:
A method to process a plurality of authentication packets to use a service provided by one or more applications, the method comprising: monitoring the plurality of authentication packets to obtain a source unique network identifier for a subscriber, wherein at least one of the authentication packets has a vendor specific attribute and at least one of the authentication packets does not have a vendor specific attribute; receiving a response to one of the authentication packets, the response specifying for the service a service definition comprising an indication of inbound or outbound relative to the subscriber, an addressable service address, a service definition identifier, and an identifier of service address type, the service definition identifier corresponding to the source unique network identifier, and specifying which among several services the subscriber is entitled to use; building an entitlement database to pair the source unique network identifier to the service definition identifier; receiving a session packet having the source unique network identifier as a target address or a source address; determining from the entitlement database that the source unique network identifier corresponds to an entitlement to use the service and in response, routing the session packet to the service; and responsive to receiving the authentication packet not having the vendor specific attribute, recording to the entitlement database that the source unique network identifier lacks a user entitlement.