Patent ID: 7840215

Claim:
A method, comprising: assigning an attribute to each of a plurality of processors in a gateway, wherein one of the plurality of processors is designated as a proxy processor such that the plurality of processors appear as a single processor to a server for accounting purposes; when a user session begins using a first of the plurality of processors, sending a first notification message from the proxy processor to the server, wherein the first notification message is sent with a first attribute corresponding to the first processor, the first notification message being a first network accounting message; and when a rebooting of the first processor occurs: suppressing a second notification message from the first processor in the proxy processor, wherein the second notification message comprises a system accounting message; and sending a third notification message from the proxy processor to the server in substitution for the suppressed second notification message, the third notification message being a second network accounting message different from the first network accounting message, the third notification message having the first attribute and being used to enable the server to modify a user file in the server using the first attribute.