Patent ID: 8054855

Claim:
A method comprising: authenticating user information received from a subscriber device via a single layer 2 interface of a network device; after authenticating the user information received from the subscriber device, receiving a plurality of packets from the subscriber device on the single layer 2 interface; sensing a protocol of each of the received plurality of packets; when a first protocol is sensed from the plurality of packets, dynamically creating within the network device a first interface column for the subscriber device over the single layer 2 interface for the first protocol; when a second protocol is sensed from the plurality of packets, dynamically creating within the network device a second interface column for the subscriber device over the single layer 2 interface for the second protocol; and when both a first protocol and a second protocol are sensed from the plurality of packets, dynamically creating within the network device both the first interface column for the subscriber device over the single layer 2 interface for the first protocol and the second interface column for the subscriber device over the single layer 2 interface for the second protocol.