Maintaining a common identifier for a user session on a communication network

摘要

A method is provided for maintaining a common billing identifier for a user session in a communication network. In the method, an authentication request associated with a user session is transferred from an access node of the communication network to an authentication node of the network. The access node receives an authentication acknowledgment transferred from the authentication node in response to the request. In response to the acknowledgment, a billing identifier associated with the user session is generated at the access node. The billing identifier is transferred from the access node to an application node of the communication network.

主权项

1. A method for maintaining a common billing identifier for a user session in a communication network, the method comprising:
transferring an authentication request associated with a user session from an access node of the communication network to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server; at the access node, receiving an authentication acknowledgment transferred from the AAA server in response to the authentication request; at the access node, generating a billing identifier associated with the user session in response to the authentication acknowledgment; transferring the billing identifier from the access node to an application node; generating a registration request at the access node, wherein the registration request comprises the billing identifier; transferring the registration request from the access node to the application node; transferring a registration acknowledgment from the application node to the access node in response to the registration request; transferring a first accounting start message from the access node to the AAA server in response to the registration acknowledgment; and transferring a second accounting start message from the application node to the AAA server in response to the registration acknowledgment; wherein at least one of the first accounting start message and the second accounting start message comprises the billing identifier.