Re: Is provisioning services in Accounting-Request packets bad?

["David B. Nelson" <dnelson@elbrysnetworks.com>]

On Jun 15, 2010, at 11:58 AM, Alan DeKok wrote:

> When a RADIUS server returns Access-Accept, some systems also request
> that it send an Accounting-Request packet to a provisioning system.
> This provisioning system requires information such as Framed-IP-Address,
> or copies of some VSAs from the Access-Accept.

What does the provisioning system do with the information and how does it relate the result back to the NAS?

What entity sends the Accounting-Request, the NAS or he RADIUS server.  You use "it" and I'm unclear what "it" refers to.

> Quote "This is not unusual, and several vendors are providing such a
> solution".
> 
> RFC 2866 doesn't forbid this, as it expects accounting packets to be
> sent by the NAS.  The guidelines document contains minimal text about
> accounting.
> 
> Is it worth adding a line in the "guidelines" document saying that
> accounting packets are to be used for... accounting?  And that
> provisioning services via Accounting-Request is bad?

Well, I personally think that provisioning services via an Accounting-Request is bad, but I don't yet see how the NAS is actually being provisioned by a request message.  What is fairly common practice is to build resource management systems around RADIUS Accounting.  Is that the sort of thing you're talking about?

Regards,

Dave

David B. Nelson

Elbrys Networks, Inc.
282 Corporate Drive, Unit 1
Portsmouth, NH 03801

+1.603.570.2636
www.elbrysnetworks.com
dnelson@elbrysnetworks.com






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