Terminal Server Accounting and Authentication (termacct)
--------------------------------------------------------
 
 Charter 
 Last Modified: 18-May-95
 
 Current Status: Concluded Working Group
 
 Chair(s):
     Brian Lloyd <brian@lloyd.com>
     Larry Blunk <ljb@merit.edu>
 
 Network Management Area Director(s): 
     Deirdre Kostick  <kostick@qsun.att.com>
 
 Network Management Area Advisor: 
     Deirdre Kostick  <kostick@qsun.att.com>
 
 Mailing Lists: 
     General Discussion:auth-acct@angband.stanford.edu
     To Subscribe:      auth-acct-request@angband.stanford.edu
     Archive:           
 
Description of Working Group:
 
 The "Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting Issues for
 Terminal/Network Servers"  BOF will be held from 7:00 - 10:00 PM
 on Tuesday, November 19 at the 22nd IETF meeting in Santa Fe.

 Motivation for this BOF

 In the course of planning for the replacement of the existing
 proprietary and outmoded equipment that provides user access to
 MichNet, we have identified several required functions which we
 currently offer that are not available in any comparable commercial
 equipment that we have come across.  The major functionality we find
 lacking lies in the areas of authentication, authorization, and
 accounting.  We feel that the lack of functionality in these areas
 presents problems that are by no means specific to MichNet; These
 problems are, or will be, faced by many other network providers.  In
 order to illustrate the issues to be discussed, we next present
 a few examples of some of the functions in the topic areas that are
 currently performed within MichNet.

 Currently access to specific destinations within MichNet can be
 either allowed or disallowed based upon factors such as whether the
 user has been identified to the network, whether the user's account
 can be billed against, or whether the user's point of access is a
 dial-up or direct line.  A usage charge can be imposed at
 either end of a connection, and the network collects the billing
 information.  The sending of IP packets off MichNet from dial-up
 lines can be restricted only to authorized users.

 However, these required functions are provided in an ad hoc manner
 in the current network; We would much prefer to see them provided
 in a standard manner in the replacement equipment.  Adherence to
 standards in the provision of these functions would allow us, and
 others, to easily upgrade to new equipment as it becomes available
 and also to select this equipment from various vendors.

 While the equipment we are replacing is used mostly for
 asynchronous user access, the issues to be discussed extend to
 other forms of access as well.  The term "terminal/network server"
 refers to devices that allow access to and from an IP network via a
 dumb terminal, a PC or workstation using point-to-point framed IP
 (PPP, SLIP, SLFP), and other non-IP networks.


 Purpose of this BOF

 The particular functions we would like to address at this BOF lie
 in the areas of authentication, authorization and accounting.  These
 are the areas related to terminal/network server access that we
 feel need the most attention from the IETF.   Most of the discussion
 at this BOF will center upon these three areas.

 We also would like to discuss the concept of providing a
 standard, server based, user interface that could be used to
 control session establishment in a manner independent of the type
 of terminal/network server providing the access.  It may be
 possible to have workstations also provide this standard user
 interface for session control.  The areas of authentication,
 authorization, and accounting are central to this concept as well.

 We hope to accomplish the following at this BOF.

   - Share experience/needs and seek advice in the areas of
   authentication, authorization and accounting in relationship to
   network access.

   - Identify existing standards that could be applied to the
   problems.

   - Identify working groups that might be interested in solving these
   problems.

   - Make plans to provide input to these WGs.

   - Possibly start a new working group(s), if problems remain which
   will not be addressed by the existing process.


 Outline of this session

 We would like this BOF to be very interactive.  We will attempt to
 follow this format:

   - A model for viewing the issues will be described and terms
   will be defined.

   - A set of authentication, authorization, and accounting
   requirements will be proposed.

   - Many issues related to required or desired functions as well as
   to the scope of this endeavor will be discussed.

   - We will finish up with some discussion of where we go from here.


 
 Goals and Milestones: 
 

 Internet-Drafts:

  No Current Internet-Drafts.

 Request For Comments:

  None to date.