|
|
Cisco User Control Point (UCP) software integrates several well-known Internet protocols into a cohesive, scalable, fault-tolerant, and robust system that allows service providers of multiservice data networks to create end-user services with which they can reliably identify, provision, and meter their users.
When a user logs in to an Internet service provider's (ISP's) network, the ISP must authenticate and authorize the user to access the network, then provide the user with IP information and DNS services. While the user accesses the network, the ISP must track that usage for billing purposes. UCP delivers all of this functionality in one package.
UCP provides:
The following terminology is used in this guide.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Authentication, authorization, and accounting | |
Access control list | |
ACS | Access control server |
Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line | |
AV | Attribute-value |
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol | |
CSII | CiscoSecure Information Bus Interface |
Data Encryption Standard | |
DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol |
DNS | Domain Name System |
DS | Data Store |
Fully Qualified Domain Name | |
Global Roaming Service | |
Globally unique identifier | |
ISP | Internet service provider |
LDAP | Lightweight Directory Access Protocol |
NAS | Network access server |
NCC | Network Control Console |
NetFlow | |
NOC | Network Operations Center |
Password Authentication Protocol | |
PGS, PGW, or PG | Protocol Gateway Service |
POP | Point of presence |
QoS | Quality of Service |
RADIUS | |
Security Dynamics, Inc. | |
SMS | Subscriber Management System |
SQL | Structured Query Language |
TACACS+ | Terminal Access Controller Access Control System |
TCP/IP | Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol |
UDP | User Datagram Protocol |
UTC | Universal Time Coordinate |
UCP consists of the components described in the following sections.
The Data Store (DS) is a cache that stores and distributes user information. It uses a set of hierarchical caches to provide quick and reliable access to the data. The DS is populated from the ISP's Subscriber Management System (SMS).
UCP uses a system of caches to provide quick and reliable access to the user data. A mother cache loads data directly from the DS, then populates local (POP-level) caches that reside at the various points of presence (POPs). This mechanism provides data at each location, facilitating quick access, and adding redundancy to the caches for fault tolerance.
The Information Bus is the communication system used by the UCP components. Data is transferred between components in the form of events; each type of event contains a specific set of data. Maintaining the Information Bus is the Information Broker, a service that actually receives and directs all events. Services and service adapters can publish events, sending data to the Information Bus, or can subscribe to events, receiving specific requested events.
UCP maintains the following services:
The Network Control Console (NCC) is a Windows NT-based application that manages and monitors the various UCP servers and services. The NCC is organized in a hierarchical fashion, displaying a "tree" view of the network. The "root" of the network is at the top, followed by each POP, which in turn breaks down into servers, and then the services that run on each server. In this manner, the user can monitor and manage the local implementations of each server and service throughout the network.
In a dial environment, subscribers access an ISP's network using access routers (such as the Cisco AS5200).
|
|