Subject: DSL Scenario

From: David Spence <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 16:38:02 -0500

In section 3.1.3.3 (Interface Sharing) of
draft-ohba-pana-usage-scenarios-00.txt, the authors state:

     "In terms of both access control overhead and AAA signaling overhead, 
     it would be desirable to perform access control per prefix rather than
     per child device."

The scenario goes on to show how a /64 prefix could be assigned to the
"user" and shared among the user's devices.

While I would not want to rule out such a scenario, I do not necessarily
agree that it would be desirable to perform access control per prefix rather
than per child device.  I could imagine that there are really multiple users
behind the prefix that have different authorizations and thus require
different identifiers and separate authentications.

Suppose, for example, that the DSL line terminates at a residential
subscriber.  The service is shared by multiple family members.  Some family
members are authorized to use certain premium services for which the cost or
content is considered inappropriate for other family members.  Or the DLS
line may terminate at a small business.  There may be a requirement to track
usage by individual user (the third A).

Therefore, locating the PANA client on the gateway device should be one
option.  But the solution should not preclude locating the PANA client on
the individual user devices.  The implication here is that the prefix
assignment should be done outside of PANA.