Roadmap of the RAD-Series RADIUS Server

Interlink Networks, LLC is continually developing the RAD-Series AAA software.  This work takes several forms

• New features as determined by our customers’ needs and interests
• Internal upgrades to improve performance and to build a strong foundation for future development
• Fixes to known issues

Customers with current maintenance contracts are entitled to new releases as a free upgrade.  Customers running the prior two major releases continue to receive standard support for configuration and troubleshooting. Here are some of the projects currently in progress and the RAD-Series release schedule.

IPv6 Support

With the addition of IPv6 support, the RAD-Series Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server will continue to provide reliable, high performance, scalable, and customizable Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) services as the Internet makes the transition into the next generation of protocols and services.  Just released in Version 8.0, IPv6 support includes IPv6 socket communications for both the RADIUS and LDAP protocols, support for the new IPv6 RADIUS attribute types, and an IPv6 readiness tool to validate operating system suitability and support for IPv6.  IPv4 continues to be supported and a mixture of IPv4 and IPv6 communications can be supported on the same server.  In addition to the RAD-Series server, all of the included RADIUS utility programs have been upgraded to support IPv6.  The redesigned socket communications interface also includes extended options for binding to specific interfaces and port numbers as well as configuring various buffer sizes.

Next Generation Session Manager

The Session Manager is a key component in how the RAD-Series Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server manages Authorization, the second A of AAA services.  The Session Manager was first developed by Interlink Networks predecessor, Merit Networks, in order to meet the simultaneous session control, token pool, and roaming user requirements of networks such as MichNet.  Interlink Networks is embarking on a major, multi-phase project, to develop the next generation Session Manager to meet the requirements of telecommunications carriers and ISPs for greater scalability, resiliency, and performance as well as providing an architectural foundation for new functionality such as Change of Authorization (CoA) and bridges to Diameter based AAA services.

Phase 1:  Next Generation Session Manager

The primary goal in this phase is to lay a strong architectural foundation for all of the succeeding phases and features.  This includes

• Clearly defined session states, events, transitions, and timers
• Improved session indexing for improved performance
• Removal of obsolete proprietary features  for greater clarity, improved performance, and ease of use
• Adding configuration options for existing features

Although this is primarily an internal architecture phase of the project, there are still numerous benefits to customer including

• Greater configuration control over timers and the ability to enable/disable features such as collision checking
• Improved performance
• Generation of final accounting records from the Session Manager for sessions that have been dropped without an Accounting-Stop due to external events such as NAS reboots.
• Improved logging and debugging

Some of the performance improvements are already available in RAD-Series Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server Version 8.0.  The remainder of this phase will be released in RAD-Series Version 8.1.

Phase 2:  Shared Session Manager

In this phase, the Session Manager will be split off from the RAD-Series Server to run as a separate Session Manager process, which can be run on the same or entirely different server platform.  The benefits realized include

• Improved performance when running the Session Manager with the RAD-Series Server on a multi-CPU/core platform.
• Improved performance when running the Session Manager on a different platform than the RAD-Series Server.
• Improved scalability by enabling multiple RAD-Series Servers to share the same session table as opposed to each RAD-Series Server maintaining its own table as is currently the case.

This phase has not yet been assigned to a particular RAD-Series release.  Interlink Networks is exploring the possibility of combining more than one phase of this project into a single release.

Phase 3:  Session Manager Database

In this phase, the resiliency and scalability of the Session Manager will be extended by implementing the option of maintaining the active session table in a MySQL database.

This feature leverages database’s resiliency features and provides a standard SQL API for other applications to access session information.

This phase is dependent upon completion of the MySQL support project and has not yet been assigned to a particular RAD-Series release.

Interlink Networks is exploring the possibility of combining more than one phase of this project into a single release.

Phase 4:  Change of Authorization (CoA) and Disconnect Message (DM) Support

In this phase, a single Session Manager can support both RAD-Series RADIUS and Diameter servers.  This capability will support mixed networks, facilitate RADIUS to Diameter migrations, and support RADIUS-Diameter gateways.

This phase is in an early conceptual stage and has not yet been assigned to a particular RAD-Series release.

Phase 4:  Diameter Session Manager

In this phase, a single Session Manager can support both RAD-Series RADIUS and Diameter servers.  This capability will support mixed networks, facilitate RADIUS to Diameter migrations, and support RADIUS-Diameter gateways.
This phase is in an early conceptual stage and has not yet been assigned to a particular RAD-Series release.

Change of Authorization (CoA) and Disconnect Message (DM) Support

This project would add support for RADIUS CoA and DM messages as specified in IETF RFC 5176 Dynamic Authorization Extensions to Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS).

This project is dependent upon the Next Generation Session Manager project and is scheduled for review and consideration during the later stages of that project.

MySQL Database Support

Interlink Networks is developing support for the RAD-Series Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server to read and write MySQL databases.  This support will have many applications including

• The ability to store subscriber profiles in MySQL for authentication and authorization
• The ability to write accounting records to a MySQL database
• Use of MySQL for internal functions such as managing the Session Manager’s session table

This project is in an early proof of concept stage and has not yet been assigned to a particular RAD-Series release.

RAD-Series Linux RADIUS and Solaris RADIUS Server Release Schedule

RAD-Series Version 7.5 (Latest Released 7.x Version)

RAD-Series Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server version 7.5 is commercially released and supported.  It contains

• Upgraded cryptography libraries with support for Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)
• MTU configuration within tunneled protocols
• Expanded SSL debugging options
• Configurable Session Collision Checking
• Upgraded Server Manager to be compatible with the latest versions of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
• Various fixes

See the Version 7.5 release notes for more details

RAD-Series Version 8.0 (Latest Major Version Release)

RAD-Series Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server version 8.0 is commercially released and supported.  It contains

• IPv6 support for socket communications including extensive configuration options for interfaces, ports, and buffers
• Performance improvements for duplicate matching, session table searching, and various other internal table searching
• Initial session table internal structural improvements and configurable collision checking
• Various fixes

See the Version 8.0 release notes for more details

RAD-Series Version 8.1 (Release Date TBD)

RAD-Series Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server version 8.1 will include

• Next Generation Session Manager Phase 1
• Other customer requested features to be determined
• Various fixes

Feature Request

Interlink Networks’ RAD-Series Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) RADIUS Server provides standards-based access control and security for mixed access networks – including mobile, wired and wireless networks. The RAD-Series RADIUS Server enables Carriers, Internet Service Providers, and fully networked enterprises to centrally manage the AAA server functions for their network users. Because of its high customizability and advanced user features, RAD-Series is ideal for system integrators and OEMs of network equipment.

Our RAD-Series RADIUS Linux RADIUS server and Solaris RADIUS server is customizable.