RFC 2194 (rfc2194) - Page 2 of 35

Review of Roaming Implementations

RFC 2194           Review of Roaming Implementations      September 1997


      include Internet access as well as secure access to corporate
      intranets via a Virtual Private Network (VPN), enabled by
      tunneling protocols such as PPTP, L2F, or L2TP.

   What is required to provide roaming capability?  The following list
   is a first cut at defining the requirements for successful roaming
   among an arbitrary set of ISPs:

      Phone number presentation
      Phone number exchange
      Phone book compilation
      Phone book update
      Connection management
      Authentication
      NAS Configuration/Authorization
      Address assignment and routing
      Security
      Accounting

   In this document we review existing roaming implementations,
   describing their functionality within this framework.  In addition to
   full fledged roaming implementations, we will also review
   implementations that, while not meeting the strict definition of
   roaming, address several of these problem elements. These
   implementations typically fall into the category of shared use
   networks or non-IP dialup networks.

3.1.  Terminology

   This document frequently uses the following terms:


   home ISP  This is the Internet service provider with whom the user
          maintains an account relationship.


   local ISP This is the Internet service provider whom the user calls
          in order to get access. Where roaming is implemented the local
          ISP may be different from the home ISP.


   phone book
          This is a database or document containing data pertaining to
          dialup access, including phone numbers and any associated
          attributes.






Aboba, et. al.               Informational