Methods for controlling a traffic of an authentication server

1. A method for controlling traffic of an authentication server, the method comprising:

receiving a request message from an authentication client in a local area network, wherein the authentication client belongs to a sub local area network of the local area network;

detecting, by a processor, a priority of the authentication client and determining a sub local area network token bucket corresponding to the sub local area network to which the authentication client belongs;

in response to the authentication client having a high priority, allocating a token from a high priority token bucket of the sub local area network and redirecting the request message to the authentication server;

in response to the authentication client having a low priority,

allocating a token from a low priority token bucket of the sub local area network if the token is available in the low priority token bucket and redirecting the request message to the authentication server;

in response to the token not being available in the low priority bucket, one of:

allocating a token from a shared token bucket of the local area network if the token is available in the shared token bucket and redirecting the request message to the authentication server, and

discarding the request message in response to a token not being available in the shared token bucket; and

recovering the allocated token after a successful authentication of the authentication client.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

setting one high priority token bucket and more than two low priority token buckets in each sub local area network token bucket, wherein different low priority token buckets correspond to authentication clients that are to have different levels of low priorities in the sub local area network, and a sum of the numbers of tokens in the high priority token bucket and in all of the low priority token buckets is equal to the number of tokens in the sub local area network token bucket; and

wherein allocating a token from one of a low priority token bucket further comprises:

searching for a low priority token bucket that corresponds to the level of the authentication client; and

allocating a token from the corresponding low priority token bucket.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

in response to the authentication client having a low priority and in response to the low priority token bucket not having an available token, determining whether there is a token in another low priority token bucket whose priority level is lower than a priority level of the low priority token bucket;

in response to finding a token in the another low priority bucket, preempting one token from the another low priority token bucket for the authentication client and redirecting the request message to the authentication server; and

in response to finding no token in the another low priority bucket, discarding the request message.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein when a token is available in the another low priority token bucket,

determining whether a number of tokens preempted from the another low priority token bucket has reached a set threshold;

discarding the request message in response to a determination that the set threshold has been reached; and

preempting one token from the another low priority token bucket in response to a determination that the set threshold not been reached.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the priority of the authentication client and determining the sub local area network token bucket corresponding to the sub local area network to which the authentication client belongs further comprise:

detecting the priority of the authentication client and determining the sub local area network token bucket to which the authentication client belongs according to an Internet Protocol (IP) address and configuration information of the authentication client; or

detecting the priority of the authentication client and determining the sub local area network token bucket to which the authentication client belongs according to a media access control (MAC) address and configuration information of the authentication client,

wherein the configuration information comprises:

an IP address network field corresponding to each of the sub local area networks and the corresponding priority of each IP address in each IP address network field when the authentication client is identified with the IP address; and

a corresponding MAC address network field of each of the sub local area networks and the corresponding priority of each MAC address in each MAC address network field when the authentication client is identified with the MAC address.

6. An authentication access apparatus, the authentication access apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory on which stored machine readable instructions to cause the processor to:

receive a request message from an authentication client in a local area network, wherein the authentication client belongs to a sub local area network of the local area network;

detect a priority of the authentication client and determine a sub local area network token bucket corresponding to the sub local area network to which the authentication client belongs; and

in response to the authentication client having a high priority, allocate a token from a high priority token bucket of the sub local area network and redirect the request message to the authentication server;

in response to the authentication client having a low priority,

allocate a token from a low priority token bucket of the sub local area network if the token is available in the low priority token bucket and redirect the request message to the authentication server;

in response to the token not being available in the low priority bucket, one of:

allocate a token from a shared token bucket of the local area network if the token is available in the shared token bucket and redirect the request message to the authentication server, and

discard the request message in response to a token not being available in the shared token bucket; and

recover the allocated token after a successful authentication of the authentication client.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

set one high priority token bucket and more than two low priority token buckets in each sub local area network token bucket, wherein different low priority token buckets correspond to authentication clients that are to have different levels of low priorities in the sub local area network, and a sum of the numbers of tokens in the high priority token bucket and in all of the low priority token buckets is equal to the number of tokens in the sub local area network token bucket; and

wherein, to allocate a token from one of a low priority token bucket, the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

search for a low priority token bucket that corresponds to the level of the authentication client; and

allocate a token from the corresponding low priority token bucket.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

in response to the authentication client having a low priority and in response to the low priority token bucket not having an available token, determine whether there is a token in another low priority token bucket whose priority level is lower than a priority level of the low priority token bucket;

in response to a token being in the another low priority bucket, preempt one token from the another low priority token bucket for the authentication client and redirect the request message to the authentication server; and

in response to finding no token in the another low priority bucket, discard the request message.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein when a token is available in the another low priority token bucket, the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

determine whether a number of tokens preempted from the another low priority token bucket has reached a set threshold;

discard the request message in response to a determination that the set threshold has been reached; and

preempt one token from the another low priority token bucket in response to a determination that the set threshold has not been reached.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

detect the priority of the authentication client and determine the sub local area network token bucket to which the authentication client belongs according to an Internet Protocol (IP) address and configuration information of the authentication client; or

detect the priority of the authentication client and determine the sub local area network token bucket to which the authentication client belongs according to a media access control (MAC) address and configuration information of the authentication client,

wherein the configuration information includes:

an IP address network field corresponding to each of the sub local area networks and the corresponding priority of each IP address in each IP address network field when the authentication client is identified with the IP address; and

a corresponding MAC address network field of each of the sub local area networks and the corresponding priority of each MAC address in each MAC address network field when the authentication client is identified with the MAC address.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing machine-readable instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a request message from an authentication client in a local area network, wherein the authentication client belongs to a sub local area network of the local area network;

detect a priority of the authentication client and determine a sub local area network token bucket corresponding to the sub local area network to which the authentication client belongs;

in response to the authentication client having a high priority, allocate a token from a high priority token bucket of the sub local area network and redirect the request message to the authentication server;

in response to the authentication client having a low priority,

allocate a token from a low priority token bucket of the sub local area network if the token is available in the low priority token bucket and redirect the request message to the authentication server;

in response to the token not being available in the low priority bucket, one of:

allocate a token from a shared token bucket of the local area network if the token is available in the shared token bucket and redirect the request message to the authentication server, and

discard the request message in response to a token not being available in the shared token bucket; and

recover the allocated token after a successful authentication of the authentication client.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

set one high priority token bucket and more than two low priority token buckets in each sub local area network token bucket, wherein different low priority token buckets correspond to authentication clients that are to have different levels of low priorities in the sub local area network, and a sum of the numbers of tokens in the high priority token bucket and in all of the low priority token buckets is equal to the number of tokens in the sub local area network token bucket; and

wherein, to allocate a token from one of a low priority token bucket, the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to search for a low priority token bucket that corresponds to the level of the authentication client; and

allocate a token from the corresponding low priority token bucket.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

in response to the authentication client having a low priority and in response to the low priority token bucket not having an available token, determine whether there is a token in another low priority token bucket whose priority level is lower than a priority level of the low priority token bucket;

in response to finding a token in the another low priority bucket, preempt one token from the other low priority token bucket for the authentication client and redirect the request message to the authentication server; and

in response to finding no token in the another low priority bucket, discard the request message.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein when a token is available in the another low priority token buckets, the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

determine whether the number of tokens preempted from the other low priority token buckets has reached a set threshold;

discard the request message in response to a determination that the set threshold has been reached; and

preempt one token from the another low priority token bucket in response to a determination that the set threshold has not been reached.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the machine readable instructions are further to cause the processor to:

detect the priority of the authentication client and determine the sub local area network token bucket to which the authentication client belongs according to an Internet Protocol (IP) address and configuration information of the authentication client; or

detect the priority of the authentication client and determine the sub local area network token bucket to which the authentication client belongs according to a media access control (MAC) address and configuration information of the authentication client,

wherein the configuration information includes:

an IP address network field corresponding to each of the sub local area networks and the corresponding priority of each IP address in each IP address network field when the authentication client is identified with the IP address; and

a corresponding MAC address network field of each of the sub local area networks and the corresponding priority of each MAC address in each MAC address network field when the authentication client is identified with the MAC address.