Load balancing mechanism for dynamic serving functional elements selection

Abstract

A method of using a base station comprising establishing a connection with a plurality of authenticators. In one embodiment, the method further including receiving, from each authenticator, load balancing parameters indicating the state of the respective authenticator. In various embodiments, the method may also include receiving, from a mobile station, a request to join a network including the base station. In some embodiments, the method may include selecting an authenticator, to authenticate the mobile station, based upon the load balancing parameters. In one embodiment, the method may include requesting mobile station authentication from the selected authenticator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.