The network operates on a fee-paying basis, with the core being design of a billing strategy. Students use how many nets they charge, how different packages are differentiated and how their quotas are exceeded, depending on the network, NATSHEL_AUTH_BILLING. The costing strategy is well designed to guarantee both school operating income and equity for students; poorly designed, it may cause complaints, waste of resources or even loss of operation.
Long-term budgeting is the most basic way.
The long-time fee is the most basic method of calculating the campus network, and the system calculates costs based on students’ online time spans such as 0.5 dollars per hour, with a ceiling of 5 dollars per day. It is simple intuitive, which makes it easy for students to understand that it is suitable for groups of students whose Internet access is irregular and whose usage varies widely. The advantage of long-term fees is equity: much more is spent and less is used. To address these problems, many schools add the function of automatic down-linking for idle timeout fees, which are used in combination with other forms of charge, as long-time charges usually do not flow over a period of time.
Exact control of resource use at flow charges
The advantage of this approach is precision: students pay as much as they actually spend, and no more than those who board the network without generating it. Flow-based costs also guide students to rational use of the network and reduce the large amount of downloading and video viewing that is available to them. But traffic charges require a higher degree of accuracy in system traffic statistics, requiring accurate recording of up and down flows, which could lead to a cost dispute. At the same time, students’ perceptions of traffic consumption are weak and may not know how much they use, and require systems to provide real-time flow queries and volume alerts.
The monthly package is the most dominant way to go to school.
The monthly package is the most mainstream and popular way to bill students on the campus network. Students pay fixed fees per month (e.g. 15 yuan/month, 30 yuan/month) for Internet services that are open-ended or unlimited. The disadvantage of the monthly package is that it can lead to waste of resources: some students spend a lot of time downloading after paying for them, overspending on bandwidth and affecting other student experiences. To address this problem, many schools have set fair access thresholds (FUP) in the monthly package, which exceed certain traffic rates, ensuring most students’ experience and preventing resource misuse.
Temporary requirements at daily/in-subsidized rates
In addition to the monthly package, the campus network Authentication & Billing supports temporary Internet access for students on a daily and sub-prime basis. For example, a day meal package ($3 per day) can be purchased before a new arrival, while visitors who come to school temporarily may buy a sub-consistency package (5 yuan/twice, 24 hours effective), with students opening up for several days during their final exams. The advantage is flexibility: a student does not have to pay long-term fees, paying only a few days to reduce the threshold of use. This approach is particularly appropriate for such settings as entry season, short training, visitor visits, etc. The daily/in-subsidiary fee is usually slightly higher than the month (because short-term services are more expensive to operate), but students are more receptive because it meets temporary needs. The system needs to support flexible configuration and automatic maturity of the package, avoiding its long-term use.
Step billing and overpayment
In order to balance equitable and rational use of resources, many schools employ a staircase-counting strategy: base use is calculated at one price, higher prices after the base level are exceeded, or the threshold is lowered. For example, the first 20 GB is charged at $1/GB per month, the second GB after the second GB, or the next 100 GB per month for each user. It is important to note that the thresholds and prices for stairwelling fees are reasonable, that excessive thresholds do not limit their use, and that too low thresholds affect the normal use of students, which needs to be set on the basis of school tolerance and average student usage.
Free strategy and identity differentiation
Many schools have a free strategy for the network of teachers, administrators, laboratories and teaching areas, with fees charged only to the network in student dormitories. The campus network Authentication & Billing supports different costing strategies based on user identity and access: teachers and administrative staff are free of charge, students’ accommodation areas are charged for meals, school areas and libraries are charged for meals, but they are limited to bandwidth, and visitors are charged daily or sub-prime fees. Identity differential calculation strategies reflect the public interest and service nature of the campus network, which guarantees normal use of the educational and office networks and earns operating income through student dormitory charges. The system needs to support flexible user groups and regional identification, which automatically match the corresponding billing strategy with user identity and access location, without manual intervention. Identification differentials are common practices in the operation of campus networks and are also required for the NATSHEL_AUTH_BILLING system.
The campus network Authentication & Billing has a variety of costing strategies, ranging from basic time-lengths, flow-based charges, to mainstream monthly packages, and flexible daily step-by-step, staircase and identity differential strategies. Schools should choose the right mix of costing strategies based on their own tolerance, student groups, operational objectives and management requirements, rather than simply reproducing other schools. For the information sector, selecting a flexible, easily configured and statistically accurate campus network NATSHEL_AUTH_BILLING system is key to the successful operation of the campus network fee-paying.