Method of negotiating an active or a passive role assignment to a control means of a network element, a control means, a program module and a network element therefor

• US 20030152026A1
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lohr, Jurgen
• Granted Patent: US 7,394,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13056 Routines, finite state machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13109 Initializing, personal profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13167 Redundant apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13396 Signaling in general, in-band signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54558 Redundancy, stand-by

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of negotiating an active or a passive role assignment to a first and a second control means of a network element. The control means are redundant and operate dependent on their respective active or passive role. The invention furthermore relates to a control means therefor, a program module for a control means therefor and a network element therefor.

The method comprises the steps of:

determining an operability state parameter for each of said control means dependent on their respective ability to perform their respective functionality;

mutually transmitting said operability state parameters between said control means; and

determining an active role or a passive role by said control means dependent on said respective operability state parameters.

Claims

1. A method of negotiating an active or a passive role assignment to a first and to at least one second control means of a network element, said first and said at least one second control means being redundant and operating dependent on their respective active or passive role, the method comprising the steps of:

determining an operability state parameter for each of said control means dependent on the respective ability of said control means to perform their respective functionality;

mutually transmitting said operability state parameters (ST1, ST2) between said control means; and

determining an active role or a passive role by said first control means and by said at least one second control means dependent on said respective operability state parameters (.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first control means assigns an active role to itself if its operability state is better than the operability state of said at least one second control means, and/or wherein said at least one second control means assigns a passive role to itself if its operability state ( is worse than the operability state of said first control.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein values of a predetermined order are assigned to said operability state parameters, said values representing the respective ability level of said first control and said at least one second control means to perform its respective functionality.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said first control means compares the value of its own operability state parameter with the value of the operability state parameter of said at least one second control means to determine whether to play an active role or a passive role.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a unique identifier is assigned to each of said control means—

, and wherein said unique identifiers are mutually transmitted between said control means.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said identifiers, especially its respective values, are evaluated to determine an active role for said first control means and a passive role for said at least one second control means or vice versa to resolve an active-active role conflict and/or a passive-passive role conflict between said first control means ( and said at least one second control means.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first control means changes from the active role to the passive role if its identifier has a higher or a lower value than the identifier of said at least one second control means and if the operability states and/or roles of said control means are equal.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein if neither said first control means nor said at least one second control means are in the active role, the control means with the highest or the lowest identifier value becomes active (AC) and the respective other control means changes to or remains in the passive role.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first control means assumes that said at least one second control means plays a passive role if said first control means does not receive the operability state parameter of said at least one second control means.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein information about the respective roles of said control means is mutually transmitted between said control means.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said first control means remains in its current role passive or active if the role of said at least one second control means is different from said current role and if the respective operability states are equal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in addition to said active or passive role an undetermined role is defined, said undetermined role being the initial role of said control means at their respective system start.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first control means changes from the role undetermined to the active or the passive role after receiving the operability state parameter of said at least one second control means.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first control means transmits its operability state parameter and/or its unique identifier and/or an information about its role within one common message to said at least one second control means.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first control means and/or said at least one second control means transmits its respective said state parameter and/or its respective unique identifier and/or its respective information about its role periodically and/or at its respective system start.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first control means and/or said at least one second control means performs at least one finite state machine to determine its respective active or passive role, and in that said respective operability states of said control means represent the respective states of said at least one finite state machine and/or said active, passive and/or undetermined roles represent the respective states of said at least one finite state machine.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first control means and said at least one second control means control at least one common hardware device, especially contained in one rack of said network element, and in that said at least one common hardware device is actively controlled by said first control means if said first control means plays an active role or by said at least one second control means if said at least one second control means plays an active role.

18. A first control means of a network element able to negotiate an active or a passive role assignment with at least one second control means of said network element, said first control means and said at least one second control means being redundant and operating dependent on their respective active role or passive role, said first control means comprising means for carrying out the steps of:

determining a first operability state parameter dependent on the ability of said first control means to perform its functionality;

transmitting said first operability state parameter to said at least one second control means;

receiving at least one second operability state parameter of said at least one second control means; and

determining an active role or a passive role dependent on said first operability state parameter and said at least one second operability state parameter.

19. A program module for a first control means of a network element, said program module enabling said first control means to negotiate an active or a passive role assignment with at least one second control means of said network element, said first and said at least one second control means being redundant and operating dependent on their respective active or passive role, said program module containing program code able to be executed by said first control means and said program module making said first control means carrying out the steps of:

determining a first operability state parameter dependent on the ability of said first control means to perform its functionality;

transmitting said first operability state parameter to said at least one second control means;

receiving at least one second operability state parameter of said at least one second control means;

determining an active role or a passive role dependent on said first operability state parameter and said at least one second operability state parameter.

21. A program storage device, in particular a computer diskette, a digital versatile disc or a hard disk, having a program module as claimed in claim 19 recorded thereon.

20. A Network element comprising a first and at least one second control means negotiating an active or a passive role assignment, said first control means and said at least one second control means being redundant and operating dependent on their respective active or passive role, said first control means and said at least one second control means being able to carry out the steps of:

determining of operability state parameters for each of said control means dependent on the respective ability of said control means to perform their respective functionality;

mutually transmitting said operability state parameters between said control means; and

determining an active role or a passive role by said first control means and by said at least one second control means dependent on said respective operability state parameters.