Fault tolerant correlation engine method and system for telecommunications networks

• US 20040008717A1
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BayPackets, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BayPackets, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chawla, Rakesh, Bawa, Jaskaran S., Chawla, Sanjeev, Goel, Gaurav, Verma, Subhash
• Granted Patent: US 7,254,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications

Abstract

A system for monitoring information real-time through a network, e.g., telephone, IP network, voice over IP network, VoATM, and _VoDSL network. The system has a plurality of network elements (e.g., router, switch, _Media Gateway, Softswitch, _Integrated Access Device), where each of the network elements is coupled together in a network. Each of the network elements comprises an interface device. The plurality of network elements are configured to route a call from asource to a destination through the network elements. A mediator is coupled to each of the network elements. The mediator is adapted to receive events from any one of the network elements as the call as being routed through the elements from the source to the destination. A message bus is coupled to the mediator for receiving the events. The system also has an application process coupled to the messaging bus. The application process is adapted to use the events. The system is fault tolerant and information under process is not lost even when one of the system components fails.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring information real-time through a network, the system comprising:

a plurality of network elements, each of the network elements being coupled together in a network, each of the network elements comprising an interface device, the plurality of network elements being configured to route a call from a source to a destination through the network elements;

a mediator coupled to each of the network elements, the mediator being adapted to receive events from any one of the network elements as the call is being routed through the elements from the source to the destination;

a messaging bus coupled to the mediator for receiving the events and usage records; and

an application process coupled to the messaging bus, the application process being adapted to use one or more of the events.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a correlation process coupled between the messaging bus and the mediator.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the correlation process comprises a plurality of rules, each of the rules being adapted to change information received from the mediator to one of a plurality of call detail records, each of the call detail records being of a preselected format.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of network elements comprise at least a router and one or more devices selected from a switch, a server, a Media Gateway, Softswitch, and a Integrated Access Devices.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the call is a telephone call.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the source is a caller location and wherein the destination is a receiver location.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the mediator is a server device.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a storage device coupled to the mediator, the storage device being adapted to store one or more of the events.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the application is selected from a billing process, a provisioning process, a maintenance process, a fraud detection process, and a caller process.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein mediator receives the calls events from different network elements when the call signaling traverses from calling party to one or more network elements and reaches the called party. Network elements generate these events at various stages of call processing. Mediator receives these events from different network elements transported through a data network.

11. A fault tolerant system for monitoring information real-time through a network, the system comprising:

a plurality of network elements, each of the network elements being coupled together in a network, each of the network elements comprising an interface device, the plurality of network elements being configured to route a call from a source to a destination through the network elements;

a plurality of mediator processes coupled to each of the network elements, the plurality of mediator processes numbered from 1 to N, where N is an integer greater than 1, each of the mediator processes being adapted to receive events from any one of the network elements as associated with the call as the call is being routed through the elements from the source to the destination; and

a distributor process coupled to each of the mediator processes, the distributor being adapted to distribute incoming events for any one of the mediator processes that experiences a fault to the other 1 through N mediator processes excluding the mediator processes that has experienced a fault.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a correlation process coupled between the messaging bus and the mediator, the correlation process comprising a plurality of rules, each of the rules being adapted to change information received from the mediator to one of a plurality of call detail records, each of the call detail records being of a preselected format.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of network elements comprise at least a router and one or more devices selected from a switch, a server, a Media Gateway, Softswitch, and an Integrated Access Device.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the source is a caller location and wherein the destination is a receiver location.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of mediator processes are respectively provided on a plurality of server devices, numbered from 1 through M, where M is equal to N.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the distributor process selects one of the mediator processes for the incoming events associated with a single call.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising a network interface coupled to the distributor process, the network interface being adapted to convert incoming events into a common protocol for use in any one of the mediator processes.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the distributor process is provided in an adaptor.

19. A real time call monitoring system for fraud detection through a network, the system comprising:

a plurality of network elements, each of the network elements being coupled together in a network, each of the network elements comprising an interface device, the plurality of network elements being configured to route a call from a source to a destination through the network elements;

a fraud detection mediator coupled to each of the network elements, the fraud detection mediator being adapted to receive events from any one of the network elements as the call is being routed through the elements from the source to the destination, the fraud detection mediator being able to identify a pre-selected call based upon one or more rules provided in the fraud detection mediator; and

an output device coupled to the fraud detection mediator, the output device being adapted to provide an output signal based upon the pre-selected call

20. A method for monitoring a telephone call through packet-based networks, the method comprising:

initiating a call at a source, the source coupled to one or more networks adapted for packetized communication;

transferring call information of the call from the source to a destination through a plurality of network elements, the plurality of network elements being numbered from 1 to N, where N is an integer;

outputting events numbered from 1 through M associated with the first call information as the call information traverses through the network elements numbered from 1 through N, where the network elements numbered from 1 through N correspond to the events numbered from 1 through N;

receiving the events numbered from 1 through N at a network interface, the network interface being coupled to the one or more networks;

converting the events numbered from 1 through M to a common protocol;

distributing the events associated with the first call information to one of a plurality of a mediators; and

transferring second call information associated with the events associated with the first call information to a bus.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the mediator monitors the events numbered from 1 through M.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising transferring the second call information to an application adaptor and converting the second call information into application information.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising using the application information in a legacy application, which is coupled to the application adaptor.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising transferring information associated with the events from the one mediator to a correlator, the correlator being coupled between the mediator and the bus.

25. A method for collecting call information and events from multiple network elements, the method comprising correlating the events to generate Call Detail Records whereupon the Call Detailed Records consists of all of the information in the events.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein all of the information in the events are maintained during a failure of any one of the network elements.