Method and apparatus for redundant signaling links

• US 20040042485A1
• Filed: 03/26/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel Canada Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Roberts, Michael, Gettala, Balachandar S., Vandette, Henri R., Dubois, Gerry, Karlsen, Glenn Arne, Jhu, Michael, Hurd, Jim, Stanton, James A. Jr., Alladi, Suryaram
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5665 Interaction of ATM with other protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5671 Support of voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

According to at least one embodiment of the invention, a protocol for managing redundant signaling links to form a reliable signaling connection is provided. The protocol has an initialization phase, in which the availability of signaling links is determined and an available signaling link is selected and activated, followed by an operational phase in which the activated link is used for sending signaling messages for a higher-level protocol. During the operational phase both links are monitored for availability using a query and reply technique. Should either link fail, a status message is sent to the remaining available link along with an activity switchover being performed, as required, depending on whether the failed link was the active link. The higher-level protocol process running on the media gateway performs management of the links, and the media gateway controller operates as a slave, whereby it need not initiate nor control any of the activities for management of the signaling links, thereby reducing the processing burden placed upon it. However, optionally, a media gateway controller may request a link switchover, which may be used to support link maintenance activities or link congestion avoidance measures.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

initializing a plurality of links between a media gateway and a media gateway controller;

activating a first link of the plurality of links; and

registering the first link for communication of call control signaling information by a higher level process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of initializing further comprises the step of:

determining whether each of the plurality of links is available for use.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining whether each of the plurality of links is available for use further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a first query over the first link;

transmitting a second query over a second link of the plurality of links;

receiving a first reply to the first query; and

receiving a second reply to the second query.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first query and the second query are internet control message protocol (ICMP) echo messages and the first reply and the second reply are ICMP echo reply messages.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the higher level process is an H.248 process.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of activating the first link of the plurality of links further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a link activation message for the first link; and

receiving a link activation acknowledgement message for the first link.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of registering the first link for communication of call control signaling information by a higher level process further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a service change message; and

receiving a service change reply message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the service change message and the service change reply message are H.248 messages transported as user datagram protocol (UDP) packets over internet protocol (IP) over asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) links.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of transmitting the link activation message for the first link involves the media gateway transmitting the link activation message to the media gateway controller.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller exerts control over the media gateway.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the call control signaling information conforms to Recommendation H.248.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller further exerts control over a second media gateway coupled to the media gateway controller by a second plurality of links.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

selecting the first link for use.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first link is selected based upon a response time on the first link relative to response times on other links of the plurality of links.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first link is selected based on having an earliest response among the plurality of links.

16. A method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a plurality of links between a media gateway and a media gateway controller;

determining a failure affecting a first link of the plurality of the links;

activating a second link of the plurality of the links; and

registering the second link for communication of call control signaling information by a higher level process.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

updating routing tables to allow utilization of the second link.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of monitoring the plurality of links between the media gateway and the media gateway controller further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a first query over the first link;

transmitting a second query over the second link; and

receiving a reply to the second query.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first query and the second query are internet control message protocol (ICMP) echo messages and the reply is an ICMP echo reply message.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the higher level process is an H.248 process.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of activating the second link of the plurality of links further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a link activation message for the second link; and

receiving a link activation acknowledgement message for the second link.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of registering the second link for communication of call control signaling information by a higher level process further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a service change message; and

receiving a service change reply message.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the service change message and the service change reply message are H.248 messages transported as user datagram protocol (UDP) packets over internet protocol (IP) over asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) links.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of transmitting a link activation message for the second link involves the media gateway transmitting the link activation message to the media gateway controller.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller exerts control over the media gateway.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the call control signaling information conforms to Recommendation H.248.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller further exerts control over a second media gateway coupled to the media gateway controller by a second plurality of links.

28. A method comprising the steps of:

establishing communication between a media gateway and a media gateway controller over a first link of a plurality of links;

receiving at the media gateway a switchover request from the media gateway controller;

activating a second link of the plurality of links; and

registering the second link for communication of call control signaling information by a higher level process.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of activating the second link of the plurality of links further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a link activation message for the second link; and

receiving a link activation acknowledgement message for the second link.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the step of registering the second link for communication of call control signaling information by a higher level process further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a service change message; and

receiving a service change reply message.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the service change message and the service change reply message are H.248 messages transported as user datagram protocol (UDP) packets over internet protocol (IP) over asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) links.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the step of transmitting the link activation message for the second link involves the media gateway transmitting the link activation message to the media gateway controller.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller exerts control over the media gateway.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the call control signaling information conforms to Recommendation H.248.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller further exerts control over a second media gateway coupled to the media gateway controller by a second plurality of links.

36. A method comprising the steps of:

establishing communication between a media gateway and a media gateway controller over a first link of a plurality of links;

monitoring the plurality of links between a media gateway and a media gateway controller;

determining a failure affecting a second link of the plurality of the links;

transmitting a link status message regarding the failure affecting the second link from the media gateway to the media gateway controller.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the step of monitoring the plurality of links between the media gateway and the media gateway controller further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a first query over the first link;

transmitting a second query over the second link; and

receiving a first reply to the first query.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the first query and the second query are internet control message protocol (ICMP) echo messages and the reply is an ICMP echo reply message.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the higher level process is an H.248 process.

40. The method of claim 36 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller exerts control over the media gateway.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the call control signaling information conforms to Recommendation H.248.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein, for the communication of the call control signaling information, the media gateway controller further exerts control over a second media gateway coupled to the media gateway controller by a second plurality of links.