Communication system supporting wireless communication of packet data and method and arrangement relating thereto

• US 20040053607A1
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Ronneke, Hans
• Granted Patent: US 7,359,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/08 Load balancing or load distribution transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication system supporting communication of packet data. It comprises a core network, which comprises a number of packet data support nodes and a number of gateway nodes for communication with external packet data networks, and a number of radio networks. Each radio network comprises radio network control means. Each of at least some of the packet data support nodes comprises a separate functional server node. A number of said functional server nodes are provided to, in common, control at least a number of radio network control means such that said functional server nodes form a pool of functional server nodes, in which each functional server node is able to control any radio network control means.

Claims

1. A communication system supporting communication of packet data and comprising a core network, which comprises a number of packet data support nodes and a number of gateway nodes for communication with external packet data networks, and a number of radio networks, each radio network comprising radio network control means,

characterized in

that each of at least some of the packet data support nodes comprises a separate functional server node, and in that a number of said functional server nodes are provided to, in common, control at least a number of radio network control means such that said functional server nodes form a pool of functional server nodes, in which each functional server node is able to control any radio network control means.

2. A communication system according to claim 1,

characterized in

that all functional server nodes are included in a pool which is common for the entire network, i.e. all radio networks, and in that any functional server node may be selected to control any radio network control means.

3. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2,

characterized in

that two or more pools with each a number of functional server nodes are provided, the functional server nodes of a pool being responsible for a dedicated part of the network.

4. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2,

characterized in

that the communication system comprises a PLMN and in that all functional server nodes are able to serve the entire PLMN.

5. A communication system according to any one of the preceding claims,

characterized in

that the radio network control means comprises one or more radio network control nodes (RNC) for each radio network, wherein the radio network control nodes (RNC) communicate with an allocated or selected functional server node over a control plane subprotocol.

6. A communication system according to any one of the preceding claims,

characterized in

that functional server nodes included in the same pool are provided at one or more server node sites.

7. A communication system according to claim 6,

characterized in

that two or more server nodes sites each comprises a number of functional server nodes.

8. A communication system according to any one of the preceding claims,

characterized in

that it comprises GPRS/UMTS, that the packet data support nodes are SGSN-nodes divided into functional SGSN server nodes and functional user gateway nodes comprising media gateway nodes (MGW).

9. A communication system according to claim 8,

characterized in

that the radio networks are UTRAN:

s and in that the radio network control means comprises one or more RNC;

s.

10. A communication system according to any one of the preceding claims,

characterized in

that each subscriber/user station performing an attach procedure to be attached to the network is allocated a functional server node independently of the location of the user station and in that that said allocation is unaffected by the roaming of the subscriber/user station.

11. A communication system according to claim 10,

characterized in

that the allocation or selection of a functional server node for a subscriber is maintained at least for a given time interval.

12. A communication system according to claim 10 or 11,

characterized in

that the radio network control means are responsible of allocating/selecting a functional server node for a subscriber attaching to the network.

13. A communication system according to claim 12,

characterized in

that the radio network control means comprises storing means for storing information about which subscriber is allocated which functional server node such that a subscriber detached from the network can be allocated the previously allocated functional server node when attaching again, and/or in that means are provided to reselect the same functional server means for a detached subscriber upon reattaching irrespectively of whether the subscriber attaches to the same radio network control means as at the previous attach.

14. A communication system according to any one of claims 10-13,

characterized in

that consecutive subscribers which are becoming attached/connected to the network over a radio network control node (RNC) are allocated different functional server nodes, randomly or in a given order.

15. A communication system according to claim 8 and any one of claims 12-14,

characterized in

that a functional server node (FSN;

SGSN server) is selected upon initiated attach procedure for a subscriber/user station and in that control means are provided in the functional server node for controlling whether it should accept a selection by an RNC due to it being previously used for a subscriber or not.

16. A communication system according to any one of the preceding claims,

characterized in

that the packet data support nodes are divided to comprise, in addition to functional server nodes, user gateway nodes (UGN;

MGW) and in that each functional server node includes a functionality for selecting user gateway node (UGN;

MGW) for each subscriber allocated the functional server node.

17. A communication system according to claim 16,

characterized in

that a functional server node (FSN;

SGSN server) may select an optional user gateway node (UGN;

MGW) for an attached subscriber/user station.

18. A communication system according to claim 16,

characterized in

that a functional server node has to select or use the user gateway node that is closest to the radio network control means controlling the subscriber.

19. A packet data support node, for mobility and session management in a communication system supporting communication of packet data, supporting at least a server functionality and comprising a functional server node (FSN;

SGSN server),

characterized in

that the functional server node (FSN;

SGSN server) forms part of a pool of functional server nodes and in that it, in common with the other functional server nodes of the pool, is able to serve at least part of the communication system.

20. A packet data support node according to claim 19,

characterized in

that the functional server node, as any other functional server node of the pool, is able to control the entire communications network, e.g. any radio network of the communication system.

21. A packet data support node according to claim 19 or 20,

characterized in

that it is divided into a functional server node and a user gateway node (UGN;

MGW) and in that it comprises means for selecting a user gateway node (UGN;

MGW) for a subscriber for which it has been selected allocated.

22. A packet data support node according to claim 21,

characterized in

that the user gateway node (UGN;

MGW) is selected freely or according to given requirements, e.g. defining that the user gateway node closest to a subscriber performing an attach procedure should be selected first.

23. A packet data support node according to any one of claims 19-22,

characterized in

that it is an SGSN divided into a functional server node and a user gateway node comprising a media gateway (MGW) and in that the functional server node is responsible for selection of media gateway (MGW).

24. A method of, in a communication system comprising a core network and a number of radio networks and supporting communication of packet data, controlling connections between user stations and/or user stations and external packet data networks, wherein user stations are connected to radio networks, each radio network being controlled by radio network control means, wherein further packet data support nodes are provided for controlling radio network control means, a packet data support node comprising at least a functional server node,

characterized in

that it comprises the step of:

providing a number of pools of functional server nodes;

commonly controlling at least a part of the network by the functional server nodes in a pool;

such that each server node of the pool may control any connection irrespectively of which is the radio network within the commonly controlled part of the network.

25. A method according to claim 24,

characterized in

that it comprises the steps of:

selecting, arbitrarily or according to a given scheme, a functional server node for a subscriber performing an attach procedure to the network or the commonly controlled part of the network;

maintaining said functional server node for said subscriber irrespectively of where in the network the subscriber is.

26. A method according to claim 25,

characterized in

that it comprises the steps of:

selecting different functional server nodes for consecutive subscribers performing a network attach procedure.

27. A method according to claim 25 or 26,

characterized in

that the selection of functional server node is performed by the radio network control means controlling the radio network to which a subscriber is attached.

28. A method according to claim 27,

characterized in

that the packet data support node is divided to comprise, in addition to a functional server node, a user gateway node, and in that it comprises the steps of:

selecting a user gateway node (UGN;

MGW) from the allocated functional server node;

selecting gateway support node (GGSN) for external packet data network access.

29. A method according to any one of claims 24-28,

characterized in

that two or more pools of functional server nodes are provided, each pool being responsible for a dedicated part of the network, and in that the functional server means of a pool are located at two or more different functional server node sites.