Load balancer for multiprocessor platforms

• US 20050120350A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Latvala, Mikael, Ni, Shaoji, Jokiaho, Timo, Panhelainen, Mika, Takala, Vesa-Pekka
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/663 Transport layer addresses, e.g. aspects of transmission control protocol [TCP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2517 using port numbers

Abstract

The present invention concerns load balancing for control plane traffic of a network element comprising multiple CPU nodes assigned to a common external IP address in a packet data enabled telecommunication network. IP messages addressed to the network element are received, and received IP messages comprising GTP-C messages are identified. A TEID-C value of a GTP-C message is identified and the GTP-C message is forwarded to a CPU node based on its identified TEID-C value, if its identified TEID-C value does not equal zero.

Claims

1. A load balancing method for control plane traffic of a network element comprising multiple CPU nodes assigned to a common external IP address in a packet data enabled telecommunication network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving IP messages addressed to the network element, and

identifying received IP messages comprising GTP-C messages,

characterized in that the method further comprises the steps of;

identifying a TEID-C value of a GTP-C message,

depending on the identified TEID-C value of the GTP-C message either forwarding said GTP-C message to a CPU node based on the identified TEID-C value of said GTP-C message or identifying a message type value of said GTP-C message, and

forwarding a GTP-C message with an identified message type value equal to “

Create PDP Context”

to a CPU node by using a predetermined load balancing procedure.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said forwarding the GTP-C message to a CPU node based on the identified TEID-C value of said GTP-C message is performed if the identified TEID-C value does not equal zero, and said identifying the message type value of the GTP-C message is performed if the identified TEID-C value equals zero.

3. The method according to claims 1, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of:

forwarding a GTP-C message with an identified message type value non-equal to “

Create PDP Context”

to a CPU node by using a predetermined path and error management procedure.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of identifying received IP messages comprising GTP-C messages further comprises the steps of:

identifying a destination IP address value of a received IP message, and

determining from the identified destination IP address value whether the IP message belongs to control plane traffic or user plane traffic.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the method further comprises the steps of:

identifying a protocol value of an IP message belonging to control plane traffic, and

determining from the identified protocol value whether the IP message comprises an UDP message or a TCP message.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the method further comprises the steps of:

identifying a destination port number value of an IP message comprising a TCP message, and

forwarding the TCP message to a CPU node based on its identified destination port number value.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the method further comprises the steps of:

identifying a destination port number value of an IP message comprising a UDP message, and

determining from the identified destination port number value whether the UDP message further comprises a GTP-C message, a GTP′

message, a DHCP message or a RADIUS message.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of:

forwarding a GTP′

message, a DHCP message or a RADIUS message to a CPU node based on its identified destination port number value.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the packet data enabled telecommunication network is a GPRS enabled communication network.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the network element is a GGSN element.

11. A load balancing system for control plane traffic of a multiprocessor network element in a packet data enabled telecommunication network, the system comprising:

a network element (GGSN) comprising multiple CPU nodes (CPU₁, CPU₂, . . . , CPU_N) assigned to a common external IP address for receiving IP messages, and

first identifying means (ID1) for identifying received IP messages comprising GTP-C messages,

characterized in that the system further comprises;

second identifying means (ID2) for identifying a TEID-C value of a GTP-C message,

first forwarding means (FWD1) for forwarding a GTP-C message to a CPU node based on the identified TEID-C value of said GTP-C message,

third identifying means (ID3) for identifying a message type value of a GTP-C message, and

second forwarding means (FWD2) for forwarding a GTP-C message with an identified message type value equal to “

Create PDP Context”

to a CPU node by using a predetermined load balancing procedure.

12. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that said first forwarding means are used if the identified TEID-C value does not equal zero, and said third identifying means are used if the identified TEID-C value equals zero.

13. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that the system further comprises:

third forwarding means (FWD3) for forwarding a GTP-C message with an identified message type value non-equal to “

Create PDP Context”

to a CPU node by using a predetermined path and error management procedure.

14. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that the system further comprise:

fourth identifying means (ID4) for identifying a destination IP address value of a received IP message and determining from the identified destination IP address value whether the IP message belongs to control plane traffic or user plane traffic.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the system further comprise:

fifth identifying means (ID5) for identifying a protocol value of an IP message belonging to control plane traffic and determining from the identified protocol value whether the IP message comprises an UDP message or a TCP message.

16. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the system further comprise:

sixth identifying means (ID6) for identifying a destination port number value of an IP message comprising a TCP message and forwarding the TCP message to a CPU node based on its identified destination port number value.

17. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the system further comprise:

seventh identifying means (ID7) for identifying a destination port number value of an IP message comprising a UDP message and determining from the identified destination port number value whether the UDP message further comprises a GTP-C message, a GTP′

message, a DHCP message or a RADIUS message.

18. The system according to claim 17, characterized in that the system further comprise:

eighth identifying means (ID8) for forwarding a GTP′

message, a DHCP message or a RADIUS message to a CPU node based on its identified destination port number value.

19. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that the packet data enabled telecommunication network is a GPRS enabled communication network.

20. The system according to claim 19, characterized in that the network element is a GGSN element.

21. A load balancer for control plane traffic of a network element comprising multiple CPU nodes assigned to a common external IP address in a packet data enabled telecommunication network, the load balancer comprising:

first identifying means (ID1) for identifying received IP messages addressed to the network element comprising GTP-C messages,

characterized in that the load balancer further comprises;

second identifying means (ID2) for identifying a TEID-C value of a GTP-C message,

first forwarding means (FWD1) for forwarding a GTP-C message to a CPU node based on the identified TEID-C value of said GTP-C message,

third identifying means (ID3) for identifying a message type value of a GTP-C message, and

second forwarding means (FWD2) for forwarding a GTP-C message with an identified message type value equal to “

Create PDP Context”

to a CPU node by using a predetermined load balancing procedure.

22. The load balancer according to claim 21, characterized in that said first forwarding means are used if the identified TEID-C value does not equal zero, and said third identifying means are used if the identified TEID-C value equals zero.

23. The load balancer according to claim 21, characterized in that the load balancer further comprises:

third forwarding means (FWD3) for forwarding a GTP-C message with an identified message type value non-equal to “

Create PDP Context”

to a CPU node by using a predetermined path and error management procedure.

24. The load balancer according to claim 21, characterized in that the load balancer is arranged in a GGSN element of a GPRS enabled telecommunication network.