Method for fast switchover and recovery of a media gateway

• US 20060075126A1
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Xinfa J., Stone, Joseph R., Lehrschall, Ronald W., Vo, Mychael
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5627 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5671 Support of voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/555 Error detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• 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 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/12 Marking faulty circuits "busy"; Enabling equipment to disengage itself from faulty circuits ; Using redundant circuits; Response of a circuit, apparatus or system to an error
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call

Abstract

A device and method for fast switchover and recovery of a media gateway. A network interface of a router is monitored for a network interface failure, in which the router receives data over a network using a network protocol. In response to detecting a network interface failure, the network interface failure is translated into a gateway protocol understood by the media gateway. The network interface failure is transmitted to the media gateway using the gateway protocol over a primary path, providing for fast switchover time to a redundant path by the media gateway.

Claims

1. A method for fast switchover and recovery of a media gateway, said method comprising:

monitoring a network interface of a router for a network interface failure, said router receiving data over a network using a network protocol;

in response to detecting a network interface failure, translating said network interface failure into a gateway protocol understood by said media gateway; and

transmitting said network interface failure to said media gateway using said gateway protocol over a primary path, providing for fast switchover time to a redundant path by said media gateway.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising said media gateway switching to said redundant path in response to receiving said network interface failure.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said redundant path corresponds to a static route.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said primary path corresponds to a dynamic route advertised over dynamic routing protocol.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 further comprising replacing said primary path in a routing table with said static path, in response to detecting said network interface failure.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said network protocol is an Ethernet protocol.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said gateway protocol is an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocol.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said media gateway supports multimedia over Internet protocol functionality.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said media gateway does not support direct routing to said network.

10. A decomposed multimedia gateway comprising:

a media gateway operable to receive communications using a gateway protocol;

a first router communicatively coupled to said media gateway over a primary path for communicating with said media gateway over a gateway protocol and coupled to a network at a network interface, said first router operable to monitor said network interface for a network interface failure, said first router operable to translate said network interface failure into said gateway protocol and transmit said network interface failure to said media gateway using said gateway protocol over said primary path; and

a second router communicatively coupled to said media gateway over a secondary path, wherein said media gateway switches to said secondary path in response to receiving said network interface failure.

11. The decomposed multimedia gateway as recited in claim 10, wherein said media gateway supports multimedia over Internet protocol functionality.

12. The decomposed multimedia gateway as recited in claim 11, wherein said redundant path corresponds to a static route.

13. The decomposed multimedia gateway as recited in claim 12, wherein said primary path corresponds to dynamic route advertised over dynamic routing protocol.

14. The decomposed multimedia gateway as recited in claim 13, wherein said first router and said second router are coupled to a next-hop router of said network, said first router operable to update a routing table of said next-hop router in response to said network interface failure by replacing said primary path in said routing table with said static path.

15. The decomposed multimedia gateway as recited in claim 10, wherein said media gateway does not support direct routing to said network.

16. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method for fast switchover and recovery of a media gateway, said method comprising:

monitoring a network interface of a router for a network interface failure, said router receiving data over a network using a network protocol;

in response to detecting a network interface failure, translating said network interface failure into a gateway protocol understood by said media gateway; and

transmitting said network interface failure to said media gateway using said gateway protocol over a primary path, providing for fast switchover time to a redundant path by said media gateway.

17. The computer-usable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said method further comprises said media gateway switching to said redundant path in response to receiving said network interface failure.

18. The computer-usable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said redundant path corresponds to a static route.

19. The computer-usable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein said primary path corresponds to dynamic route advertised over dynamic routing protocol.

20. The computer-usable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein said method further comprises replacing said primary path in a routing table with said static path, in response to detecting said network interface failure.

21. The computer-usable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said media gateway support voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) functionality.

22. The computer-usable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said media gateway does not support direct routing to said network.

23. A router comprising:

a processor;

a memory unit coupled to said processor;

at least one input/output port coupled to said processor for coupling said router to an electronic device and for supporting communication between said router and said electronic device using a first protocol;

at least one network interface coupled to said processor for coupling said router to a network and for supporting communication between said router and said network using a second protocol; and

an interface monitor for monitoring for a failure at said network interface, for translating said failure from said second protocol into said first protocol, and for communicating said failure to said electronic device using said first protocol.

24. The router as recited in claim 23, wherein said electronic device is a media gateway.

25. The router as recited in claim 23, wherein said input/output port is for coupling said router to said electronic device.

26. The router as recited in claim 25, wherein a first input/output port is for coupling said router to said electronic device over a primary path and wherein a second input/output port is for coupling said router to said electronic device over a redundant path.

27. The router as recited in claim 26, wherein said redundant path corresponds to a static route.

28. The router as recited in claim 24, wherein said primary path corresponds to a dynamic route advertised over dynamic routing protocol.

29. The router as recited in claim 28, wherein said network interface is for coupling said router to a next-hop router of said network, said router operable to update a routing table of said next-hop router in response to said failure by replacing said primary path in said routing table with said static path.

30. A system for fast switchover and recovery of a media gateway, said system comprising:

means for monitoring a network interface of a router for a network interface failure, said router receiving data over a network using a network protocol;

means for propagating said network interface failure to said media gateway over a primary asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) virtual circuit (VC);

providing for fast switchover time to a secondary ATM VC by said media gateway;

means for switching said media gateway to a redundant path over said secondary ATM VC; and

means for rerouting ingress traffic to said media gateway.

31. The system as recited in claim 30 wherein said means for propagating said network interface failure to said media gateway comprises:

means for translating said network interface failure into a gateway protocol understood by said media gateway in response to detecting a network interface failure; and

means for transmitting said network interface failure to said media gateway using said gateway protocol over said primary path.