Methods, systems and computer program products for a redundant, geographically diverse, and independently scalable message service (MS) content store

• US 20080161028A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Fonde, Virginia B., Appleyard, Douglas, Bantukul, Apirux, Marsico, Peter J., Baldwin, Patricia A.
• Application Number:
  US11/903,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20080161028A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems and computer program products for a redundant, geographically diverse, and independently scalable message service (MS) content store system. According to one aspect, the system includes a content store function (CSF) including at least one content store (CS) configured to store message service messages, initiate delivery attempts for the message service messages, and maintain a message retry attempt schedule for unsuccessful delivery attempts. The system also includes a message server function (MSF) including at least one message server (MS) configured to route and deliver the message service messages, wherein the MSF is scalable independently from the CSF.

Claims

1. A scalable multimedia message service message storage and delivery system, the system comprising:

(a) a content store function (CSF) including at least one content store (CS) configured to store message service messages, initiate delivery attempts for the message service messages, and maintain a message retry attempt schedule for unsuccessful delivery attempts; and

(b) a message server function (MSF) including at least one message server (MS) configured to route and deliver the message service messages, wherein the MSF is scalable independently from the CSF.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the CSF and the MSF are located on separate hardware platforms.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the CSF and the MSF are located in separate geographical locations.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the CSF comprises:

(a) a database function (DBF) including a content store database (CSDB) for storing subscriber information and the message service messages;

(b) a store manager function (SMF) including at least one store manager (SM) for managing message service messages, queuing message service messages, and initiating retries for failed deliveries, wherein the SMF is scalable independently from the DBF; and

(c) a store portal function (SPF) including at least one store portal (SP) for interfacing with the MSF, SMF and DBF, wherein the SPF is scalable independently from the SMF and DBF.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one SP includes first and second SPs, wherein the first SP is adapted to detect failure of the second SP and, in response to detecting the failure of the second SP, the first SP is adapted to perform functions formerly performed by the second SP.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one SM includes first and second SMs, wherein the first SM is adapted to detect failure of the second SM and, in response to detecting failure of the second SM, the first SM is adapted to perform the functions formerly performed by the second SM.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the DBF includes a plurality of CSDBs located in a plurality of geographic locations, wherein the CSDBs are replicated in a multi-master configuration.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein each CSDB comprises a first database instance (FDBI) and a second database instance (SDBI), wherein the FDBI receives data from a database provisioning server (DPS) and the SDBI replicates the data received by the FDB1.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the at least one SM comprises a home store manager (HSM) for storing message service messages for a first set of subscribers being homed to a network of the HSM.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one store manager comprises an alternate store manager (ASM) for storing message service messages for a second set of subscribers not homed to the HSM.

11. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one SM comprises a plurality of SMs and wherein subscribers are equally divided among the SMs.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the ASM is adapted to detect the failure of the HSM and, in response, become the HSM for the first set of subscribers.

13. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one SP comprises a first SP having a local store portal (L-SP) in a first location and a second SP having a remote store portal (R-SP) locate din a second geographical location, wherein the one or more R-SPs and the one or more L-SPs are subsets of the one or more SPs.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the CSF includes a virtual message box.

15. The system of claim 4 wherein the CSF including the virtual message box is configured to forward a message service message from the virtual message box to one or more message service addresses.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the CSF is adapted to forward message service messages to an email server.

17. A method for providing scalable message service message storage and delivery, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, at a message server function (MSF) including at least one message server (MS), a message service message;

(b) routing, using the MSF, the at least one message service message to a content store function (CSF) that includes at least one content store (CS), where the at least one CS is configured to store message service messages, initiate delivery attempts for the message service messages, and maintain a message retry attempt schedule for unsuccessful delivery attempts and is independently scalable from the MSF; and

(c) processing the message using the CSF.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein routing the message service message to a CSF using the MSF includes routing the message between separate geographic locations.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein routing the message service message to a CSF includes routing the message to a CSF located in a geographic location that is different from the geographic location of the MSF.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein processing the message service message using the CSF includes:

(a) routing the message service message to a store portal (SP), the SP being part of a store portal function (SPF);

(b) processing the message service message at a home store manager (H-SM), the H-SM being part of a store manager function (SMF); and

(c) storing the message service message at a content store database (CSDB), the CSDB being part of a database function (DBF).

21. The method of claim 20 wherein routing the message service message to an SP includes:

(a) detecting the unavailability of a first SP by a message server (MS); and

(b) in response to detecting the unavailability of the first SP, routing the message to a second SP.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein processing the message service message at an H-SM includes:

(a) detecting the unavailability of a first SM; and

(b) in response to detecting the unavailability of the first ;

SM, processing the message using a second SM.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein processing the message service message includes storing the message service message in a virtual message box.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein processing the message service message includes forwarding the message service message from the virtual message box to one or more message service addresses.

25. A computer program product for providing scalable message services (MS) message storage, the computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) receiving, at a message server function (MSF) including at least one message server (MS), a message service message;

(b) routing, using the MSF, the at least one message service message to a content store function (CSF) that includes at least one content store (CS), where the at least one CS is configured to store message service messages, initiate delivery attempts for the message service messages, and maintain a message retry attempt schedule for unsuccessful delivery attempts and is independently scalable from the MSF; and

(c) processing the message using the CSF.