HOME SUBSCRIBER SERVER CONFIGURATION METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20080227451A1
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Inoue, Tetsuo, FUKUI, Keiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a home subscriber server configuration method and system that is accessible in switching to any one of plural HSS servers in a redundant configuration. Information stored in such plural HSS servers (e.g., HSS-A server 40A and HSS-B server 40B) are synchronized as identical information. When an interrogation for a particular HSS server to be accessed from the I-CSCF server 30 or the S-CSCF server 21 is received, the access information for the plural HSS servers 40A, 40B corresponding to the interrogation is returned after rearranging to the predetermined order of priority to the I-CSCF server 30 or the S-CSCF server 21 from which the inquiry is originated. If no response is received from either one of the HSS servers returned from the SLF server 50 within a predetermined time after the access or if no response is received to the resend operations, the I-CSCF server 30 or the S-CSCF server 21 selects the next HSS server from the plural HSS servers and gains access to such HSS server after switching thereto.

Claims

1. ) A home subscriber server configuration method in an IP network for achieving an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) architecture, wherein a plurality of home subscriber servers (HSS servers) are provided for storing user information of user equipment and information for selecting call session control server (S-CSCF server) that administrates call session control, the plurality of HSS servers are in a redundant configuration for respective areas, and a particular HSS server to be accessed by an inquiry session control server (I-CSCF server) to determine the S-CSCF server to register a new user equipment or the S-CSCF server is determined by sending an interrogation from the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server to a subscriber locator server (SLF server) that stores a correspondence between the plurality of HSS servers and user equipment, comprising the steps of:

synchronizing the information to be stored in the plurality of HSS servers in the redundant configuration; and

sending by the SLF server that receives the interrogation from the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server access information corresponding to the interrogation for the plurality of HSS servers back to the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server from which the interrogation is originated.

2. ) A home subscriber server configuration method of claim 1, wherein in case of sending the access information corresponding to the interrogation back to the plurality of HSS servers, the SLF server rearranges in accordance with the predetermined order of priority before sending back.

3. ) A home subscriber server configuration method of claim 1, wherein in case of using the Diameter protocol for information exchange between the SLF server and the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server, the SLF server sends back by setting the access information to the plurality of HSS servers in parameters Redirect-Host AVP (Attribute Value pair) that are included in a response signal of the Diameter protocol.

4. ) A home subscriber server configuration method of claim 1, wherein the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server that received the access information to the plurality of HSS servers corresponding to the interrogation from the SLF server gains access to the selected one of the plurality of HSS servers in accordance with the order that is transmitted from the SLF server or the order of priority that is predetermined by the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server.

5. ) A home subscriber server configuration method of claim 4, wherein the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server selects the subsequent HSS server from the plural HSS servers if no response is received from the one HSS server within a predetermined time after the access to the one HSS server or if no response is received from the HSS server in response to accesses of a predetermined number of resending operations, thereby gaining access to the selected HSS server by switching thereto.

6. ) A home subscriber server configuration method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing operation of the information stored in the plural HSS servers in a redundant configuration is performed whenever the information stored in either one of the HSS servers takes place, thereby renewing information stored in other HSS servers to the same information.

7. ) A home subscriber server configuration method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing operation of the information stored in the plural HSS servers is performed periodically at a predetermined time interval.

8. ) A home subscriber server configuration method of claim 7, wherein at the time of synchronizing information stored in each of the HSS servers, the original information for synchronizing each of the HSS servers is determined by majority decision, the information in a predetermined single HSS server, or based upon a result of the information rationality check.

9. ) A home subscriber server configuration system in an IP network for realizing an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) architecture having a plurality of home subscriber servers (HSS servers) in a redundant configuration for respective areas for storing user information for user equipment and information to select a call control server (S-CSCF server) for administering call session control by sending an interrogation to a subscriber locator server (SLF server) that stores the correspondence between the plurality of HSS servers and the user equipment from an interrogating session control server (I-CSCF server) for determining the S-CSCF server to register a new user equipment or from the S-CSCF server to determine the particular HSS server to be accessed by the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server, characterized in that:

information stored in the plural HSS servers in a redundant configuration are synchronized; and

when an interrogation is received from the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server, the SLF server sends access information to the plurality of HSS servers corresponding to the interrogation back to the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server from which the interrogation is originated.

10. ) A home subscriber server configuration system of claim 9, wherein the SLF server rearranges the plural HSS servers in accordance with the predetermined order of priority when sending back the access information for the plural HSS servers corresponding to the interrogation.

11. ) A home subscriber server configuration system of claim 9, wherein the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server that received the access information to the plural HSS servers corresponding to the interrogation from the SLF server gains access to the HSS servers selected from the plurality of HSS servers in accordance with the sequence sent from the SLF server or the order of priority predetermined in the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server.

12. ) A home subscriber server configuration system of claim 11, wherein the I-CSCF server or the S-CSCF server selects the next one of the HSS servers and gains access to the selected HSS server after switching thereto if no response is received from the HSS server in response to the access for a predetermined time from the access to the HSS server or if no response is received from the HSS server in response to the access of predetermined times of resending operations.