Method And Apparatus For Use In A Communications Network

• US 20100142372A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Holm, Jan, Boberg, Christer, Lindgren, Anders, Lindgren, Hans, Albertsson, Henrik
• Application Number:
  US12/593,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20100142372A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• 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

Abstract

A method is disclosed for use in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System network comprising an IP Multimedia Subsystem. The method comprises receiving node status information relating to a first node of the network which indicates an occurrence of an event associated with the first node, determining the existence of a network association established between the first node and a second node of the network that would be adversely affected by the occurrence of the event, and causing the network association to be terminated, thereby allowing a new network association between the first and second nodes to be established in its place.

Claims

1. A method for use in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System network comprising an IP Multimedia Subsystem, the method comprising

receiving node status information relating to a first node of the network which indicates an occurrence of an event associated with the first node,

determining the existence of a network association established between the first node and a second node of the network that would be adversely affected by the occurrence of the event, and

causing the network association to be terminated, thereby allowing a new network association between the first and second nodes to be established in its place.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising sending a message to the second node which indicates that the association is to be terminated.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination is made at least partly by the second node.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, comprising:

sending a message to the second node comprising information relating to the first node, and

using the first node information at the second node to determine the existence of a network association between the first and second nodes that would be affected by the occurrence of the event.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the message is a SIP Multicast message, such as a SIP MESSAGE Request, sent to the second and other nodes of the network.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first node information comprises contact information for the first node.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, comprising using a contact header of the message at least in part to make the determination.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first node information comprises the SIP Uniform Resource Identifier, URI, of the first node.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising causing a timing of the re-establishment of the network association between the first and second nodes to be determined at least partly on a random basis, thereby easing system load where a number of network associations relating to other nodes of the network are being reestablished with the first node in view of the event occurrence.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, comprising sending a time window to the second node, and causing at least the starting of the re-establishment within the time window.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the event is one that causes at least partial loss of information required to maintain the network association.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the event relates to at least a partial failure of the second node.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the event relates to an at least partial unavailability of the second node.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the event relates to the restarting of the second node.

15. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the network association comprises a communication session between the first and second node.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the message is a SIP BYE message.

17. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the network association comprises a subscription between the first and second node.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the message is a final SIP NOTIFY message.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network association comprises a Security Association between the first and second node.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network association comprises a PDP context between the first and second node

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising making the determination with reference to route information.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising making the determination on the basis of information stored locally at the node performing the method.

23. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first node comprises an Application Server.

24. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first node comprises a Serving Call Session Control Function.

25. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is performed at a Proxy Call Session Control Function.

26. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first node comprises a Proxy Call Session Control Function.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the method is performed at a Gateway GPRS Support Node.

28. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is performed at the second node.

29. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the node status information is received in a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, Request.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the SIP Request comprises a Request Uniform Resource Identifier, or Request-URI, which identifies the SIP Request as comprising node status information and/or which identifies the intended recipients of the node status information.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, comprising determining the intended recipients from the received Request URI.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, comprising forwarding the status information to the determined recipients.

33. The method as claimed in claim 31, comprising using the status information at the receiving node when the receiving node is determined to be one of the intended recipients.

34. The method as claimed in claim 31, comprising referring to an Initial Filter Criteria associated with the Request URI to determine the intended recipients.

35. The method as claimed in claim 31, comprising referring to a Dynamic Name Server to determine the intended recipients from the Request URI.

36. The method as claimed in claim 31, comprising determining the intended recipients in dependence upon a previously-received SIP SUBSCRIBE Request.

37. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the SIP Request is a SIP PUBLISH Request.

38. The method as claimed in claim 37, comprising using the time to live information from the SIP PUBLISH Request to infer further information about the node status.

39. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the SIP Request is a SIP MESSAGE Request.

40. The method as claimed in claim 29, comprising storing the node status relating to those nodes identified by the SIP Request URI.

41. An apparatus for use in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System network comprising an IP Multimedia Subsystem, the apparatus comprising

means for receiving node status information relating to a first node of the network which indicates an occurrence of an event associated with the first node,

means for determining the existence of a network association established between the first node and a second node of the network that would be adversely affected by the occurrence of the event, and

means for causing the network association to be terminated, thereby allowing a new network association between the first and second nodes to be established in its place.

42-48. -48. (canceled)