System and Method for Tunneling System Error Handling Between Communications Systems

• US 20100268981A1
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Xiang, Zhixian
• Application Number:
  US12/763,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A system and method for tunneling system error handling between communications systems are provided. A method for error handling by a controller in an interworking system includes receiving a notification of an occurrence of an error in a first communications system, determining if the error is a long-term error, causing a device in a second communications system with a session in the first communications system to halt communications with the first communications system if the error is a long-term error, and not causing the device in the second communications system with the session in the first communications system to halt communications with the first communications system if the error is not a long-term error.

Claims

1. A method for error handling by a controller in an interworking system, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of an occurrence of an error in a first communications system;

determining if the error is a long-term error; and

causing a device in a second communications system with a session in the first communications system to halt communications with the first communications system if the error is a long-term error, wherein device in the second communications system with the session in the first communications system is not caused to halt communications with the first communications system if the error is not a long-term error.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is sent by an access node of the first communications system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing a device in a second communications system comprises transmitting a message to a communications controller of the device, the message comprising an indication of the error.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message comprises a cause code field, where the cause code field indicates a nature of the error.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the message is a part of a message exchange occurring in a handover procedure with the device in the second communications system, wherein the handover procedure is used to establish a session between a device in the second communications system with the first communications system.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the message is part of a message exchange during a handover procedure with the device in the second communications system, a message exchange during a pre-registration procedure of the device, a message exchange during a registration procedure, a message exchange in maintenance communications, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein causing a device in second communications system comprises combining an indication of the error to a message being transmitted to a communications controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication is piggy-backed on an acknowledgement transmitted by the controller.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the error is a long-term error comprises determining if the error is a failure in the first communications system or a failure of a path in the first communications system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining if the error is a long-term error comprises reading a cause code in the notification.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications system is a high rate packet data (HRPD) compliant communications system, and the second communications system is a Third Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution compliant communications system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein causing a device in a second communications system comprises transmitting a message to the device, the message comprising an indication of the error.

13. A method for error handling in an interworking system, the method comprising:

receiving error information indicating that a long-term error has occurred in a first communications system, the error information received by a management controller of a second communications system; and

causing a device in the second communications system with a connection to the first communications system to halt communications with the first communications system in response to the error information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the error information is received in the form of an error message, an indicator combined with a message, an indicator piggy-backed on an acknowledgement, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein causing a device in a second communications system comprises sending a message to a base station serving the device, the message comprising an error indication indicating that the base station halt communications from the device to the first communications system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein there is a plurality of devices in the second communications system with a connection to the first communications system, and wherein causing a device in a second communications system further comprises repeating sending a message for each device in the plurality of devices, the message comprising the error indication.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein causing a device in a second communications system comprises sending a message to the device, the message comprising an error indication indicating that the device to halt communications to the first communications system.

18. A management controller comprising:

a receiver to be coupled to a receive antenna for receiving signals detected by the receive antenna;

a transmitter to be coupled to a transmit antenna for transmitting signals with the transmit antenna;

a controller coupled to the receiver and to the transmitter, the controller configured to propagate error information related to an error detected in a first communications system to a device in a second communications system having a connection to the first communications system;

a mapping unit coupled to the controller, the mapping unit configured to maintain a mapping of the device to a controller in the second communications system serving the device; and

a message generate unit coupled to the controller, and to the transmitter, the message generate unit configured to generate an error information message to be propagated to the device desiring to establish the connection with the first communications system.

19. The management controller of claim 18, wherein the controller comprises an error processing unit coupled to the mapping unit, the error processing unit configured to propagate the error information to the device based on the mapping maintained by the mapping unit and an error type of the error.

20. The management controller of claim 19, wherein there is a plurality of devices desiring to establish a plurality of connections to the first communications system, wherein there is a mapping maintained by the mapping unit for each device, and wherein the error processing unit is further configured to propagate the error information to each device in the plurality of devices based on the mapping for each device.

21. The management controller of claim 18, wherein the error information message is an error indication message with an indicator indicating a failure in the first communications system.