Signalling Proxy System for a Switching Center Server

• US 20110060824A1
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Inventors: Perttula, Kari-Pekka, Turina, Klaus, Lundstrom, Johan
• Granted Patent: US 9,167,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• 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: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• 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: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A signalling proxy system for a switching center server is provided, as well as a method of operating a signalling proxy system for a switching center server. The signalling proxy system comprises two signalling proxies for routing signalling traffic between a network node and a plurality of switching center server units. Each signalling proxy is addressable by an address code and is operable in one of an active state and a passive state towards the network node.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A signaling proxy system for a network node, the network node including a plurality of processing units comprising processing blades of a blade cluster, comprising:

at least two signaling proxies for routing signaling traffic between a remote network node and the plurality of processing units, each the signaling proxy configured to be addressable by the same address code and operable in one of an active state and a passive state towards the remote network node;

wherein each signaling proxy is configured to remain during operation in a passive state with the address code passive towards the remote network node when receiving an indication confirming that the other signaling proxy is operating in an active state; and

wherein each signaling proxy is configured to activate itself during operation towards the remote network node by activating the address code towards the remote network node when in a passive state and when not receiving the indication.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the signaling proxies are configured to be located within the same network node as the processing units and to be addressable by the common address code from a remote network node when operating in the active state.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein each signaling proxy is configured as a single entry point to the network node for connecting remote network nodes when in the active state, and wherein each signaling proxy is configured to not be visible to connecting remote network nodes when in the passive state.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a monitoring unit configured to monitor the operation of at least one of the signaling proxies and, if the signaling proxy is in an active state, to provide the indication confirming the operation of the signaling proxy in the active state to the other signaling proxy.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the monitoring unit comprises a transceiver unit at each of the signaling proxies, wherein each transceiver unit is adapted, when the corresponding signaling proxy is in an active state, to provide the indication by transmitting a signal to the transceiver unit of the other signaling proxy via at least one of the processing units when in operation.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the monitoring unit comprises a central operation monitoring unit adapted to monitor the operation of at least one of the signaling proxies and to provide the indication to the signaling proxy in the passive state when the signaling proxy in the active state operates within a predetermined specification.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein monitoring the operation of a signaling proxy comprises monitoring the operation of one or both of hardware and software of the signaling proxy, and wherein a signaling proxy operates within a predetermined specification when one or both of hardware and software of the signaling proxy operate within respective predetermined specifications.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the network node is a switching center server, and wherein the processing units are switching center server blades of the blade cluster of the switching center server.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein each processing unit interfaces to each signaling proxy by means of an IP based association.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the signaling proxies and the processing units are configured to communicate using a signaling connection and control part user adaptation protocol.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the signaling proxies and the processing units are configured to exchange signaling traffic using a stream control transmission protocol.

35. The system of claim 24, wherein the indication comprises a heartbeat signal transmitted, in operation, from a first of the signaling proxies operating in an active state to a second of the signaling proxies operating in a passive state via at least one of the processing units, the heartbeat signal being transmitted over internet protocol based associations established, in operation, between the first and the second signaling proxies and the processing unit.

36. The system of claim 24, wherein the signaling proxies are adapted to activate themselves by activating the address code and to deactivate themselves by deactivating the address code.

37. A method of operating a signaling proxy system for a network node, the network node including a plurality of processing units comprising processing blades of a blade cluster, the method comprising:

operating a first signaling proxy in an active state with an address code of the first signaling proxy active towards a remote network node for routing signaling traffic between the remote network node and the plurality of processing units;

operating a second signaling proxy in a passive state with an address code of the second signaling proxy passive towards the remote network node, the address code of the second signaling proxy being the same as the address code of the first signaling proxy;

providing to the second signaling proxy an indication that the first signaling proxy is operating in an active state; and

activating the second passive signaling proxy towards the remote network node when it is not receiving the indication.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein activating the second signaling proxy comprises activating the address code of the second signaling proxy towards the remote network node.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising deactivating the active address code of the first signaling proxy when activating the second signaling proxy.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein providing the indication comprises sending a signal from the signaling proxy operating in an active state to the signaling proxy operating in a passive state via the processing units.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the signaling proxy operating in a passive state activates itself when not receiving the signal or when the received signal does not fulfill a minimum criterion.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the signal is relayed via the processing units in a round robin manner.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the signal is send over a stream control transmission protocol association used to transport signaling traffic between the signaling proxies and the processing units.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein providing the indication comprises monitoring the operation of at least the first signaling proxy and providing a signal confirming the operation of the first signaling proxy in an active state to the second signaling proxy.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein monitoring the operation of at least the first signaling proxy comprises monitoring the operation of one or both of hardware and software of the first signaling proxy.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein activating the second signaling proxy comprises activating the second signaling proxy when not receiving the signal confirming the operation of the first signaling proxy in an active state, or when receiving a signal indicating that the first signaling proxy is not operating within a predetermined specification.

47. An electronically readable data carrier with stored electronically readable control information configured such that when using the data carrier in a computer system, the control information causes the computer to operate a signaling proxy system for a network node, the network node including a plurality of processing units comprising processing blades of a blade cluster, by performing the steps of:

operating a first signaling proxy in an active state with an address code of the first signaling proxy active towards a remote network node for routing signaling traffic between the remote network node and the plurality of processing units;

operating a second signaling proxy in a passive state with an address code of the second signaling proxy passive towards the remote network node, the address code of the second signaling proxy being the same as the address code of the first signaling proxy;

providing to the second signaling proxy an indication that the first signaling proxy is operating in an active state; and

activating the second passive signaling proxy towards the remote network node when it is not receiving the indication.