Mobile Core Network Node Redundancy

• US 20110096724A1
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Perttula, Kari-Pekka, Turina, Klaus, Lundstrom, Johan
• Granted Patent: US 8,660,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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

Apparatus configured to operate within a communication network as a pool proxy, routing signalling traffic between a node of a first network and one of a set of pooled nodes within a second network. The apparatus is further configured to operate in one of an active state and a passive state towards the first network node and, when in said active state to send a heartbeat signal to at least one of said pooled nodes for relaying to a peer pool proxy and, when in said passive state, to receive a heartbeat signal from a peer pool proxy relayed via at least one of said pooled nodes. In the event that no heartbeat signal is received when in the passive state, the apparatus is configured to activate itself as pool proxy towards the first network node.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. An apparatus configured to operate within a communication network as a pool proxy, routing signaling traffic between a first node and one of a set of pooled second nodes, the apparatus being further configured:

to operate in one of an active state and a passive state towards the first node;

when in the active state, to send a heartbeat signal to at least one of the pooled second nodes for relaying to a peer pool proxy; and

when in the passive state, to receive a heartbeat signal from a peer pool proxy relayed via at least one of the pooled second nodes;

wherein, when the apparatus is in the passive state, in the event that no heartbeat signal is received or the received signal does not satisfy some minimum criterion, the apparatus is configured to activate itself as pool proxy towards the first network node.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first node is a node of a first network and the pooled second nodes are nodes of a second network.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the first network is a radio access network and the second network is a core network, and wherein the pooled second nodes are pooled server nodes.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, the apparatus being configured to operate as a Mobile Switching Center pool proxy, routing signaling traffic between a Base Station Controller or a Radio Network Controller and a set of pooled Mobile Switching Center servers.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, the apparatus being further configured to operate as a Mobile Media Gateway and to communicate with each the Mobile Switching Center as Media Gateway Controller using a Gateway Control Protocol.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein in the active state, the apparatus is configured to convey the heartbeat signal to the pooled second node(s) via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association, and wherein the Stream Control Transmission Protocol association is shared with a Gateway Control Protocol interface.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein in the active state, the apparatus is configured to convey the heartbeat signal to the pooled second node(s) via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association, and wherein the Stream Control Transmission Protocol association is shared with an interface for carrying control signaling to and from the radio access network node.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein in the passive state, the apparatus is configured to receive the heartbeat signal from the pooled second node(s) via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association, the Stream Control Transmission Protocol association being shared with a Gateway Control Protocol interface.

41. The apparatus of claim 35, the apparatus being configured to operate as a Serving GPRS Support Node pool proxy, routing signaling traffic between a Base Station Controller or a Radio Network Controller and a set of pooled Serving GPRS Support Nodes.

42. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein in the active state, the apparatus is configured to convey the heartbeat signal to the pooled second node(s) via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association.

43. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein in the passive state, the apparatus is configured to receive the heartbeat signal from the pooled second node(s) via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association.

44. Apparatus The apparatus of claim 33, the apparatus being configured to send and receive individual heartbeat messages of a heartbeat signal via ones of the pooled second nodes on a round robin basis.

45. An apparatus configured to operate within a communications network as one of a set of pooled second nodes serving one or more first nodes, the apparatus being further configured to receive a heartbeat signal from an active pool proxy and to relay the heartbeat signal to a passive pool proxy.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the pooled second nodes are server nodes of a second network, and wherein the one or more first nodes are nodes of a first network.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the second network is a core network and wherein the first network is a radio access network.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the apparatus is configured to relay the heartbeat signal via one of a M3UA or SCCP relay.

49. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the apparatus is a Mobile Switching Centre.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate as a Media Gateway Controller using a Gateway Control Protocol to control Media Gateways implemented at both the passive and active pool proxies.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the apparatus is configured to convey the heartbeat signal to the passive pool proxy via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association, and wherein the Stream Control Transmission Protocol association is shared with a Gateway Control Protocol interface.

52. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the heartbeat signal from the active pool proxy via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association, and wherein the Stream Control Transmission Protocol association is shared with a Gateway Control Protocol interface.

53. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the apparatus is configured to convey the heartbeat signal to the passive pool proxy via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association.

54. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the heartbeat signal from the active pool proxy via a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association.

55. Apparatus according to claim 53, the Stream Control Transmission Protocol association being shared with an interface for carrying control signaling to and from the first node.

56. A method of providing redundancy within a communication network comprising two or more pool proxies routing signaling traffic between a first node and one of a set of pooled second nodes, the method comprising:

maintaining one of the pool proxies in an active state towards the first node;

maintaining the other pool proxy in a passive state towards the first node;

sending a heartbeat signal from the active pool proxy to the passive pool proxy via one or more of the pooled second nodes; and

activating the passive proxy towards the first node in the event that the heartbeat signal is not received at the passive proxy.

57. The method of claim 56, further comprising routing the heartbeat signals via the pooled second nodes on a round robin basis.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein the first node is a node of a first network and the pooled second nodes are nodes of a second network.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein

the first network is a radio access network;

second network is a core network;

the pool proxies are Mobile Switching Center pool proxies;

the pooled second nodes are Mobile Switching Center servers; and

the radio access network node is one of a Base Station Controller and a Radio Network Controller.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the pool proxy is implemented at a Media Gateway which communicates with Media Gateway Controller functionality implemented at the Mobile Switching Centre servers.

61. The method of claim 59, further comprising sending heartbeat signals from the active pool proxy to the pooled second node(s) over a Stream Control Transmission Protocol association shared with an interface for carrying control signaling to and from the radio access network node.

62. A method of providing redundancy within a communication network comprising two or more pool proxies routing signaling traffic between a first node and one of a set of pooled second nodes, the method comprising, at one of the pool proxies:

maintaining the proxy in a passive state towards the first node;

receiving a heartbeat signal from one or more of the pooled second nodes; and

activating the pool proxy towards the first node in the event that the heartbeat signal is not received.

63. A method of providing redundancy within a communication network comprising two or more pool proxies routing signaling traffic between a first node and one of a set of pooled second nodes, the method comprising, at one of the pooled second nodes:

receiving a heartbeat signal from one of the pool proxies; and

relaying the heartbeat signal to another of the pool proxies.

64. 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 provide redundancy within a communication network comprising two or more pool proxies routing signaling traffic between a first node and one of a set of pooled second nodes by performing the steps of:

maintaining one of the pool proxies in an active state towards the first node;

maintaining the other pool proxy in a passive state towards the first node;

sending a heartbeat signal from the active pool proxy to the passive pool proxy via one or more of the pooled second nodes; and

activating the passive proxy towards the first node in the event that the heartbeat signal is not received at the passive proxy.