METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR PERFORMING DIAMETER ANSWER MESSAGE-BASED NETWORK MANAGEMENT AT A DIAMETER SIGNALING ROUTER (DSR)

• US 20110199906A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: McCann, Thmoas M., Marsico, Peter Joseph, Kanode, Mark Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,792,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/028 Dynamic adaptation of the update intervals, e.g. event-triggered updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/304 Route determination for signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for performing Diameter answer message-based network management at a Diameter signaling router (DSR) are disclosed. According to one method, a Diameter answer message that includes error indicator information is received from a first Diameter node at a DSR. The error indicator information included in the Diameter answer message is examined, at the DSR, and information based on the error indicator information is used to update status information for routes maintained by the DSR to the first Diameter node.

Claims

1. A method for providing answer message-based network management, the method comprising:

receiving, at a Diameter signaling router (DSR), a first Diameter answer message from a first Diameter node, wherein the first Diameter answer message includes error indicator information;

examining, at the DSR, the error indicator information included in the first Diameter answer message; and

using the error indicator information to update status information for routes maintained by the DSR to the first Diameter node.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising generating, by the DSR, a network management message based on the error indicator information received from the first Diameter node and communicating the network management message to other Diameter nodes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the error indicator information indicates that the first answer message cannot be immediately delivered to a peer because a transport layer queue for the peer is full or congested.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising buffering the first answer message for a configurable time period X1.

5. The method of claim 4 comprising forwarding the buffered answer message to the peer if the peer'"'"'s status changes before the configurable time period X1 expires.

6. The method of claim 4 comprising attempting to forward the buffered answer message, if the configurable time period X1 expires and the peer'"'"'s status is available, until the buffer is flushed or another blocking condition occurs.

7. The method of claim 4 comprising discarding the first answer message once the time period X1 expires.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising receiving, the DSR, a first Diameter request message sent by a second Diameter node, wherein the first Diameter request message is destined for the first Diameter node;

in response to receiving the first Diameter request message, generating a second Diameter answer message on behalf of the first Diameter node, wherein the second Diameter answer message includes information based on at least a portion of the error indicator information included in the first Diameter answer message; and

communicating the second answer message to the second Diameter node.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the error indicator information identifies an affected application subsystem associated with a Diameter node.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein using the error indication information to update the status information includes updating status information maintained by each of a plurality of message processors of the DSR.

11. A method for unsolicited network management information communication, the method comprising:

establishing, by a Diameter signaling router (DSR), a lost answer message timer signifying a time period, after which, if an answer message responsive to a Diameter request message has not been received, it is determined that the answer message is lost;

updating Diameter network management information associated with the Diameter request message in response to determining that no Diameter answer message related to the Diameter request message was detected prior to the expiration of the lost answer message timer; and

communicating the Diameter network management information associated with the Diameter request message to one or more Diameter nodes in the network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein updating the Diameter network management information includes updating route status information maintained by each of a plurality of message processors of the DSR.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein updating the internal route or destination status information includes updating information indicating that a route or destination associated with the Diameter request message is one of congested, unavailable, unreachable, or not responding.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the interested Diameter peer node includes one of an a DSR, Diameter routing agent, Diameter proxy agent, Diameter translation agent, Diameter relay agent, Diameter redirect agent, Diameter application, Long Term Evolution (LTE) node, Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) node, Diameter client, or Diameter server.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein communicating the Diameter network management information includes statically provisioning one of a list, table, or database of subscribing and subscribed-to Diameter nodes at the DSR.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein communicating the Diameter network management information includes dynamically provisioning, in real-time at the DSR, one of a list, table, or database of subscribing and subscribed-to Diameter nodes in response to one or more interested Diameter nodes that wish to subscribe to network management information updates.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein communicating the Diameter network management information includes one of broadcast, multicast, and unicast.

18. A system for providing answer message-based network management, the system comprising:

a Diameter signaling router including;

a Diameter message processor associated for receiving a first Diameter answer message from a first Diameter node, wherein the first Diameter answer message includes error indicator information; and

a network management (NM) module for examining the error indicator information contained in the first Diameter answer message and using the error indicator information to update status information for routes maintained by the DSR to the first Diameter node.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the Diameter message processor is configured to generate a network management message based on the error indicator information received from the first Diameter node and to communicate the network management message to other nodes in the Diameter network.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the error indicator information indicates that the first answer message cannot be immediately delivered to a peer because a transport layer queue for the peer is full or congested.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the network management module is configured to buffer the first answer message for a configurable time period X1.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the network management module is configured to forward the buffered answer message to the peer if the peer'"'"'s status changes before the configurable time period X1 expires.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the network management module is configured to attempt to forward the buffered answer message, if the configurable time period X1 expires and the peer'"'"'s status is available, until the buffer is flushed or another blocking condition occurs.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the network management module is configured to establish a maximum answer message queue delay time period after expiration of which the answer message will be discarded.

25. The system of claim 18 wherein the network management module is configured for:

generating a second answer message on behalf of the first Diameter node in response to receiving the first Diameter request message, wherein the second answer message includes information based on at least a portion of the error indicator information included in the first Diameter answer message; and

communicating the second Diameter answer message to the second Diameter node.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the caching module is configured to identify an affected application subsystem associated with a Diameter node.

27. The system of claim 18 wherein using the error indication information to update the status information includes updating status information maintained by each of a plurality of message processors of the DSR.

28. A system for unsolicited network management information broadcast, the system comprising:

a Diameter signaling router (DSR) including;

a network management module for establishing a lost answer message timer signifying a time period, after which, if an answer message responsive to a Diameter request message has not been received, it is determined that the answer message is lost and for updating Diameter network management information associated with the Diameter request message in response to determining that no Diameter answer message related to the Diameter request message was detected prior to the expiration of the lost answer message timer; and

a Diameter message processor for communicating the Diameter network management information associated with the Diameter request message to one or more Diameter nodes in the network.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the network management module is configured to update route status information maintained by each of a plurality of message processors of the DSR in response to determining that no answer message related to the Diameter request message was recovered prior to the expiration of the lost answer message timer.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the network management module is configured to update information indicating that a route or destination associated with the Diameter request message is one of congested, unavailable, unreachable, or not responding.

31. The system of claim 28 wherein the interested Diameter peer node includes one of an a DSR, Diameter routing agent, Diameter proxy agent, Diameter translation agent, Diameter relay agent, Diameter redirect agent, Diameter application, Long Term Evolution (LTE) node, Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) node, Diameter client, or Diameter server.

32. The system of claim 28 wherein the network management module is configured to statically provision one of a list, table, or database of subscribing and subscribed-to Diameter nodes at the DSR.

33. The system of claim 28 wherein the network management module is configured to dynamically provision, in real-time at the DSR, one of a list, table, or database of subscribing and subscribed-to Diameter nodes in response to one or more interested Diameter nodes that wish to subscribe to network management information updates.

34. The system of claim 28 wherein the network management module is configured to one of broadcast, multicast, and unicast the Diameter network management information.

35. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and when executed by a processor of a computer performs steps comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router (DSR);

receiving, a Diameter answer message from a first Diameter node, wherein the Diameter answer message includes error indicator information;

examining the error indicator information included in the Diameter message; and

using the error indicator information to update status information for routes to the first Diameter node.

36. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and when executed by a processor of a computer performs steps comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router (DSR);

establishing, by the DSR, a lost answer message timer signifying a time period, after which, if an answer message responsive to a Diameter request message has not been received, it is determined that the answer message is lost;

updating Diameter network management information associated with the Diameter request message in response to determining that no Diameter answer message related to the Diameter request message was detected prior to the expiration of the lost answer message timer; and

communicating the Diameter network management information associated with the Diameter request message to one or more Diameter nodes in the network.