DYNAMIC REACTION TO DIAMETER ROUTING FAILURES

• US 20140003225A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent Canada Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: MANN, Robert Alexander, COLAVITI, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,602,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/216
• 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 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery

Abstract

A method for dynamic reaction to DIAMETER routing failures is disclosed. The method for dynamic reaction to DIAMETER routing failures includes receiving a DIAMETER message, calculating a statistic associated with the route of the message, testing if the message is an unable_to_deliver message type, and if it is, testing the calculated statistic against a criterion. In the event the statistic exceeds the criterion, an action pertinent to the route which had a delivery failure is taken. The method for dynamic reaction to DIAMETER routing failures provides for dynamic management of routes at the node level in response to delivery failures. The method for dynamic reaction to DIAMETER routing failures is particularly useful for overcoming bandwidth usage in terms of delivery failures known in the art.

Claims

1. A method performed by a DIAMETER Routing Agent (DRA) for processing a DIAMETER message associated with an original respective route, the method comprising:

receiving said DIAMETER message at the DRA;

generating a statistic associated with the type of said DIAMETER message;

testing if said DIAMETER message is an unable_to_deliver message, and if said test is affirmative, then

testing if said statistic exceeds a specified criterion, and if said test is affirmative, then

taking a prespecified action.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said statistic is associated to said original respective route associated with said DIAMETER message.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said statistic is associated to said peer through which said original respective route traverses.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said statistic comprises the number of unable_to_deliver messages in a specified number of sequential messages.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein

said criterion is a quantity of unable_to_deliver messages in a specified number of sequential messages.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said statistic comprises the number of unable_to_deliver messages in a specified time interval.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein

said criterion is a quantity of unable_to_deliver messages in a specified time interval.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said statistic comprises the percentage of unable_to_deliver messages in a specified time interval.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein

said criterion is a percentage of unable_to_deliver messages in a specified time interval.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of removing the original respective route from the routing database of said DRA.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of disabling the original respective route in the routing database of said DRA.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of removing the peer associated with original respective route from the routing database of said DRA.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of disabling the peer associated with original respective route from the routing database of said DRA.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of temporarily quarantining for a preset period of time the original respective route from the routing database of said DRA.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said preset period of time is user configurable.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of temporarily quarantining for a preset period of time the peer associated with original respective route from the routing database of said DRA.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said preset period of time is user configurable.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of lowering the priority of the original respective route from the routing database of said DRA.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step of lowering the priority of routes through the peer associated with original respective route from the routing database of said DRA.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step generating a log.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prespecified action comprises the step generating an SNMP trap.

22. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium encoded with instructions for execution by a DIAMETER Routing Agent (DRA) for processing a DIAMETER message associated with an original respective route, the medium comprising:

instructions for receiving a DIAMETER message associated with an original respective route at the DRA;

instructions for generating a statistic associated with the type of said DIAMETER message;

instructions for testing if said DIAMETER message is an unable_to_deliver message, and if said test is affirmative, then

instructions for testing if said statistic exceeds a specified criterion, and if said test is affirmative, then

instructions for taking a prespecified action.