Overload control for an integrated MSC/HLR switch

• US 5,867,787 A
• Filed: 07/31/1995
• Issued: 02/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovation Company Limited Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Basu, Kalyan, Vudali, Madhusudham, Racz, Steven W., Bird, Stephen, Rehman, Imran
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US08/509,136
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 379/57, 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 455/33, 455/33.1, 455/423, 455/424, 455/429, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/436, 455/453, 455/507, 455/514, 455/525, 455/560, 455/561, 455/445, 455/438, 340/825.5
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13344 Overflow
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13387 Call gapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

An integrated MSC/HLR switch accommodates overloads by throttling peripherals during MSC overload conditions, and halting TCAP messages and throttling peripherals during HLR overload conditions.

Claims

1. A system for countering overload conditions in an integrated Mobile Switching Center (MSC)\Home Location Register (HLR) switch receiving MSC and HLR messages, the system comprising:

a CPU with an HLR portion and an MSC portion;

the HLR portion including

database means for storing HLR configuration information,

HLR overload detect means for generating an HLR overload condition signal in response to an HLR overload condition;

the MSC portion including

means for routing MSC messages,

MSC overload detect means for detecting the presence of an MSC overload condition and for generating an MSC overload condition signal in response to the MSC overload condition, and

throttling means, responsive to the HLR overload condition signal and the MSC overload condition signal, for signaling the need for reducing the number of MSC messages received by the switch; and

peripheral devices, coupled to the CPU, said peripheral devices including means for limiting the messages sent to the CPU in response to the throttling means.

2. The switch of claim 1 wherein the throttling means includes

means, responsive to the HLR overload condition signal, for signalling selected ones of the peripherals to stop sending MSC messages.

3. The switch of claim 2 wherein a plurality of peripherals connect to the switch, and

wherein the throttling means includes means, responsive to the HLR overload condition signal and the timer means, for signalling different groups of selected ones of the peripherals to stop sending MSC messages.