Frame relay access device and method for transporting SS7 information between signaling points

• US 5,974,052 A
• Filed: 05/10/1996
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tekelec Global, Inc. (Oracle Corporation), Transaction Network Services Incorporated (Trident Private Holdings I LLC)
• Original Assignee: USTN Services
• Inventors: Johnson, Bruce E., Pedersen, Craig C., Sherwood, Jesse, Ravishankar, Venkataramaiah, Long, Virgil E., Mueller, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US08/644,264
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 370/467, 370/395, 370/389, 370/352, 370/524, 370/522, 370/465, 370/466, 370/469, 370/473, 370/468, 370/521, 370/471, 370/474, 370/477, 370/401, 370/335, 370/537, 370/398 , 370/397, 370/399, 379/230, 379/231, 379/219, 379/225, 379/232, 379/233, 379/234
• US Class Current: 370/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

An enhanced frame relay access device (FRAD) capable of bidirectional interfacing between Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol and Frame Relay protocol is utilized to economically transport SS7 signaling and link management information between SS7 networks via a Frame Relay protocol digital communications network. In an outgoing data transfer, the enhanced SS7 FRAD interface determines and eliminates redundant signaling unit information found in an SS7 data stream before packaging the essential information into a frame "payload" and introducing the frame into the Frame Relay network. For incoming data transfers, the SS7 FRAD extracts the frame payload data and regenerates the appropriate SS7 signaling units to maintain a continuous and synchronous data stream on the SS7 network. In the event communications with an SS7 facility is not possible (for example, an SS7 network or facility is down), the SS7 FRAD communicates its operational status to other SS7 FRADs by sending a proprietary coordination and status information frame across the Frame Relay network. A plurality of SS7 FRADs are configurable to provide multiple efficient links between different SS7 facilities over the Frame Relay network. In addition, each FRAD is individually customized to provide special functions such as encryption/decryption and data compression/decompression.

Claims

1. A method for transporting system No. 7 (SS7) signaling units and link management information between SS7 network elements, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving an SS7 synchronous data stream from an SS7 network element;

(b) distinguishing essential SS7 signaling units from redundant signaling units within the received SS7 data stream;

(c) ignoring said redundant data signaling units and encapsulating essential data signaling units in frame packet form consistent with conventional frame relay network protocol; and

(d) introducing frames of encapsulated data signaling units from step (c) into a frame relay network for reception by a frame relay access device capable of interfacing to an SS7 network.

2. A method for communicating a signaling system No.7 (SS7) protocol data stream between remotely located SS7 network elements, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving an SS7 protocol data stream from an SS7 network;

(b) distinguishing redundant data from essential data within the received SS7 data stream;

(c) encapsulating essential data in a frame packet form consistent with conventional frame relay network protocol and disregarding the redundant data; and

(d) sending said encapsulated data over a frame relay network for reception by a frame relay access device capable of interfacing between said frame relay network and an SS7 signaling point.