Deploying service modules among service nodes distributed in an intelligent network

• US 7,366,768 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Robb, Terence A., Porter, Kelvin R., Holmes, Allen, Dugan, Andrew, Deo, Ajay P.
• Primary Examiner(s): MEKY, MOUSTAFA M
• Application Number:
  US11/020,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-229, 379/15.02, 379/114.29, 379/221.08
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager

Abstract

A method and apparatus for deploying and activating services in a communications network. In the context of a communications network that deploys service functionality by distributing managed software objects to service processing nodes, the present invention relates to selectively dispensing managed objects from a central repository and coordinating the instantaneous activation or deactivation of services throughout the network. Furthermore, where a managed object service creation environment is coupled to such a network, the method and apparatus of the present invention provides security, hack-up, and version control of managed objects and other network data stored in the repository.

Claims

1. A service administration system for distributing service processing resources among service nodes of an intelligent communications network, each of the service nodes providing services at a network resource associated with the service node, the system comprising:

a database to store a plurality of re-usable service components and service profiles associated with the service components, each of the service components being associated with a service and one of the service profiles defining service node resources required for executing the service;

a distribution mechanism to distribute a copy of one of the service components to one or more of the service nodes according to the associated service profile and configuration data that specifies capabilities of the one or more service nodes; and

a trigger mechanism to automatically activate and deactivate the service component at the one or more service nodes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the service profiles includes a specified time range indication for indicating when a particular service is to be performed at one of the service nodes.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the service nodes includes a computing system and a service component to perform a particular service when an event requiring the particular service is received.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the database further stores customer specific data associated with the service components, the customer specific data being distributed to the service nodes for provision of customer specific services at the service nodes.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising one or more interface devices to receive the customer specific data, one of the service profiles, and configuration data that specifies service node capabilities.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

an inventory manager device to receive the customer specific data, service components and associated service profiles, and the configuration data from the one or more interface devices, assign unique logical names to the service components, and forward the service components for storage in the database;

wherein the trigger mechanism identifies the customer specific data and service components and associated service profiles by the unique names for initiating activation and deactivation at the one or more service nodes.

7. The system of claim 6, further including a registry device at one of the service nodes for registering the unique logical names with a location-independent communication system providing intra-node and inter-node communication.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the unique logical names includes a version number of one of the service components, each of the service components receiving a unique version number for multiple versions of the service component.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a unique logical name of a particular one of the service components includes a user name identifier representing an originator of the particular service component;

the system further includes means for mapping a user name identifier with its associated unique logical name, whereby a variety of external systems is enabled to request a copy of a selected one or more service components by at least one of the user name identifier or the unique logical name.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the database includes one or more database formats;

wherein the system further includes;

a database manager device for receiving requests to perform database functions on service components stored in the database, the database manager device including;

a processing engine for performing the database functions upon the requested service components, the processing engine using the unique logical name associated with one of the requested service components to adapt a requested database function to a specific database format to enable the requested database function to be performed.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein one of the database functions includes one or more of:

adding service components to the database, deleting service components from the database, and modifying service components included in the database.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the distribution mechanism includes a device for generating requests for distributing service components from the database to one or more of the service nodes, the requests being generated according to the associated service profiles and the configuration data associated with the one or more service nodes;

the processing engine receiving the requests from the distribution mechanism and performing a database function for retrieving the requested service components from the database, wherein the processing engine uses the unique logical name to adapt a requested database function to a specific database format to enable retrieval of a requested service component.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an audit mechanism for automatically identifying inconsistencies between one of the service components stored in the database and one of the service component copies distributed to one of the service nodes, the audit mechanism including a re-synchronizer for updating service component copies at the service nodes with current versions upon determinations of inconsistencies.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the re-synchronizer executes during system idle time.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the re-synchronizer executes according to a predetermined schedule and during real-time service execution in the system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the re-synchronizer provides an executing service object with a key to perform a database lookup for an extracted service component in a local memory of one of the service nodes, the executing service object performing a database look-up in the local memory and including a device for generating a trigger signal when a service component is not found in the local memory, whereby a data re-synchronization is performed upon detection of the trigger signal.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a monitoring device for recording activity in relation to receiving, storing, distributing, and auditing of service components and service profiles.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the service nodes comprises:

a data server for receiving the service components distributed by the distribution mechanism and storing the service components in a first memory device,

a cache manager device for provisioning service components from the first memory device to a second memory device locally accessible by currently executing service components in performance of a service at the service node, and

a client interface object for retrieving data from the second memory device in support of a currently executing service component at the service node, and initiating retrieval of requested data from the first memory device via the cache manager device when requested data is unavailable in the second memory device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the cache manger device implements a client side local caching strategy for storing service components in the second memory device, wherein the cache manager device dynamically allocates space in the second memory device when caching data from the first memory device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein upon receiving a request for data, the client interface object determines if the requested data may be retrieved from the second memory device or from the first memory device.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the data server comprises a mechanism for receiving a service activation trigger, activating the service, and responding with a success indication indicating successful activation of a service component distributed to the service node or a failure indication indicating unsuccessful activation of the service component.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the data server further comprises a mechanism for receiving a deactivation trigger request, deactivating a service component corresponding to the deactivation trigger request, and responding with a success indication indicating successful deactivation of the service component or a failure indication indicating unsuccessful deactivation of the service component.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the service nodes further includes a mechanism for replicating data updated during service component processing for distribution to first and second memory devices at other ones of the service nodes and the database.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the service nodes further includes a mechanism for gathering event and call history data pertaining to data requests and service activity at the service node, and generating billing records for downstream billing systems.

25. A method for administering service components to service nodes of an intelligent network, each of the service nodes providing one or more services relating to an event received at a network resource associated with the service node, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of re-usable service components and service profiles associated with the service components in a database, each of the service components being associated with a service and one of the service profiles defining service node resources required for executing the service;

distributing a copy of one of the service components to one or more of the service nodes according to the associated service profile and configuration data that specifies capabilities of the one or more service nodes; and

automatically activating and deactivating the service component at the one or more service nodes.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

storing customer specific data in the database; and

provisioning customer specific services at one of the service nodes by distributing the customer specific data to the service node in addition to one or more of the service components associated with the customer specific services.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

assigning unique logical names to the service components; and

storing the service components in the database, the service components and their associated service profiles being identified by the unique logical names for initiating their activation and deactivation at one of the service nodes.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the database includes one or more database formats, the method comprising:

receiving requests to perform database functions upon service components stored in the database; and

performing the database functions upon the requested service components by using the unique logical names to adapt requested database functions to a specific database format to enable the requested database functions to be performed.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein distributing a copy of one of the service components includes:

receiving a request for distributing a service component from the database to one or more of the service nodes, the request being generated according to predefined configuration data specifying service capabilities at each of the one or more service nodes, and

performing a database function of retrieving the service component from the database based on the request by using the unique logical name for adapting the database function to a specific database format used to enable retrieval of the requested service component.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

automatically identifying inconsistencies between service components stored in the database and service component copies distributed to the one or more service nodes; and

updating service component copies at the one or more service nodes with current versions upon determinations of inconsistencies.