Methods, systems, and computer readable media for inter-diameter-message processor routing

• US 8,478,828 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tekelec, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Craig, Jeffrey Alan, Kanode, Mark Edward, Karmarkar, Kedar Kashinath, Sprague, David Michael, Tomar, Mahesh, Wallace, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US13/025,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/220, 709/224, 709/228, 370/352, 370/354
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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

According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for routing Diameter messages. The method includes steps occurring at a Diameter signaling router (DSR) comprising a plurality of Diameter message processors. The method also includes receiving, by a first of the plurality of Diameter message processors and from a first Diameter node, a Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is received via a first Diameter connection. The method further includes determining, by the first Diameter message processor, a next-hop Diameter node for the Diameter message. The method further includes communicating, by the first of the plurality of Diameter message processors and to a second of the plurality of Diameter message processors, the Diameter message. The method further includes communicating, by the second Diameter message processor and to the next-hop Diameter node, the Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is communicated via a second Diameter connection.

Claims

1. A method for routing Diameter messages, the method comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router (DSR) comprising a plurality of Diameter message processors;

receiving, by a first of the plurality of Diameter message processors and from a first Diameter node, a Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is received via a first Diameter connection;

determining, by the first Diameter message processor, a next-hop Diameter node for the Diameter message;

communicating, by the first Diameter message processor and to a second of the plurality of Diameter message processors, the Diameter message; and

communicating, by the second Diameter message processor and to the next-hop Diameter node, the Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is communicated via a second Diameter connection, wherein the first Diameter message processor adds an inter-message processor routing tag identifier to the Diameter message before sending the message to the second Diameter message processor and wherein the second Diameter message processor uses the inter-message processor routing tag to identify the message as being directed to it and as not requiring another Diameter routing lookup.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second Diameter message processor is configured to communicate the Diameter message based on the determination made by the first Diameter message processor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first Diameter node and the next-hop Diameter node are peers of the first and second Diameter message processors, respectively, and are respectively connected to the first and next-hop Diameter nodes using the first and second Diameter connections.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second Diameter message processors are not connected to each other via a Diameter connection.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second Diameter message processors share or access a common Diameter peer routing table.

6. The method of claim 1 each of the first and second Diameter message processors includes a peer routing table.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first Diameter message processor appears to the first Diameter node having a first Diameter identity and the second Diameter message processor appears to the next-hop Diameter node as having a second Diameter identity, the first and second Diameter identities being different from each other.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second Diameter message processors appear to the first Diameter node and the next-hop Diameter node as a single Diameter node having a single Diameter identity, the single Diameter identity being associated with the DSR.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second of the plurality of Diameter message processors comprises one of:

a distinct message processing module of a distributed computing platform;

a computing blade in a blade-based distributed computing platform;

a processing core element associated with a single or multi-core computing device; and

a virtual node instantiated on a single physical message processing / computing device.

10. A system for routing Diameter messages, the system comprising:

a Diameter signaling router (DSR) including;

first and second Diameter message processors, wherein the first Diameter message processor is configured to;

receive, from a first Diameter node and via a first Diameter connection, a Diameter message;

determine a next-hop Diameter node for the Diameter message;

and

communicate, to the second Diameter message processor, the Diameter message, and wherein the second Diameter message processor is configured to communicate to the next-hop Diameter node, via a second Diameter connection, the Diameter message, wherein the first Diameter message processor adds an inter-message processor routing tag identifier to the Diameter message before sending the message to the second Diameter message processor and wherein the second Diameter message processor uses the inter-message processor routing tag to identify the message as being directed to it and as not requiring another Diameter routing lookup.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the second Diameter message processor is configured to communicate the Diameter message based on the determination made by the first Diameter message processor.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the first Diameter node and the next-hop Diameter node are peers of the first and second Diameter message processors, respectively, and are respectively connected to the first and next-hop Diameter nodes using the first and second Diameter connections.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the first and second Diameter message processors are not connected to each other via a Diameter connection.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the first and second Diameter message processors share or access a common Diameter peer routing table.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein each of the first and second Diameter message processors includes a peer routing table.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the first Diameter message processor appears to the first Diameter node as having a first Diameter identity and the second Diameter message processor appears to the next-hop Diameter node as having a second Diameter identity, the first and second Diameter identities being different from each other.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the first and second Diameter message processors appear to the first Diameter node and the next-hop Diameter node as a single Diameter node having a single Diameter identity, the single Diameter identity being associated with the DSR.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of the first and second Diameter message processors comprises one of:

a distinct message processing module of a distributed computing platform;

a computing blade in a blade-based distributed computing platform;

a processor core element associated with a single or multi-core computing device; and

a virtual node instantiated on a single physical message processing / computing device.

19. A system for routing Diameter messages, the system comprising:

a first Diameter node;

a second Diameter node; and

a Diameter signaling router (DSR), wherein the DSR appears to the first Diameter node as a first Diameter peer having a first Diameter identity and the DSR appears to the second Diameter node as a second Diameter peer having a second Diameter identity, the second Diameter identity and the first Diameter identity being different, wherein the DSR comprises a first Diameter message processor and a second Diameter message processor, wherein the first Diameter message processor adds an inter-message processor routing tag identifier to the Diameter message before sending the message to the second Diameter message processor and wherein the second Diameter message processor uses the inter-message processor routing tag to identify the message as being directed to it and as not requiring another Diameter routing lookup.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router (DSR) comprising a plurality of Diameter message processors;

receiving, by a first of the plurality of Diameter message processors and from a first Diameter node, a Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is received via a first Diameter connection;

determining, by the first Diameter message processor, a next-hop Diameter node for the Diameter message;

communicating, by the first Diameter message processor and to a second of the plurality of Diameter message processors, the Diameter message; and

communicating, by the second Diameter message processor and to the next-hop Diameter node, the Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is communicated via a second Diameter connection, wherein the first Diameter message processor adds an inter-message processor routing tag identifier to the Diameter message before sending the message to the second Diameter message processor and wherein the second Diameter message processor uses the inter-message processor routing tag to identify the message as being directed to it and as not requiring another Diameter routing lookup.