Systems and methods for providing centralized subscriber session state information

• US 8,494,520 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Canadian Managed Services Inc. (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Bridgewater Systems Corp. (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Foottit, Tom A., Upton, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): CAO, DIEM K
• Application Number:
  US11/878,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20090025010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: 707/821, 455/435.1, 370/236
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing centralized subscriber session state information are provided. The system includes multiple local session state store servers associated with one or more access control servers and a global location store. When access to a network is attempted, the local session state store server receives an access request message and creates a local session state store record, including a user identifier and information associated with the requested session. The local session state store server also transmits a location message to the global location store. Upon receipt of the location message, the global location store creates a record including the user identifier and a network address for the local session state store server having the session state information for the user. An application requiring user session information can access the global location store and the multiple local session state store servers via a common application programming interface.

Claims

1. A method for providing centralized subscriber session information, comprising:

receiving, at a global state store server, a plurality of global state location messages, each global state location message including a session user identifier and a location of session information for a user session including an address of a local state store server storing session information describing a state of the user session, wherein at least two of the plurality of global state location messages are from different originators;

for each of the plurality of global state location messages, creating a global state location record in the global state store server including the received session user identifier and the location of session information for the user session including the address of the local state store server storing the session information describing the state of the user session, the session information including data related to where a user associated with the user session came onto a network and further including data relating to when access to the network was requested by the user;

receiving, at the global state store server, a message requesting a location of session information for an application user identifier, where the message is received in response to a user device of the user initiating an application which requires the state of the user session, and where the application sends the message requesting the location of the session information utilizing a session state application programming interface (API);

identifying a plurality of global state location records having a session user identifier matching the received application user identifier;

transmitting, for each of the identified global state location records, the location of session information for the user session, including the address of the local state store server storing the session information describing the state of the user session, included in the identified global state location records, where the location of session information for each of the identified global state location records is transmitted to the session state application programming interface (API) that generates a query to the local state store server associated with the identified global state location records to obtain the session information for each user session; and

deleting a global state location record from the global state store server when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since creation of the global state location record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of global state location messages further comprises:

receiving a first global state location message from a first local state store server, wherein the first local state store server transmits the first global state location message upon receipt of an access request proxy message from an access control server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of global state location messages further comprises:

receiving a first global state location message from a first local state store server, wherein the first local state store server transmits the first global state location message upon receipt of an access request message from a network access server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the access request proxy message is a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) message.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the access request proxy message is a remote authentication dial in user service (RADIUS) message.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the access request proxy message is a DIAMETER message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of session state information for the user session is a network address of a local state store server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of global state location messages further comprises:

receiving a plurality of global state location messages from a plurality of local state store servers, wherein at least two of the plurality of local state store servers are in different networks.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message requesting the location of session information for the application user identifier comprises:

receiving a message requesting the location of session information for an application user identifier from the session state application programming interface (API), wherein the session state application programming interface (API) is configured to access session information generated by a plurality of different access request protocols.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each session user identifier uniquely identifies at least one of a user and a device, for a period of time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the global state store server stores data related to the location of session information from the plurality of global state location messages associated with a plurality of users and further supports a plurality of local state stores.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the session user identifiers included in the global state location messages are the same as a corresponding user identifier included in the local state store server storing session information describing the state of the user session.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the session user identifiers included in the global state location messages are different than a corresponding user identifier included in the local state store server storing session information describing the state of the user session.

14. A method for providing centralized subscriber session information in a local state store server, comprising:

receiving a plurality of access request proxy messages at a local state store server, each access request proxy message including a session user identifier;

for each of the plurality of access request proxy messages, creating a local session state record in the local state store server including the received session user identifier and session information describing a state of an associated session, the session information including data related to where a user of the associated session came onto a network and further including data relating to when access to the network was requested by the user;

for each of the plurality of access request proxy messages, and in response to the creation of the local session state records, transmitting a global location update message to a global state store server, wherein the global location update message includes the session user identifier and a network address for the local state store server storing the local session state record including the received session user identifier and the session information describing the state of the associated session;

receiving, at the local state store server, a message requesting session state information for an application user identifier, wherein the message is directed to the local state store server based upon a determination from the global state store server, using the application user identifier, of the network address for the local state store server storing the local session state record including the received session user identifier and the session information describing the state of the associated session, wherein the message is forwarded from the global state store server to the local state store server, and wherein the message is generated in response to a user device of the user initiating an application which requires the state of the associated session;

identifying a local session state record having a session user identifier matching the received application user identifier;

transmitting the requested session state information included in the identified local session state record; and

deleting a local session state record when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since creation of the local session state record;

wherein the message requesting session state information includes a query sent to the local state store server by a session state application programming interface (API) that is provided the network address for the local state store server;

wherein the network address for the local state store server is determined by the global state store server in response to a message requesting the network address received from the application utilizing the session state application programming interface (API).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a plurality of access request proxy messages further comprises:

receiving a first dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) access request proxy message.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a plurality of access request proxy messages further comprises:

receiving a first remote authentication dial in user service (RADIUS) message.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a plurality of access request proxy messages further comprises:

receiving a first DIAMETER message.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deleting a local session state record upon receipt of an indication that the associated user session has ended.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a message requesting session state information for an application user identifier comprises:

receiving a message requesting session state information for an application user identifier from the session state application programming interface (API), wherein the session state application programming interface (API) is configured to access session information generated by a plurality of different access request protocols.