Scalability of providing packet flow management

• US 8,724,463 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Kaitki, Ghai, Rajat
• Primary Examiner(s): Mesfin, Yemane
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, KHOA B
• Application Number:
  US11/952,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20080137671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/72 Routing based on the source address
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/912 Applications of a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/918 Location

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing packet flows in a communication network are provided. Packet information can be cached on different levels and used to avoid external queries. The cache information can also be correlated with other types of information, such as location information, to be able to serve that information quicker than if one or more external queries were to be made. A demux manager can provide routing and session setup, by routing packets that already have a session to the session manager and assigning packets to a session manager if they are not already assigned to a session. The tiered architecture also provides scalability to many users and minimizes delays even during high call volumes because the load can be distributed well across the gateway'"'"'s resources.

Claims

1. A gateway in a communication network for communicating with users and for routing incoming packets comprising:

one or more process instances each of which is configured to (i) cache information relating to sessions the respective process instance is handling, wherein the information is cached in a computer readable medium in the gateway, and (ii) to route incoming packets to destination addresses;

a network processing unit (NPU) having one or more NPU flows, wherein a NPU flow is a module implemented on the NPU configured to route incoming packets relating to a first session to a first process instance from the one or more process instances that corresponds to the first session based on a match between the incoming packets and information cached at the NPU flow, and wherein the NPU is configured to route incoming packets to the demux manager if the incoming packets do not match the information cached at any of the one or more NPU flows; and

a demux manager configured to;

(i) route incoming packets received from the NPU relating to a second session to a second process instance from the one or more process instances that corresponds to the second session based on a match between the incoming packets received from the NPU and information cached at the demux manager,

(ii) receive registration requests from an unregistered mobile node, assign the mobile node to a third process instance from the one or more process instances, and cache information related to the unregistered mobile node at the demux manager, wherein the demux manager is configured to perform load balancing by assigning the mobile node based on load information of the one or more process instances, and

(iii) dynamically add new process instances depending on the load information of the one or more process instances,

wherein the NPU flows reduce load on the demux manager by relieving the demux manager from having to inspect each incoming packet.

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the demux manager is further configured to provide direction handling of incoming session initiation protocol (SIP) packets to destinations internal to the gateway and destinations external to the gateway.

3. The gateway of claim 2, wherein the destinations external to the gateway include a serving-call session control function (S-CSCF).

4. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the one or more process instances are session managers, and wherein any of the first process instance, the second process instance, and the third process instance are the same process instance.

5. The gateway of claim 1, further comprising a call session control function (CSCF) core that is configured to receive an indication from the demux manager of which CSCF function processing to perform on a packet at least some of the incoming packets.

6. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the load information of the one or more process instances includes at least one of a number of active sessions, a number of dormant sessions, a number of outstanding requests, a round trip time, and a load on a processing unit where a process instance is running.

7. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the NPU flows are implemented at least one of partially on a dedicated hardware device and wholly on a dedicated hardware device.

8. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the gateway is used in a Voice-over-IP voice communications network.

9. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the NPU is implemented at least one of partially on a dedicated hardware device and wholly on a dedicated hardware device.

10. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the one or more process instances can act as SIP registrars.

11. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the demux manager uses a proprietary parameter inserted into a SIP message to route at least some of the incoming packets.

12. A method of processing packets comprising:

receiving a packet corresponding to a session at a network processing unit (NPU) residing on a gateway;

if the packet matches an NPU flow, sending the packet from the NPU to a first process instance corresponding to the session, the first process instance belonging to a set of one or more process instances;

if the packet does not match an NPU flow, sending the packet from the NPU to a demux manager;

analyzing the packet at the demux manager to determine if the session is a previously established session;

if the session is a previously established session, sending the packet from the demux manager to a second process instance corresponding to the session, the second process instance belonging to the set of process instances;

if the session is not a previously established session;

assigning the packet to a third process instance based on load information of at least some process instances in the set of process instances, the third process instance belonging to the set of process instances,

sending the packet from the demux manager to the third process instance,

storing contact information relating to the packet in a cache at the demux manager, and

setting up a new NPU flow in the NPU with the contact information; and

dynamically adding a new process instance to the set of process instances depending on the load information;

thereby reducing load on the demux manager by relieving the demux manager from having to analyze each incoming packet.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each process instance in the set of process instances is a session manager, and wherein any of the first process instance, the second process instance, and the third process instance are the same process instance.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving an indication from the demux manager at a call session control function (CSCF) core regarding which CSCF function processing to perform on the packet.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the load information includes at least one of a number of active sessions, a number of dormant sessions, a number of outstanding requests, a round trip time, and a load on a processing unit where a process instance is running.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the network processing unit is implemented at least one of partially on a dedicated hardware device and wholly on a dedicated hardware device.

17. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory media for execution and when executed operable to:

receive a packet corresponding to a session at a network processing unit (NPU) residing on a gateway;

if the packet matches an NPU flow, send the packet from the NPU to a first process instance corresponding to the session, the first process instance belonging to a set of one or more process instances;

if the packet does not match an NPU flow, send the packet from the NPU to a demux manager;

analyze the packet at the demux manager to determine if the session is a previously established session;

if the session is a previously established session, send the packet from the demux manager to a second process instance corresponding to the session, the second process instance belonging to the set of process instances;

if the session is not a previously established session;

assign the packet to a third process instance based on load information of at least some process instances in the set of process instances, the third process instance belonging to the set of process instances,

send the packet from the demux manager to the third process instance,

store contact information relating to the packet in a cache at the demux manager, and

set up a new NPU flow in the NPU with the contact information; and

dynamically add a new process instance to the set of process instances depending on the load information;

thereby reducing load on the demux manager by relieving the demux manager from having to analyze each incoming packet.

18. The logic of claim 17, wherein each process instance in the set of process instances is a session manager, and wherein any of the first process instance, the second process instance, and the third process instance are the same process instance.

19. The logic of claim 17, further comprising logic operable to receive an indication from the demux manager at a call session control function (CSCF) core regarding which CSCF function processing to perform on the packet.

20. The logic of claim 17, wherein the load information includes at least one of a number of active sessions, a number of dormant sessions, a number of outstanding requests, a round trip time, and a load on a processing unit where a process instance is running.