Call redundancy for a packet-based network

• US 8,913,520 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sonus Networks Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wung, Joseph, Globerson, Mark, St. Pierre, Mark, Riley, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): MITCHELL, DANIEL D
• Application Number:
  US11/447,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20070002842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,116 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1225 Details of core network interconnection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1255 where the switching fabric and the switching logic are decomposed such as in Media Gateway Control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

Methods, media gateways, and computer program products are described associated with call redundancy for a packet-based network. The described call redundancy involves a receiver module in communication with the packet-based network adapted to receive or transmit data associated with a plurality of calls from one or more signaling links. The data includes signaling information based on a publicly-switched telephone network (“PSTN”) standard. A first processor module is in communication with the receiver module and is adapted to process the data associated with the plurality of calls. A second processor module is in communication with the receiver module and the first processor module. The second processor module is adapted to receive at least a portion of the data associated with the plurality of calls. At least a portion of data maintained on the second processor module is synchronized with the corresponding data processed by the first processor module.

Claims

1. A media gateway comprising:

a receiver module, said receiver module of said media gateway in communication with a packet-based network and a publicly-switched telephone network, configured to receive or transmit data associated with a plurality of calls from one or more signaling links, the data including content information and signaling information, the signaling information being Signaling System 7 signaling information;

a first processor module, said first processor module of said media gateway in communication with the receiver module, the first processor module being coupled to the packet-based network an active communication link and being configured to;

i) received data associated with the plurality of calls from the receiver, ii) determine and maintain state information about the one or more signaling links, iii) process the content and signaling information associated with the plurality of calls based on the state information; and

iv) transmit said content information to a destination over the active communication link based on the signaling information processed by the first processor module; and

a second processor module, said second processor module of said media gateway in communication with the receiver module and the first processor module, the second processor module being coupled to the packet-based network by a standby communication link and being configured to i) receive in parallel with the first processor module data associated with the plurality of calls from the receiver, ii) process at least a portion of the signaling information associated with the plurality of calls asynchronously and in parallel with the processing of the signaling information in the first processor module, iii) determine state information about the one or more signaling links and to synchronize the determined state information with the state information maintained in the first processor, iv) maintain the synchronized state information, and v) maintain the content information associated with the plurality of calls.

2. The media gateway of claim 1:

wherein the second processor module is configured to process the content information associated with the plurality of calls in accordance with one or more of the following;

G.711, G.723, G.726, G.729, T.38, and RFC2833 standardized protocols when the first processor module does not process the data; and

wherein said content information is the content of a telephone call.

3. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the first processor module, the second processor module or both are servers configured to process the data.

4. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the number of calls the media gateway is capable of processing does not diminish when the first processor module does not process the data associated with the plurality of calls.

5. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the synchronized state information comprises route status data, link-state data, call-state data-associated with the one or more signaling links.

6. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the state information is synchronized via communications between a first Message Transfer Part 3 (“

MTP3”

) layer of a first protocol stack in the first processor module and a second MTP3 layer of a second protocol stack in the second processor module.

8. The media gateway of claim 1, further comprising a redundancy plane for transmitting the data and information associated with the plurality of calls between the first and second processor modules.

9. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the signaling information includes a first portion associated with a lower portion of a MTP2 layer and a second portion associated with an upper portion of the MTP2 layer.

10. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the first processor module and the second processor module are associated with the same point code.

11. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the first processor module and the second processor module are associated with the same network address.

12. The media gateway of claim 1, wherein the first processor module includes a first sub-processor module for processing signaling information on a first digital signal processor and a first general purpose processor module configured to process the content information associated with the plurality of calls.

13. The media gateway of claim 12, wherein the second processor module includes a second sub-processor module for processing signaling information of a second digital processor and a second general purpose processor module configured to process the content information associated with the plurality of calls when the first processor module does not process the data.

14. The media gateway of claim 1,

wherein the second processor module is further configured to only process the content information associated with the plurality of calls based on the synchronized state information is the first processor module does not process the data.

15. The media gateway of claim 14,

wherein said first and second processor modules are configured to terminate said signaling information without forwarding said signaling information to the destination, said signaling information being terminated in the said media gateway;

wherein said second processor module is further configured to transmit the content information to the destination over the standby communication link based on the signaling information processed by the second processor module.

7. The media gateway of media gateway 1, further comprising:

a redundancy plane in communication with the receiver module, the first processor module, the second processor module, the redundancy plane configured to transmit the data associated with the plurality of calls from the receiver module to the first processor module, the second processor module.

16. A method comprising:

receiving at a receiver module in a media gateway in communication with a packet-based network data associated with a plurality of calls on one or more signaling links, the data including signaling information, the signaling information being Signaling System 7 signaling information;

operating said receiver module to provide, the data associated with the plurality of calls to a first processor module of the media gateway and to a second processor module of the media gateway and a second processor module of the media gateway;

operating the first processor module to;

i) receive data associated with the plurality of calls from the receiver, ii) determine and maintain state information about the status of the one or more signaling links, iii) process the content and signaling information associated with the plurality of calls based on the state information, and iv) transmit said content information to a destination over the active communication link based on the signaling information processed by the first processor module; and

operating the second processor module to;

i) receive, in parallel with the first processor module, data associated with the plurality of calls from the receiver, ii) process at least a portion of the signaling information associated with the plurality of calls asynchronously and in parallel with the processing of the signaling information in the first processor module, iii) determine state information about the status of the one or more signaling links and to synchronize the determined state information with the state information maintained in the first processor, iv) maintain the synchronized state information, and v) maintain the content information associated with the plurality of calls.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the state information comprises route status, link-state data, or call-state data.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

operating the second processor module to only process the content information associated with the plurality of calls based on the synchronized state information if the first processor module does not process the data.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

operating said first and second processor modules to terminate said signaling information without forwarding said signaling information to the destination, said signaling information being terminated in said media gateway; and

operating said second processor module to transmit the content information to the destination over the standby communication link based on the signaling information processed by the second processor module.

20. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus in communication with a packet-based network to:

receive, at a media gateway, data associated with a plurality of calls from one or more signaling links, the data including content information and signaling information, the signaling information being Signaling System 7 signaling information;

operating said receiver module to provide, in parallel, the data associated with the plurality of calls, to a first processor module of the media gateway and to a second processor module of the media gateway and to a second processor module of the media gateway;

operate the first processor module to i) receive data associated with the plurality of calls from the receiver, ii) determine and maintain state information about the status of the one or more signaling links, iii) process the content and signaling information associated with the plurality of calls based on the state information, and iv) transmit said content information to a destination over the active communication link based on the signaling information processed by the first processor module; and

operate the second processor module to i) receive, in parallel with the first processor module, said data associated with the plurality of calls from the receiver, ii) process at least a portion of the signaling information associated with the plurality of calls asynchronously and in parallel with the processing of the signaling information in the first processor module, iii) determine state information about the status of the one or more signaling links and to synchronize the determined state information with the state information maintained in the first processor, iv) maintain the synchronized state information, and v) maintain the content information associated with the plurality of calls.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 further including instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus in communication with a packet-base network to:

operate the second processor module to only process the content information associated with the plurality of calls based on they synchronized state information if the first processor module does not process the data.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 further including instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus in communication with a packet-based network to:

operate said first and second processor modules to terminate said signaling information without forwarding said signaling information to the destination, said signaling information being terminated in said media gateway; and

operate said second processor module to transmit the content information to the destination over the standby communication link based on the signaling information processed by the second processor module.