Dynamic load balancing in a communication network

• US 8,995,262 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chowdhury, Kuntal, Gibbs, Andrew, Koodli, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Assistant Examiner(s): Madani, Farideh
• Application Number:
  US13/857,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20140036665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 455/453, 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/509, 455/464, 455/67.11, 455436-444, 370/338, 370/431, 370/329, 370/331, 370/341, 370/395.41
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/088 among core entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/045 between access point and backbone network device

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing a dynamic and real time load factor that can be shared with other network elements is disclosed. The load factor can be used in determining the relative load among a set of network elements and in distributing new sessions requests as well as existing session on the set of network elements. The load factor can also be used for determining to which network element a user equipment is handed off. The dynamic load factor can also be shared amongst network elements to determine how the load is balanced among the network elements, such as a mobility management entity (MME).

Claims

1. A management gateway comprising:

a processing unit configured to;

implement a management function for providing tracking, activation and deactivation of bearers, and mobility management for mobile devices,

monitor load conditions on the management gateway in real time,

periodically determine a load capacity value based on the load conditions, the load conditions including information regarding at least one of processing unit usage, memory usage, and number of sessions active, and

selecting one or more base stations and one or more network elements to which the load capacity value should be sent for use in assigning a mobile device to the management gateway;

a memory in operative communication with the processing unit where the load capacity value is stored and updated whenever a change occurs in the load capacity value; and

a network interface configured to communicate with one or more base stations and one or more network elements to allow the management gateway to send a message that reflects the load capacity value to the selected one or more base stations and the selected one or more network elements.

2. The management gateway of claim 1, wherein the message sent to the base stations from the gateway includes at least one of a S1 setup message and a configuration update message, and the load capacity value is sent as a relative capacity.

3. The management gateway of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements include at least one of a network management system element and a second gateway implementing mobility management entity (MME) functions.

4. The management gateway of claim 3, wherein the message sent to the second gateway includes an S10 based message.

5. The management gateway of claim 3, wherein the memory is configured to store a load capacity value received from the second gateway.

6. The management gateway of claim 5, wherein the processing unit determines a weighted MME pool average using a plurality of load capacity values including the load capacity value of the management gateway and at least the load capacity value received from the second gateway.

7. The management gateway of claim 6, wherein the processing unit compares the load capacity value of the management gateway against the weighted MME pool average and the load capacity value received from the second gateway against the weighted MME pool average.

8. The management gateway of claim 7, wherein the processing unit determines to relocate a new session by sending to a base station information for a less loaded gateway running a management function.

9. The management gateway of claim 1, wherein the processing unit in determining the load capacity value uses an algorithm to determine an integer value to represent the load capacity value and this integer is changed when a threshold relating to one or more of processing unit usage, memory usage, and number of sessions active is exceeded.

10. A method of dynamically representing loading conditions comprising:

monitoring load conditions in real time on a management module implemented on a gateway;

determining a load capacity value to represent the load conditions of the management module and updating the load capacity value when load conditions change for the management module;

storing the load capacity value in a memory on the gateway;

selecting a network element and a base station to which the load capacity value should be sent for use in assigning a mobile device to a management module;

sending the load capacity value for the management module to the base station; and

sending the load capacity value for the management module to the network element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sending to the base station includes sending at least one of a S1 setup message and a management module configuration update message, and the load capacity value is sent as a relative management module capacity.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the network element includes at least one of a network management system element and at least one other management module.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sending to the at least one management module includes sending an S10 based message with a load capacity value information element.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing on the gateway a load capacity value received from the at least one other management module.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a weighted management module pool average using a plurality of load capacity values including the load capacity of the management module and a received load capacity value from each of the at least one other management module;

comparing the load capacity value of the management module against the weighted management module pool average; and

comparing the received load capacity value against the weighted management module pool average.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

relocating a new session request received from a base station to a lesser-loaded management module; and

relocating an existing session based on the load capacity value of the management module rising above a predefined level.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the load capacity value uses an algorithm to determine an integer value to represent the load capacity value and this integer is changed when a threshold is passed according to the algorithm.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting a management module for a handoff of user equipment based on load capacity values received from a plurality of management modules.

19. A management gateway implementing a mobility management function configured to monitor load conditions on the management gateway in real time and to periodically determine a load capacity value based on the load conditions, to store and update the load capacity value whenever a change occurs to the load capacity value, to select one or more base stations and one or more network elements to which the load capacity value should be sent for use in assigning a mobile device to a management module, and to send a message that includes a load capacity value informational element to the one or more base stations and the one or more network elements.