End-to-end logic tracing of complex call flows in a distributed call system

• US 9,467,560 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Geldenbott, Gerhard, Hines, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US14/697,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20150237200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A logic history can be provided for every request or call instance through a distributed computing system that uniquely traces its entire path, end-to-end, in-band within the messaging for the system. The end result is a single true representation of what occurred with no post computational inference. Accordingly, unique logic history codes are not forced across the system. Rather sub-components that are logic history enabled can use codes that have meaning and applicability to itself. Unique logic history codes are not forced across the system, which in practice would be brittle. Rather each sub-component that is logic history enabled can use codes that have meaning and applicability only to itself. This allows the system to be flexible and lets sub-components change and redefine their logic and logic history traces without impacting the rest of the system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating, at a given component of a plurality of components comprising one or more computing devices, a given logic history associated with the given component in response to receiving a call request at the given component;

embedding, at another component of the plurality of components comprising one or more computing devices, another logic history associated with the other component into the given logic history in response to the call request being routed from the given component to the other component; and

storing the given logic history for the call request in a database, wherein the given logic history characterizes an end-to-end logic flow history of the call request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the given and another logic history comprises a unique identifier associated with a respective component of the plurality of components.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each logic code of a plurality of logic codes characterizes an event occurring at a respective component of the plurality of components in response to the call request.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a given logic code of a plurality of logic codes is independent of the remaining plurality of logic codes.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying a particular logic code associated with a particular component of the plurality of components; and

querying the database for a particular logic history that includes the particular logic code;

receiving the given logic history in response to the querying.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the embedding is conducted substantially in real-time at the other component as the call request is routed to the other component.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a given component comprising one or more computing devices, the given component being configured to;

receive a call request from a network server; and

embed a given logic code uniquely identifying the given component to a given logic flow history in response to the call request;

another component comprising one or more computing devices, the other component being configured to;

receive the call request from the given component; and

embed another logic code uniquely identifying the other component into the given logic flow history in response to receipt of the call request; and

a logic history database to receive and store the given logic flow history for the call request, the given logic flow history characterizing unique routing events encountered throughout the call request.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the given and another logic codes characterize an event occurring at a respective component in response to the call request.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the given logic code is independent of the other logic code.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the other logic code is embedded substantially in real-time at the other component as the call request is routed to the other component.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, comprising:

identifying a particular logic code associated with one of the given and the other component; and

querying the database for a particular logic history that includes the particular logic code;

receiving the given logic flow history in response to the querying.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the given logic code comprises a unique identifier associated with the given component.

13. A method, comprising:

generating, at a first component of a plurality of components comprising one or more computing devices, a first logic history associated with the first component in response to receiving a call request at the first component;

embedding, at a second component of a plurality of components comprising one or more computing devices, a second logic history associated with the second component into the first logic history in response to the call request being routed from the first component to the second component; and

embedding, at a third component of a plurality of components comprising one or more computing devices, a third logic history associated with the third component into the second logic history in response to the call request being routed from the second component to the third component; and

embedding, at a fourth component of a plurality of components comprising one or more computing devices, a fourth logic history associated with the fourth component into the second logic history in response to the call request being routed from the third component to the fourth component; and

storing the first logic history with the embedded second, third and fourth logic histories for the call request in a database, wherein the first logic history characterizes an end-to-end logic flow history of the call request.