SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BILLING SYSTEM INTERFACE FAILOVER RESOLUTION

• US 20090319596A1
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Perry, Robert, Kumar, Naresh
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2033 switching over of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2041 with more than one idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/74 Backing up
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/709 Backup

Abstract

A determination is made whether a first application server of a group of N application servers, N being at least two, is a coordinator of the group. Responsive to determining that the first application server is the coordinator of the group, a connection to a billing system is established, via a terminal server, by the first application server. A determination is made whether a second application server of the group of N application servers is the coordinator of the group. Responsive to determining that the second application server is not the coordinator of the group, a periodic check is made whether the second application server of the group of N application servers is the coordinator of the group. The second application server may later be determined to be the coordinator of the group, when the first server experiences difficulty. Once it is determined that the second application server now is the coordinator of the group, a connection is established to the billing system, via the terminal server, by the second application server.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a first application server of a group of N application servers, N being at least two, is a coordinator of said group;

responsive to determining that said first application server is said coordinator of said group, establishing a connection to a billing system, via a terminal server, by said first application server;

determining whether a second application server of said group of N application servers is said coordinator of said group;

responsive to determining that said second application server is not said coordinator of said group, continuing to check whether said second application server of said group of N application servers is said coordinator of said group;

responsive to said first server experiencing difficulty, determining that said second application server now is said coordinator of said group; and

responsive to determining that said second application server now is said coordinator of said group, establishing a connection to said billing system, via said terminal server, by said second application server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps are carried out within a broadband provisioning system of a broadband communications system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising said first application server continuing to determine whether said first application server is said coordinator even while said connection to said billing system is established by said first application server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining steps are carried out by sending multicast heartbeats over a transmission control protocol/internet protocol network connecting said N application servers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said heartbeats are sent out by multiple instances of a software component, one instance present on each of said N application servers.

6. A first application server, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to;

determine whether said first application server is a coordinator of a group of N application servers, N being at least two;

responsive to determining that said first application server is the coordinator of the group, establish a connection to a billing system, via a terminal server, by said first application server;

assist in determining whether a second application server of the group of N application servers is the coordinator of the group; and

responsive to determining that the second application server is not the coordinator of the group, assist the second application server in continuing to check whether the second application server of the group of N application servers is the coordinator of the group.

7. The server of claim 6, wherein said first application server is configured for operation within a broadband provisioning system of a broadband communications system.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein said processor is further operative to continue to determine whether said first application server is the coordinator even while the connection to the billing system is established by said first application server.

9. The server of claim 6, wherein said determining is carried out by said processor sending multicast heartbeats over a transmission control protocol/internet protocol network connecting the N application servers.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein said heartbeats are sent out by an instance of a software component present in said memory and executing on said processor, said instance being substantially identical to other instances present on each of the N application servers.

11. A system comprising:

a broadband provisioning system, said broadband provisioning system in turn comprising a group of N operatively interconnected application servers, N being at least two;

at least two billing systems;

at least two terminal servers, each of said billing systems having at least one of said terminal servers associated therewith and operatively coupled thereto, said terminal servers being selectively coupled to said N application servers;

wherein said N application servers are cooperatively configured to;

determine whether a first of said application servers is a coordinator of said group;

responsive to determining that said first application server is said coordinator of said group, establish a connection to a given one of said billing systems, via a corresponding one of said terminal servers, by said first application server;

determine whether a second application server of said group of N application servers is said coordinator of said group;

responsive to determining that said second application server is not said coordinator of said group, continue to check whether said second application server of said group of N application servers is said coordinator of said group;

responsive to said first server experiencing difficulty, determine that said second application server now is said coordinator of said group; and

responsive to determining that said second application server now is said coordinator of said group, establish a connection to said given one of said billing systems, via corresponding one of said terminal servers, by said second application server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of said billing systems, with a corresponding one of said terminal servers, is located in one of several head ends of a broadband communications system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said broadband provisioning system is located in one of said head ends.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said broadband provisioning system is located in a regional data center operatively coupled to all of said several head ends.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said N application servers are further cooperatively configured to continue to determine whether said first application server is said coordinator even while said connection to said billing system is established by said first application server.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said application servers are operatively interconnected by a transmission control protocol/internet protocol network and said servers make said determinations by sending multicast heartbeats over said transmission control protocol/internet protocol network.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising multiple instances of a software component, one instance present on each of said N application servers wherein said heartbeats are sent out by said instances.

18. A system comprising:

means for determining whether a first application server of a group of N application servers, N being at least two, is a coordinator of said group;

means for, responsive to determining that said first application server is said coordinator of said group, establishing a connection to a billing system, via a terminal server, by said first application server;

means for determining whether a second application server of said group of N application servers is said coordinator of said group;

means for, responsive to determining that said second application server is not said coordinator of said group, continuing to check whether said second application server of said group of N application servers is said coordinator of said group;

means for, responsive to said first server experiencing difficulty, determining that said second application server now is said coordinator of said group; and

means for, responsive to determining that said second application server now is said coordinator of said group, establishing a connection to said billing system, via said terminal server, by said second application server.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said means are located, at least in part, within a broadband provisioning system of a broadband communications system.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for said first application server continuing to determine whether said first application server is said coordinator even while said connection to said billing system is established by said first application server.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said means for determining comprise means for sending multicast heartbeats over a transmission control protocol/internet protocol network connecting said N application servers.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said means for sending said heartbeats comprise multiple instances of a software component, one instance present on each of said N application servers.