Method And Apparatus For Sharing TCAP Traffic Load

• US 20140192805A1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Performance Technologies Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glaude, Normand, Wesley-James, Charles, Aubry, Christine, Laporte, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

The present invention relates to a point code emulation apparatus and method for dividing a Common Channel Signaling System No. 7 (or SS7) signaling network into two or more networks. The point code emulator is adapted to receive TCAP messages from two or more subnets and converts, for the messages crossing over the subnets, the information of the TCAP messages, including originating point code, destination point code, and transaction identifier, (and optionally, calling party number and called party number), and forwards to the other one of the two or more subnets. Correspondence among the two or more subnets may be provisioned by an authorized user of the system, may be learned automatically by the system based on ISUP message correspondences or previous TCAP transactions, or may be automatically discovered by the system broadcasting messages to nodes in the destined one of the two or more subnets.

Claims

1. A Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) node for routing a transaction capabilities application part (TCAP) message from a first subnet to a second subnet by discovering a destination node from a plurality of nodes in the second subnet, comprising:

a) a first interface for the first subnet;

b) a second interface for the second subnet;

c) a processor in communication with the first and second interfaces, the processor carries out the steps of;

i) receiving the TCAP message from the first subnet through the first interface;

ii) broadcasting a message to all or a part of said plurality of the nodes in the second subnet through the second interface;

iii) receiving one or more responses to the message from one or more of said plurality of the nodes in the second subnet;

iv) determining the destination node based on a most successful one of the one or more responses; and

v) routing the most successful one of one or more responses to the first subnet through the first interface.

2. The SS7 node as recited in claim 1, wherein said broadcast message is TCAP Begin message.

3. A method of routing a transaction capabilities application part (TCAP) message from a first subnet to a second subnet by discovering a destination node from a plurality of nodes in the second subnet, comprising the steps of:

a) at a node, receiving a TCAP message from the first subnet;

b) from the node, broadcasting a message to all or a part of said plurality of nodes in the second subnet;

c) at the node, receiving one or more responses to the message from one or more of said plurality of the nodes in the second subnet;

d) determining the destination node based on a most successful one of the one or more responses; and

e) routing the most successful one of one or more responses to the first subnet.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said broadcast message is TCAP Begin message.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions which, when executed at a node, causes the node to perform a process of routing a transaction capabilities application part (TCAP) message from a first subnet to a second subnet by discovering a destination node from a plurality of nodes in the second subnet, comprising the steps of:

a) at the node, receiving a TCAP message from the first subnet;

b) from the node, broadcasting a message to all or a part of said plurality of nodes in the second subnet;

c) at the node, receiving one or more responses to the message from one or more of said plurality of the nodes in the second subnet;

d) determining the destination node based on a most successful one of the one or more responses; and

e) routing the most successful one of one or more responses to the first subnet.

6. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 5, wherein said broadcast message is TCAP Begin message.