IMS diameter router with load balancing

• US 8,468,267 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2007
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yigang, Cai, Ke, Pei, Yang, Li Xiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Zong, Ruolei
• Application Number:
  US12/744,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,026 Days
• Field of Search: 709/241, 709238-240, 709223-226, 709201-203, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 709/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A Diameter router is presented for performing load balancing and initial Diameter message routing in an IMS network, where clients in network elements are provisioned with the address of the router and send an initial Diameter request message for a given session to the router. The router selects a server based at least partially on a type of IMS message session, application services, subscriber information, or billing information, and sends a relayed initial Diameter request message to the selected server. The selected server sends an initial Diameter response to the router which then forwards a relayed initial response to the client. Thereafter, the client and the selected server send messages directly to each other for the remainder of the session.

Claims

1. A router for receiving and relaying initial Diameter session request and response messages from clients and servers in an IMS network, respectively, the router comprising:

at least one processor;

a load balancing component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to receive initial Diameter request messages and to relay initial Diameter request messages to a selected server in the network based on at least one routing policy; and

a routing policy component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to select a server of the network for routing of a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on a type of IMS message session, application services, subscriber information, or billing information;

wherein the router operates as a proxy for a first pair of Diameter messages in a given session, with the remaining Diameter messages for the given session communicated directly between a Diameter client and the selected server.

2. The router of claim 1, wherein the routing policy component includes a Diameter reference of points component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to distinguish Diameter Cx, Sh, Rf, Ro, Go, and Gq request messages and to identify suitable host servers in the network capable of providing services associated with the initial Diameter request message, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message from the identified suitable host servers.

3. The router of claim 1, wherein the routing policy component includes a traffic and load analysis component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to dynamically monitor traffic load and an alive status of the servers, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on the traffic load and alive status of the servers.

4. The router of claim 1, wherein the routing policy component includes a call session subscriber information component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to identify servers that are associated with a subscriber corresponding to the initial Diameter request message based at least partially on a subscriber UE type, a directory number, a service type, or a charging account type of the initial Diameter request message, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message from the identified host servers.

5. The router of claim 1, wherein the routing policy component includes a home or visit network-component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to determine whether a new call session is from a home or visited network, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on whether the call session is from a home or visited network.

6. The router of claim 1, wherein the routing policy component includes an accounting information component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to parses accounting information including an IMS Charging ID in received Diameter request messages, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on the accounting information.

7. The router of claim 1, wherein the routing policy component includes a network element types component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to identify a network element type of the requesting client based on the received Diameter request message, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on the identified network element type.

8. The router of claim 1, wherein the routing policy component includes an application service types component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to identify application and service types from received initial Diameter request messages, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on identified application and service types.

9. The router of claim 1, wherein the load balancing component is operative to insert a destination host address corresponding to the selected server and a destination realm corresponding to the router into a relayed initial Diameter request message and to send the relayed initial Diameter request message to the selected server.

10. The router of claim 9, wherein the load balancing component is operative to receive an initial Diameter response message from the selected server and to send a relayed initial Diameter response message to the requesting client.

11. The router of claim 1, wherein the router is operative to access, update, and maintain a shared memory with a second router in the network.

12. The router of claim 1, where the router is separate from the clients.

13. A communications system, comprising:

a plurality of network elements operatively coupled to an IMS network, the network elements individually comprising one or more Diameter clients;

a plurality of Diameter servers operatively coupled with the network, the servers being operative to perform one or more services requested by the clients; and

a Diameter router operatively coupled with the network and comprising;

at least one processor,

a load balancing component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to receive initial Diameter request messages and to relay initial Diameter request messages to a selected server in the network based on at least one routing policy, and

a routing policy component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to select a server of the network for routing of a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on a type of IMS message session, application services, subscriber information, or billing information,

wherein the router operates as a proxy for a first pair of Diameter messages in a given session, with the remaining Diameter messages for the given session communicated directly between a Diameter client and the selected server.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a second router operatively coupled with the network, wherein the routers are operative to access, update, and maintain a shared memory.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a first one of the routers is configured as a primary Diameter router and wherein a second one of the routers is configured as a secondary Diameter router.

16. The system of claim 13:

wherein the load balancing component is operative to insert a destination host address corresponding to the selected server and a destination realm corresponding to the router into a relayed initial Diameter request message and to send the relayed initial Diameter request message to the selected server;

wherein the selected server is operative to receive the relayed request message, to copy the address of the router into a destination host field of an initial Diameter response message, and to send the Diameter response message to the router;

wherein the router is further operative to receive the initial Diameter response message from the selected server and to send a relayed initial Diameter response message to the requesting client; and

wherein the requesting client is operative to receive the relayed initial Diameter response message, to copy the selected server address from the destination host field of the relayed initial Diameter response message, and to send subsequent Diameter messages for a current session directly to the selected server.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component includes a Diameter reference of points component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to distinguish Diameter Cx, Sh, Rf, Ro, Go, and Gq request messages and to identify suitable host servers in the network capable of providing services associated with the initial Diameter request message, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message from the identified suitable host servers.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component includes a traffic and load analysis component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to dynamically monitor traffic load and an alive status of the servers, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on the traffic load and alive status of the servers.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component includes a call session subscriber information component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to identify servers that are associated with a subscriber corresponding to the initial Diameter request message based at least partially on a subscriber UE type, a directory number, a service type, or a charging account type of the initial Diameter request message, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message from the identified host servers.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component includes a home or visit network component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to determine whether a new call session is from a home or visited network, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on whether the call session is from a home or visited network.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component includes an accounting information component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to parses accounting information including an IMS Charging ID in received Diameter request messages, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on whether the accounting information.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component includes a network element types component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to identify a network element type of the requesting client based on the received Diameter request message, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on the identified network element type.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component includes an application service types component implemented using the at least one processor and operative to identify application and service types from received initial Diameter request messages, and wherein the routing policy component selects a server for routing a given initial Diameter request message based at least partially on identified application and service types.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing policy component is operative to selectively route all Diameter messages of one call or session to the same selected server.

25. The system of claim 13, where the Diameter router is separate from the Diameter clients.

26. A method for routing Diameter messages for a Diameter session in an IMS network, the method comprising:

at a Diameter client, sending an initial Diameter request message to a Diameter router in the IMS network;

at the Diameter router, selecting a server of the network for the initial Diameter request message based at least partially on a type of IMS message session, application services, subscriber information, or billing information, sending a relayed initial Diameter request message to the selected server;

at the Diameter client, sending all subsequent Diameter messages for the Diameter session directly to the selected server; and

at the selected server, sending all subsequent Diameter messages for the Diameter session directly to the Diameter client.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

at the Diameter router, inserting a destination host address corresponding to the selected server and a destination realm corresponding to the router into the relayed initial Diameter request message;

at the selected server, receiving the relayed request message, copying the address of the router into a destination host field of an initial Diameter response message, and sending the Diameter response message to the router;

at the router, receiving the initial Diameter response message, and sending a relayed initial Diameter response message to the requesting client; and

at the client, receiving the relayed initial Diameter response message, copying the selected server address from the destination host field of the relayed initial Diameter response message, and sending subsequent Diameter messages for a current session directly to the selected server.

28. The method of claim 26, where the Diameter router is separate from the Diameter client.