Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing diameter signaling router with integrated monitoring functionality

• US 8,958,306 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: McCann, Thomas M., Marsico, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sloms, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/906,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20110116382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a system for providing a Diameter signaling router with integrated monitoring functionality. The system includes a Diameter signaling router comprising a network interface for receiving, from a first Diameter node, a first Diameter message having Diameter information. The system also includes an integrated monitoring module located within the Diameter signaling router for copying at least a portion of the first Diameter message and providing the copied information associated with the first Diameter message to an application.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring Diameter signaling messages, the system comprising:

a Diameter signaling router, comprising;

a first network interface for receiving, from a first Diameter node, a first Diameter message having Diameter information, wherein the first network interface includes a first Long Term Evolution (LTE) interface;

a second network interface for receiving, from a second Diameter node, a second Diameter message associated with the first Diameter message, wherein the second network interface includes a second LTE interface different from the first LTE interface; and

an integrated monitoring module located within the Diameter signaling router for copying at least a portion of the first Diameter message and at least a portion of the second Diameter message and providing the copied portions to an application for generating transaction records or network statistics, the application located at a node distinct from the Diameter signaling router, the first Diameter node, and the second Diameter node, wherein the first message and the second message are selected for copying based on an identifier identifying a same session and wherein the copied portions include information about the session, wherein the integrated monitoring module is configured to provide information to the application for updating LTE network usage measurements information by providing a count of the number of Diameter messages exchanged during the session or a bandwidth usage by Diameter messages for the session, wherein the integrated monitoring module is configured to generate or provide information to the application for generating a transaction detail record (TDR) based on information in the first Diameter message.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first Diameter message or the second Diameter message includes one of:

an UpdateLocation Request (ULR) message, an UpdateLocation Answer (ULA) message, an AuthenticationInformation Request (AIR) message, an AuthenticationInformation Answer (AIA) message, a CancelLocation Request (CLR) message, a CancelLocation Answer (CLA) message, an InsertSubscriberData Request (IDR) message, an InsertSubscriberData Answer (IDA) message, a DeleteSubscriberData Request (DSR) message, a DeleteSubscriberData Answer (DSA) message, a PurgeUE Request (PUR) message, a PurgeUE Answer (PUA) message, a Reset Request (RSR) message, a Reset Answer (RSA) message, a Notify Request (NOR) message, a Notify Answer (NOA) message, an MEIdentityCheck Request (ECR) message, and an MEIdentityCheck Answer (ECA) message.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the copied portion of the first Diameter message includes at least one of:

a parameter, a subscriber identifier, a device identifier, an international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI), a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network (MSISDN) number, a short code, a uniform resource identifier (URI), an international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI), a mobile identification number (MIN), an Auth-Session-State parameter, a Origin-Host parameter, a Origin-Realm parameter, a Destination-Host parameter, a Destination-Realm parameter, a User-Name parameter, a Supported-Features parameter, a Terminal-Information parameter, a RAT-Type parameter, a ULR-Flags parameter, a Visited-PLMN-Id parameter, a SGSN-Number parameter, a AVP parameter, a Proxy-Info parameter, and a Route-Record parameter.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the monitoring module is configured to examine the Diameter information in the first Diameter message for determining information associated with the first Diameter message to provide.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the monitoring module is configured to provide the copied portions to at least one of a billing application, a billing verification application, a transaction detail record (TDR) generating application, a TDR database application, a lawful surveillance application, a network analysis application, a network statistics application, and a fraud mitigation application.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the application is configured to maintain the TDR in a database.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the copied portions include at least one of:

a copy of the first Diameter message, a portion of the first Diameter message, and statistics associated with the first Diameter message.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first Diameter node or the second Diameter node is at least one of:

a home subscriber server (HSS), a mobility management entity (MME) node, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server, a Policy Charging Rule Function (PCRF), a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), a Subscription Profile Repository (SPR), an Online Charging System (OCS), an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Call Session Control Function (CSCF), and an equipment identity register (EIR) node.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the monitoring module is configured to update or provide information to an application for updating Long Term Evolution (LTE) network usage measurements information based on the first Diameter message.

10. A method for monitoring Diameter signaling messages, the method comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router;

receiving, from a first Diameter node and at a first network interface, a first Diameter message having Diameter information, wherein the first network interface includes a first Long Term Evolution (LTE) interface;

receiving, from a second Diameter node and at a second network interface, a second Diameter message associated with the first Diameter message, wherein the second network interface includes a second LTE interface different from the first LTE interface;

copying at least a portion of the first Diameter message and at least a portion of the second Diameter message and providing the copied portions to an application for generating transaction records or network statistics, wherein providing the copied portions to the application includes generating or providing information to the application for generating a transaction detail record (TDR) based on information in the first Diameter message, the application located at a node distinct from the Diameter signaling router, the first Diameter node, and the second Diameter node, wherein the first message and the second message are selected for copying based on an identifier identifying a same session and wherein the copied portions include information about the session; and

providing information to the application for updating LTE network usage measurements information by providing a count of the number of Diameter messages exchanged during the session or a bandwidth usage by Diameter messages for the session.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first Diameter message or the second Diameter message includes one of:

an UpdateLocation Request (ULR) message, an UpdateLocation Answer (ULA) message, an AuthenticationInformation Request (AIR) message, an AuthenticationInformation Answer (AIA) message, a CancelLocation Request (CLR) message, a CancelLocation Answer (CLA) message, an InsertSubscriberData Request (IDR) message, an InsertSubscriberData Answer (IDA) message, a DeleteSubscriberData Request (DSR) message, a DeleteSubscriberData Answer (DSA) message, a PurgeUE Request (PUR) message, a PurgeUE Answer (PUA) message, a Reset Request (RSR) message, a Reset Answer (RSA) message, a Notify Request (NOR) message, a Notify Answer (NOA) message, an MEIdentityCheck Request (ECR) message, and an MEIdentityCheck Answer (ECA) message.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the copied portion of the first Diameter message includes at least one of:

a parameter, a subscriber identifier, a device identifier, an international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI), a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network (MSISDN) number, a short code, a uniform resource identifier (URI), an international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI), a mobile identification number (MIN), an Auth-Session-State parameter, a Origin-Host parameter, a Origin-Realm parameter, a Destination-Host parameter, a Destination-Realm parameter, a User-Name parameter, a Supported-Features parameter, a Terminal-Information parameter, a RAT-Type parameter, a ULR-Flags parameter, a Visited-PLMN-Id parameter, a SGSN-Number parameter, a AVP parameter, a Proxy-Info parameter, and a Route-Record parameter.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein monitoring includes examining the Diameter information in the first Diameter message for determining information associated with the first Diameter message to provide.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the application includes at least one of a billing application, a billing verification application, a transaction detail record (TDR) generating application, a TDR database application, a lawful surveillance application, a network analysis application, a network statistics application, and a fraud mitigation application.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein generating the TDR includes maintaining the TDR in a database.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the copied portions include at least one of:

a copy of the first Diameter message, a portion of the first Diameter message, and statistics associated with the first Diameter message.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the first Diameter node or the second Diameter node is at least one of:

a home subscriber server (HSS), a gateway node, a foreign gateway, a server, a mobility management entity (MME) node, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server, a Policy Charging Rule Function (PCRF), a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), a Subscription Profile Repository (SPR), an Online Charging System (OCS), an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Call Session Control Function (CSCF), and an equipment identity register (EIR) node.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein monitoring includes updating or providing information for updating Long Term Evolution (LTE) network usage measurements information based on the first Diameter message.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router;

receiving, from a first Diameter node and at a first network interface, a first Diameter message having Diameter information, wherein the first network interface includes a first Long Term Evolution (LTE) interface;

receiving, from a second Diameter node and at a second network interface, a second Diameter message associated with the first Diameter message, wherein the second network interface includes a second LTE interface different from the first LTE interface;

copying at least a portion of the first Diameter message and at least a portion of the second Diameter message and providing the copied portions to an application for generating transaction records or network statistics, wherein providing the copied portions to the application includes generating or providing information to the application for generating a transaction detail record (TDR) based on information in the first Diameter message, the application located at a node distinct from the Diameter signaling router, the first Diameter node, and the second Diameter node, wherein the first message and the second message are selected for copying based on an identifier identifying a same session and wherein the copied portions include information about the session; and

providing information to the application for updating LTE network usage measurements information by providing a count of the number of Diameter messages exchanged during the session or a bandwidth usage for the session.