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

• US 9,042,522 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US14/071,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20140064460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 379/32
• 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 system to embed a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computing system, comprising:

a first component in said distributed computing system initializing a first component logic history regarding said routed message with a first unique identifier of said first component, together with first logic codes relevant to said routed message with respect to said first component;

a second component in said distributed computing system initializing a second component logic history regarding said routed message with a second unique identifier together with second logic codes relevant to said routed message with respect to said second component;

wherein said first logic codes and said second logic codes are logged real-time as the routed message progresses through affected components of said distributed call system; and

wherein a history of an end-to-end path of said routed message is embedded with said routed message.

2. The system to embed a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

said first component and said second component relate to first and second decision points of routing of said routed message as it progresses through said distributed call system.

3. The system to embed a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

said first unique identifier and said second unique identifier are comprised of ASCII characters.

4. The system to embed a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 3, wherein:

said first logic codes and said second logic codes are comprised of ASCII characters.

5. The system to embed a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

said first logic codes and said second logic codes are comprised of ASCII characters.

6. The system to embed a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a front end component in said distributed computer system to accept a request for routing said routed message, said front end component initializing a front end logic history regarding said routed message with a third unique identifier together with third logic codes relevant to said routed message with respect to said front end component.

7. The system to embed a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

said front end component embeds said first logic history, said second logic history, and said third logic history with said routed message.

8. A method of embedding a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computing system, comprising:

initializing a first component history with a first unique identifier of a first component in a distributed computing system, together with first logic codes relevant to said routed message with respect to said first component;

initializing a second component history with a second unique identifier of a second component in said distributed computing system, together with second logic codes relevant to said routed message with respect to said second component;

wherein said first logic codes and said second logic codes are logged real-time as the routed message progresses through affected components of said distributed call system; and

wherein a history of an end-to-end path of said routed message is embedded with said routed message.

9. The method of embedding a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 8, wherein:

said first component and said second component relate to first and second decision points of routing of said routed message as it progresses through said distributed call system.

10. The method of embedding a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 8, wherein:

said first unique identifier and said second unique identifier are comprised of ASCII characters.

11. The method of embedding a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 10, wherein:

said first logic codes and said second logic codes are comprised of ASCII characters.

12. The method of embedding a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 8, wherein:

said first logic codes and said second logic codes are comprised of ASCII characters.

13. The method of embedding a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 8, further comprising:

accepting a request for routing said routed message by a front end component in said distributed computer system, said front end component initializing a front end logic history regarding said routed message with a third unique identifier together with third logic codes relevant to said routed message with respect to said front end component.

14. The method of embedding a logic history in a routed message through a distributed computer system according to claim 8, wherein:

said front end component embeds said first logic history, said second logic history, and said third logic history with said routed message.