Dynamic load balancing during message processing in a wireless communication service network
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorDale Frank Rathunde
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for performing dynamic load balancing during system operation between a pair of APs (AP pair) serving at least one cell in common. A first RCS instance runs as an active RCS instance on one member of the AP pair and a second RCS instance runs as a standby RCS instance on the other member of the AP pair. The first RCS instance is redesignated as a standby RCS instance for the cell and the second RCS instance is redesignated as an active RCS instance for the cell. Active message processing is then transferred from the first RCS instance to the second RCS instance during network operation and without service interruption to the cell.
Claims21
In a wireless communication network that includes a message processing system providing operational, administrative and maintenance support for one or more cells in the network serving one or more radio units, the message processing system including at least two programmable application processors (APs), each of which runs one or more active radio control software (RCS) instances on behalf of a defined cell group and one or more standby RCS instances on behalf of at least one other cell group that is different than the cell group served by the AP's active RCS instances, and further wherein each cell served by the message processing system is connected to a pair of APs, one of which runs an active RCS instance on behalf of the cell and the other of which runs a standby RCS instance on behalf of the cell, a method for performing dynamic load balancing during system operation between a pair of APs (AP pair) serving at least one cell in common, comprising the steps of:
- selecting, relative to at least one cell served by the AP pair, a first RCS instance running on one member of the AP pair as an active RCS instance for said at least one cell and a second RCS instance running on the other member of the AP pair as a standby RCS instance for said at least one cell;
- redesignating said first RCS instance as a new standby RCS instance for said at least one cell;
- redesignating said second RCS instance as a new active RCS instance for said at least one cell;
- and
- transferring active message processing from said first RCS instance to said second RCS instance during network operation and without service interruption to said at least one cell.
In a wireless communication network that includes a message processing system providing operational, administrative and maintenance support for one or more cells in the network serving one or more radio units, the message processing system including at least two programmable application processors (APs), each of which runs one or more active radio control software (RCS) instances on behalf of a defined cell group and one or more standby RCS instances on behalf of at least one other cell group that is different than the cell group served by the AP's active RCS instances, and further wherein each cell served by the message processing system is connected to a pair of APs, one of which runs an active RCS instance on behalf of the cell and the other of which runs a standby RCS instance on behalf of the cell, a system for performing dynamic load balancing between a pair of APs (AP pair) serving at least one cell in common, comprising:
- means for selecting, relative to at least one cell served by the AP pair, a first RCS instance running on one member of the AP pair as an active RCS instance for said at least one cell and a second RCS instance running on the other member of the AP pair as a standby RCS instance for said at least one cell;
- first means for redesignating said first RCS instance as a new standby RCS instance for said at least one cell;
- second means for redesignating said second RCS instance as a new active RCS instance for said at least one cell;
- and
- transfer means for transferring active message processing from said first RCS instance to said second RCS instance during network operation and without service interruption to said at least one cell.
A message processing system for a wireless communication service network, comprising:
- a plurality of application processors;
- a first group of said application processors being powered by a first power feed a second group of said application processors being powered by a second power feed;
- each of said application processors running one or more radio control software instances;
- a first one of said radio control software instances running on an application processor in said first group being mated with a second radio control software instance running on another application processor in said second group to provide message processing services on behalf of a cell in said wireless communication network;
- said first and second radio control software instances being assigned respective primary/active and secondary/standby designations, said active and standby designations determining which of said first and second radio control software instances performs active message processing on behalf of said cell and said primary and secondary designations determining the operational mode (active or standby) of said first and second radio control software instances during system initialization;
- first means for exchanging active and standby designations between said first and second radio control software instances during system operation, so that the message processing workload on behalf of said cell is transferred from one of said first and second radio control software instances to the other;
- second means for exchanging primary and secondary designations between said first and second radio control software instances during system operation to effect a permanent transfer of message processing workload from one of said first and second radio control software instances to the other;
- and
- whereby message processing can be transferred between said first and second radio control software instances without services interruption to said cell and said message processing transfer can be made persistent across reboots of said system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.