Home location register fault recovery

In a wireless communication system having a home network and a visited network, a fault recovery system for performing fault recovery for a home location register (HLR) located in the home network, said fault recovery system comprising:

• messaging means within the HLR for sending, during fault recovery, a first reset message to a gateway location register (GLR) located in the visited network, wherein the reset message contains a home location register number for the HLR;
• means for determining by the GLR, which mobile subscribers in the visited network are associated with the HLR;
• messaging means within the GLR for sending a second reset message from the GLR to at least one visitor location register (VLR) where mobile subscribers associated with the HLR are located, and for receiving location update messages from each of the VLRs for mobile subscribers associated with the HLR;
• means within each VLR for updating the locations of the mobile subscribers associated with the HLR in response to receiving the second reset message from the GLR;
• and
• messaging means within each VLR for sending the location update messages from the VLR to the GLR for the mobile subscribers associated with the HLR.

In a wireless communication system having a home network and a visited network, a gateway location register (GLR) located in the visited network, said GLR performing fault recovery functions for a home location register (HLR) located in the home network, said GLR comprising:

• messaging means for communicating with the HLR and with at least one visitor location register (VLR) located in the visited network, said messaging means:
• receiving, during HLR fault recovery, a first reset message from the HLR, wherein the reset message contains a home location register number for the HLR;
• sending a second reset message from the GLR to each VLR which is currently serving at least one mobile subscriber associated with the HLR, said second reset message including information enabling each VLR to derive the identities of mobile subscribers associated with the HLR that are currently being served by the VLR;
• receiving location update messages from each of the VLRs for mobile subscribers associated with the HLR;
• and
• forwarding to the HLR, the location update messages received from the VLRs;
• and
• means for determining by the GLR, in response to receiving the first reset message from the HLR, which mobile subscribers in the visited network are associated with the HLR, and which VLRs are currently serving the associated subscribers.

In a wireless communication system having a home network and a visited network, a visitor location register (VLR) located in the visited network, said VLR performing fault recovery functions for a home location register (HLR) located in the home network, said VLR comprising:

• messaging means for communicating with an intervening gateway location register (GLR) located in the visited network, wherein the HLR and the VLR communicate through the GLR, said messaging means:
• receiving, during HLR fault recovery, a reset message from the GLR;
• and
• sending to the GLR, location update messages for mobile subscribers associated with the HLR that are currently being served by the VLR;
• means for deriving, from information contained in the reset message, the identities of the mobile subscribers associated with the HLR that are currently being served by the VLR;
• and
• means for updating the location information for the mobile subscribers associated with the HLR that are currently being served by the VLR, and providing the updated information to the messaging means.