Apparatus for providing data to switching elements in a communications system
AssigneeMCI, Inc.
InventorKelvin Porter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus in a switching element for maintaining data used in operation of a communications system. Examples of such operations include serving sessions and routing calls. A local data structure is maintained within the switching element wherein the local data structure contains data used by the switching element in its operation in the communications system. Responsive to a requirement for needed data that is unavailable or out-of-date from the local data structure, a request is generated for the needed data from a server through a communications link from the switching element to the server.
Claims22
An apparatus in a switching element for maintaining data used in operation of a communications system, the apparatus comprising:
- means for maintaining a local data structure within the switching element, the local data structure including information used to route a received call to a destination, the information being associated with a time stamp;
- means, responsive to a requirement for data that is unavailable from the local data structure, for generating a request for the data from a server through a communications link;
- means, responsive to a determination that the data is available in the local data structure, for determining whether the time stamp is valid;
- and
- means, responsive to a determination that the time stamp is invalid, for requesting another version of the data from the server.
A network device comprising:
- a memory configured to store one or more data structures, each of the one or more data structures being used by the network device to forward data;
- and
- a content manager configured to:
- receive a call request,
- identify, in response to receiving the call request, one data structure from the one or more data structures stored in the memory,
- determine whether the identified one data structure is valid,
- send a request for a current data structure to a remote device when the one data structure is determined to be invalid,
- receive the current data structure from the remote device in response to sending the request, and
- process the call request using the current data structure.
A method for processing call requests, comprising:
- receiving a call request at a network device;
- identifying, in response to receiving the call request, a data structure from a memory associated with the network device;
- determining whether the identified data structure is valid;
- transmitting a request for a valid data structure to a remote device when the identified data structure is determined to be invalid,
- receiving the valid data structure from the remote device in response to transmitting the request, and
- processing the call request using the valid data structure.
A method for managing a plurality of data structures in a switching element, the plurality of data structures being used by the switching element for forwarding data in a communications network, the method comprising:
- determining whether any of the data structures have expired;
- discarding any data structure determined to have expired;
- receiving an update to at least one data structure in the plurality of data structures from a remote device, the remote device storing valid copies of the plurality of data structures;
- determining whether the update is valid;
- and
- storing the update when the update is determined to be valid.
A switching element comprising:
- a memory configured to store a plurality of data structures, the plurality of data structures being used by the switching element for forwarding data in a communications network;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- determine whether any of the plurality of data structures has expired,
- discard any data structure determined to have expired,
- receive an update to at least one data structure in the plurality of data structures from a remote device, the remote device storing a valid copy of each of the plurality of data structures,
- determine whether the update is valid, and
- store the update when the update is determined to be valid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.