Methods and systems for load sharing signaling messages among signaling links in networks utilizing international signaling protocols

A signal transfer point comprising:

• (a) a communication module for sending and receiving signaling messages formatted according to an intemational signaling protocol over a plurality of SS7 signaling links, the received signaling messages having first signaling link selection (SLS) values;
• (b) an SLS generator operatively associated with the communication module for generating second SLS values, at least some of which are different from the corresponding first SLS values, for the received signaling messages formatted according to the international signaling protocol;
• and
• (c) a routing manager operatively associated with the communication module for selecting, based on each of the second SLS values, one of the plurality of SS7 signaling links for transmitting each received signaling message.

A signaling message routing node comprising:

• (a) a first communication module for sending and receiving signaling messages formatted according to an international signaling protocol over SS7 signaling links, the signaling messages received by the first communication module having first signaling link selection (SLS) values;
• (b) a second communication module for sending and receiving signaling messages formatted according to the international signaling protocol over an IP signaling link;
• (c) an SLS generator operatively associated with the first communication module for generating second SLS values for the received signaling messages formatted according to the international signaling protocol, at least some of the second SLS values being different from the corresponding first SLS values;
• and
• (d) a routing manager operatively associated with the first communication module for selecting, based on each of the second SLS values, one of a plurality of logical SS7 signaling links associated with the IP signaling link for transmitting each received signaling message.

A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:

• (a) receiving user input regarding a number of bits n to be included in a generated signaling link selection (SLS) value, n being an integer greater than four;
• (b) receiving signaling messages formatted according to an international signaling protocol and destined for outbound signaling links in a combined linkset having 2n signaling links, the received signaling messages having first SLS values;
• (c) for each received signaling message, generating a second SLS value having at least n bits, at least some of the second SLS values being different from the corresponding first SLS values;
• and
• (d) load sharing the signaling messages among the 2n signaling links in the combined linkset using the second SLS values.