US 8,264,956 B2Granted

Service redundancy in wireless networks

AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.

InventorsRajesh Ramankutty, Kuntal Chowdhury

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Abstract

This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for providing service redundancy among devices in a communication network. The devices can be, for example, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a PDN gateway (P-GW), a call session control function (CSCF), a SGSN, a GGSN, or any other device implemented on a chassis. The redundancy includes a geographic redundancy where the devices are remotely located from one another to prevent a service outage. The devices can provide redundancy to multiple other devices, such that one device serves as a backup to multiple other devices. The information used to provide service to a mobile node such as user equipment can be backed up on the redundancy device and the device can advertise the same routing information to the network so the network is unaware of any change.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of providing geographic redundancy from a MME implemented on a chassis to a plurality of remote mobility management entities (MME), the method comprising:

receiving, at the MME, a configuration message from a first remote MME, which is used by the MME to configure the MME to provide geographic redundancy to the first remote MME;
receiving, at the MME, a configuration message from a second remote MME, which is used by the MME to configure the MME to provide geographic redundancy to the second remote MME;
receiving, at the MME, from the first remote MME, backup information that corresponds to active sessions on the first remote MME;
receiving, at the MME, from the second remote MME, backup information that corresponds to active sessions on the second remote MME;
creating, at the MME, redundant sessions corresponding to the sessions on the first remote MME and the second remote MME using the backup information received from the first remote MME and the second remote MME;
activating the redundant sessions on the MME for at least one of the first remote MME and the second remote MME when the MME detects a trigger from at least one of the first remote MME and the second remote MME;
and
exchanging control signaling at the MME with at least one eNodeB and at least one serving gateway (SGW), wherein the MME takes over providing evolved mobility management and evolved session management in place of the at least one of the first remote MME and the second remote MME using the activated redundant sessions.

5 more elements

A mobility management entity (MME) that communicates with at least one remote MME to provide redundancy in case of failure, the MME comprising:

a service redundancy protocol (SRP) manager of the MME that provides redundancy to a remote MME, and where the SRP manager is configured to read incoming and form outgoing SRP control messages exchanged with the remote MME, wherein the SRP messages received include backup information for sessions on the remote MME;
a SRP session manager of the MME configured to communicate with the SRP manager to receive the backup information obtained from the remote MME and create redundant sessions that correspond to active sessions on the remote MME, wherein the redundant sessions are updated to allow the MME to activate the redundant sessions to provide MME functionality in place of the remote MME;
and
wherein the MME is configured to transmit control signaling to at least one eNodeB and at least one serving gateway (SGW) after a trigger is detected by the SRP manager and a switchover is initiated.

1 more element

A chassis that implements a mobility management entity (MME) function and communicates with at least one remote chassis that implements a second MME function, the chassis comprising:

a service redundancy protocol (SRP) manager implemented by the chassis to provide redundancy to a plurality of remote chassis each implementing a MME, and where the SRP manager is configured to read incoming SRP control messages received from the plurality of remote chassis that include backup information on one of the plurality of remote chassis implementing a MME function;
a SRP session manager implemented by the chassis and configured to communicate with the SRP manager to receive backup information obtained from at least one of the plurality of remote chassis and create redundant sessions that correspond to active sessions on the at least one of the plurality of remote chassis, wherein the redundant sessions are updated to allow the chassis to activate the redundant sessions to provide MME functionality in place of an MME function residing on one of the plurality of remote chassis;
and
a physical interface on the chassis configured to transmit control signaling from the MME function to at least one eNodeB and at least one serving gateway (SGW) after a trigger is detected by the SRP manager and a switchover is initiated.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/715,275Filed 1 Mar 2010 · us provisional application
Priority: 27 Feb 2009
Published: US 2010/0220656 A12 Sep 2010
Granted: 11 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04L 45/025
Topology update or discovery: updating only a limited number of routers, e.g. fish-eye update
H04L 45/04
Topology update or discovery: interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
H04L 45/28
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: using route fault recovery
H04W 24/04
Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements: arrangements for maintaining operational condition