Methods, systems, and computer program products for clustering and communicating between internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) entities and for supporting database access in an IMS network environment

A method for communicating IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) information between IMS functions, the method comprising:

• an IMS cluster node including a processor and a shared memory:
• receiving an IMS registration message;
• requesting IMS subscription information from a home subscriber service (HSS) function within the IMS cluster node via shared memory of the IMS cluster node;
• and
• providing the requested IMS subscription information via the shared memory of the IMS cluster node, wherein at least one of the IMS cluster nodes includes a call state control function (CSCF) and a home subscriber server (HSS) function.

A method for locating an IMS cluster node among a plurality of IMS cluster nodes for processing an IMS message, the method comprising:

• at an IMS cluster location node including a processor;
• receiving an IMS registration message requiring processing by an IMS cluster node;
• performing, by the processor, a lookup in at least one database embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and identifying an IMS cluster node of a plurality of IMS cluster nodes for processing the IMS message;
• and
• forwarding the IMS registration message to the identified IMS cluster node, wherein at least one of the IMS cluster nodes includes a call state control function (CSCF) and a home subscriber server (HSS) function.

A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling a processor of a computer to perform steps comprising:

• at an IP multimedia subsystem IMS cluster node including a shared memory:
• receiving an IMS registration message;
• requesting IMS subscription information from a home subscriber server (HSS) function within the IMS cluster node via the shared memory of the IMS cluster node;
• and
• providing the requested IMS subscription information via the shared memory of the IMS cluster node, wherein at least one of the IMS cluster nodes includes a call state control function (CSCF) and a home subscriber server (HSS) function.

A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling a processor of a computer to perform steps comprising:

• at an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) cluster location node:
• receiving an IMS message requiring processing by an IMS cluster node;
• performing a lookup in at least one database and identifying an IMS cluster node of a plurality of IMS cluster nodes for processing the IMS registration message;
• and
• forwarding the message to the identified IMS cluster node, wherein at least one of the IMS cluster nodes includes a call state control function (CSCF) and a home subscriber server (HSS) function.