DE102005014776B4 - Method, communication arrangement and signaling component for monitoring of at least one communication relationship associated refresh signals - Google Patents

Abstract

method to monitor of at least one communication relationship associated refresh signals (R), which is arranged by at least one in a communication network Signaling component (S1, S2, S3) in predetermined, approximately periodic Time intervals sent out and received in the communication network be, with failure of at least a portion of the refresh signals (Over a predefined monitoring period the at least one communication relationship is reduced, thereby characterized in that the monitoring period so chosen is that this one is bigger as the period of time for a restart of the at least one signaling component (S1, S2, S3) is required.

Description

The The invention relates to a method for monitoring associated with a communication relationship Refresh data in a communication network.

In modern packet-oriented communication systems or communication networks become the existing resources in the network components and the transmission links split between all participants. To such communication systems and in particular the distribution of the individual network resources to manage the participants, Appropriate, conditional protocols have been developed. Stateful means that the individual resources for each communication relationship, i.e. for example for each data connection must be reserved. The corresponding network components have to So for each communication relationship store the corresponding state.

There However, it can not be ruled out is that, for example, signaling data (about to disconnect) get lost, which would cause, for example, a affected data connection remain in the communication network would be up for example, the memory would be crowded in a participating network node included in some protocols a security measure. By the introduction of non-solid states, so-called "softstates", it is prescribed that the states stored in the network components must be constantly updated.

One Example for updating the state information of individual Network components is from the US patent application US 2004/0202107 A1. This will be a procedure for sending out and receiving signaling data within the network discloses, with the help of which the states of the components are checked or be redefined if necessary.

at softstate-based protocols, such as the RSVP ("resource reservation protocol ") the signaling data or signaling messages from the transmitting network component or its associated signaling component repeated at regular intervals sent to neighboring network components ("refresh") is the RSVP protocol about a periodic repetition of the refresh data at intervals of 30 seconds.

Falls one these signaling messages, for example due to a Packet loss, then the reservation with the next signaling message reinitiated. However, the signaling data remain multiple times off, the connection is considered interrupted. The states in the Network components along the transmission path are then deleted according to protocol and the resources are released. In determining the date, where the connection is final is terminated, i. in determining the number of stoppages Refresh data until termination of a communication relationship applies it, in principle, to pay attention to two things: is the monitoring interval, so the elapsed time too short, so already lead short interruptions (for example due to network dependent data loss) Termination of the service. If, however, too long a monitoring period set, so are invalid Leaving information on the network for too long and allocating resources unnecessarily.

Another example of a communication network, in which a connection is also reduced with a time delay, is in the European patent application EP 1154672 A2 described. In this case, from the time of the command to cancel, for example, a call within the communication network, a predefinable time interval is waited until the connection is actually triggered.

In current communication systems are the signaling component (or the associated Signaling component) of the data to be transmitted and the remaining data (or the associated User data component), for example the user data portion of a telephone connection, mostly executed coupled. The failure of a signaling component therefore results in such systems naturally compelling also for interrupting the data connection.

It However, there are also communication systems in which signaling components and User data components are arranged at least partially separated, i.e. Signaling portion and payload of the transmitted Data is transmitted in (possibly physically) separate systems. Due to the above mentioned Refresh mechanism with softstate-based protocols, a short-term outage leads to a Signaling component (and thus the absence of refresh data) However, even in such systems to an interruption of a communication relationship and consequently to interrupt the transmission of the payload.

The invention is based on the object, the method for monitoring refresh data in a communication system so as to prevent the premature termination of a communication relationship. This object is achieved on the basis of a method of a communication arrangement and a signaling component according to the features of the preamble of claims 1, 5 and 6 by their characterizing features.

The inventive method concerns the monitoring from at least one communication relationship associated refresh signals, which of at least one signaling component arranged in a communication network in predetermined, approximate periodic time intervals sent out and in the communication network be received. This is when there is at least one part the refresh signals over a predefined monitoring period the at least one communication relationship is reduced. The essential aspect The invention is that the monitoring period so chosen is that this one is bigger as the period of time for a restart of the at least one signaling component is required.

Of the essential advantage of the invention is that through the Use of a longer monitoring period an interruption of a communication relationship even with a Failure of a signaling component can be prevented.

One Another advantage of the invention is the possibility that the monitoring the at least one communication relationship associated refresh signals from at least one other of the communication relationship Signaling component is performed. This can be a Communication relationship directly from the communication relationship associated signaling components are set up and dismantled.

Advantageous In addition, the at least one signaling component can at least be associated with a user data component, via which the at least one Communication relationship led is. It can the at least one signaling component and the at least one Payload component be arranged in separate systems. This will a termination of a communication relationship due to, for example only a failure of one of the signaling components prevented.

at a restart of the at least one signaling component also advantageous that arranged by others in the communication network Signaling components emitted refresh signals to restart the at least one signaling component used. in this connection can the restart or reconfiguration of at least one Signaling component without further work directly by the refresh signals are controlled.

in the The invention will be explained with reference to several drawings. there demonstrate

1 a schematic representation of coupled signaling and payload data components with the associated signaling data or payload data connections,

2 a schematic representation of separate signaling and payload data components with the associated signaling data or payload data connections and

3 the timing of the transmission of the refresh data and the state of the associated payload data connection in conventional methods (a) and in the inventive method (b) in the event of a failure of a signaling component.

1 shows a schematic representation of the signaling data and payload data connections as they exist between signaling (S1, S2, S3) and payload components (D1, D2, D3) of a prior art communication system.

The respective components S1, S2 and S3 and D1, D2 and D3 are here coupled units, i. Signaling data and user data are in (at least in this section) of the communication system. S1, S2 and S3 or D1, D2 and D3 are thus respectively coupled and for example, also arranged in the same physical systems.

Around to maintain an existing connection will be as above mentioned so-called refresh data R periodically repeated. Through this repeated Data (such as simply repeated signaling data S) is ensured that not by the loss of, for example, a command to Termination of a data connection one actually already finished Communication relationship continues to occupy resources unnecessarily.

In the case of a repeated absence of this refresh data R determined by a timer and a counter, an erroneous interruption of the data connection is assumed. The status information is then deleted and the corresponding communication relationship cleared according to the protocol. At today's Kom Communication systems, for example, have repetition intervals of 30 seconds and wait for 3 refresh data Refresh R to be clear until the status is cleared, ie a monitoring period in this case is 90 seconds long Communication network, since a repeated error in the transmission of the refresh data R may be considered extremely unlikely.

In the in 1 Thus, not only a failure of one of the user data components D1, D2 or D3 but also a (albeit short-term) failure of one of the signaling components S1, S2 or S3 inevitably leads to an interruption of the data connection.

In 2 is a schematic representation of the signaling data and the payload data connections shown, as they consist in a communication system in which signaling components (S1, S2, S3) and user data components (D1, D2, D3) are arranged physically separated.

S1, S2 and S3 are therefore not coupled to D1, D2 and D3 respectively. In this case as well, however, D1, D2 and D3 are replaced by the corresponding ones Signaling components S1, S2 and S3 controlled, i. in D1, D2 and D3 will be resources for a data connection according to the instructions the signaling reserved.

Of Further, the operation and availability of the user data components D1, D2 and D3 monitored by the signaling components S1, S2 and S3. A possible failure of one of the user data components D1, D2 or D3 is thus of the associated Signaling component S1, S2 and S3 registered immediately. In In such a case, the communication relationship is then terminated according to the protocol.

Also in an arrangement like in 2 In order to maintain an existing connection, as mentioned above, refresh data R is periodically repeated. Due to this repeated data exchange between adjacent signaling components, it is also ensured here that a faulty communication relationship is not established, for example as a result of the loss of signaling information, or an existing communication relationship is not terminated in accordance with the protocol.

adversely However, in the prior art, after the absence of some refresh data R as previously terminated the data connection, so as not to invalidate information to be left in the communication network, thus wasting resources, although the data connection is error free in the transmission sense and valid is.

At the inventive method on the other hand, the number of refresh data R to greatly extended to terminate a data connection: is advantageous by this extended monitoring period Thus, a data connection first not interrupted even if about individual signaling components fail. For communication systems with separate signaling components (S1, S2, S3) and data components (D1, D2, D3) is the probability of invalid information stay in the data network, very low.

at a separation of signaling (S1, S2, S3) and payload components (D1, D2, D3) becomes a failure of one of the payload data components as above explained registered directly. Therefore, the number of refresh data to leave out can be R for such Communication networks are easily increased: remain the refresh data R out, that is very likely only one unavailability one of the signaling components (S1, S2 or S3). The probability a simultaneous failure of one of the payload data component D1, D2 or D3 and the associated Signaling component S1, S2 or S3 can be considered negligible be accepted low.

Thus, according to the invention advantageous in the case of a short-term failure of one of the signaling components 51, S2 or S3, the respective signaling component S1, S2 or S3 can be restarted without interrupting the data connection.

3 shows the timing of the refresh data R, which are transmitted by signaling component S2 to the two adjacent signaling components S1 and S3 and the state of the associated data connection. Where 1 = "data connection active" and 0 = "data connection inactive".

3 thus represents the refresh data R received in signaling component S3 (and analogously in S1) and emitted by S2 as well as the data connection controlled with the aid of this signaling. In this case, (a) shows a conventional method attributable to the prior art and (b) inventive method.

In part (a) of 3 At time t = 0, the signaling data S is transmitted from S2 to S3. The user data component D3 assigned to the signaling component S3 is then configured in accordance with the instructions of the signaling and placed in the state 1 (payload connection active). At the same time is in Signalisie tion component S3, a timer or timer is started, which outputs a timer signal after the passage of time T.

Each at intervals of length T will confirm the connection later in S2 Data (Refresh data R) sent out. By signaling component S3 is monitored whether after the expiry of the timer, the refresh data R are received. If so (e.g., times T, 2T), the corresponding one remains Data connection in state 1 (active). The same applies in the case that the refresh data R of S3 once or twice do not receive are, i. that the timer runs once or twice, without that further refresh data R were received. This additional Security buffer prevents the corresponding data connection already ended by S3, if some refresh data R only due to, for example, short-term outages, network-dependent data loss or interruptions in the accessibility of the signaling components (51, S2, S3) get lost.

However, if the refresh data R remains off for a monitoring period of three timer sequences, a failure of the signaling component S2 is detected and the associated data connection is terminated. Although the failure of S2 should be temporary, so if S2 as in 3 (a) After a period of, for example, about 6T is available again, the communication relationship is finally dismantled.

In 3 (b) the process of the invention is illustrated. Here, as in part (a) of 3 again shows the time course of the refresh data R within the signaling component S3 and the state of the associated data connection. Again, signaling component S2 fails between times 2T and 3T, but is available again shortly before time 9T, for example as a result of a restart of the component.

In This case is the monitoring period for the Refresh data R extended according to the invention. With In other words, an associated communication relationship only then finally degraded if the refresh data R as in this case, for example twenty consecutive times were not received. The number the refresh data R to be omitted or the length of the monitoring period can of course be further increased. Preferably, these are dependent on the time it takes a signaling component to reboot and again available to be.

In 3 (b) Thus, signaling component S3 waits for a monitoring period of 20T, for example, until the corresponding data connection is terminated. However, since signaling component S2 is again available within this period 20T (for example, by retrievability after a network failure or by a restart after a failure) and therefore refresh data R is subsequently transmitted again to its neighbors S1 and S3, according to the invention the communication relationship does not become unnecessary reduced.

Should a signaling component (such as S2) fails and restarts must be, so This can after the restarting their status information from the refresh data R of the adjacent signaling components (S1 and S3). In this way, moreover, in the meantime deleted by other causes Status information detected and appropriate corrections to the User data component performed become.

Claims (6)

Method for monitoring refresh signals (R) assigned to at least one communication relationship, which signals are emitted by at least one signaling component (S1, S2, S3) in predetermined, approximately periodic time intervals and received in the communication network, if at least one part fails the refresh signals (R) over a predetermined monitoring period, the at least one communication relationship is reduced, characterized in that the monitoring period is selected so that it is greater than that time period for restarting the at least one signaling component (S1, S2, S3 ) is required. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that that are associated with the at least one communication relationship Refresh signals (R) of at least one other of the communication relationship monitored signaling component (S1, S2, S3) monitored become. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one signaling component (S1, S2, S3) at least one user data component (D1, D2, D3) is assigned, via which the at least one communication relationship is performed, the at least a signaling component (S1, S2, S3) and the at least one User data component (D1, D2, D3) arranged in separate systems are. A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that when the at least one signaling component (51, S2, S3) is restarted, the refresh signals (R) emitted by further signaling components (S1, 52, S3) arranged in the communication network for restarting the at least one signaling component (S1, S2, S3 ) be used. Communication arrangement with in a communication network arranged signaling components (S1, S2, S3), with the Signaling components associated with means for transmitting at least Refresh Signals (R) Assigned to a Communication Relationship in predetermined, approximate periodic time intervals, with the signaling components associated means for receiving and monitoring the refresh signals (R), and means associated with the signaling components for breaking down a communication relationship in the absence of at least a portion of the refresh signals (R) over a monitoring period, thereby in that means for breaking down a communication relationship are designed so that the monitoring period so chosen is that this one is bigger than the period of time for a restart of a signaling component (S1, S2, S3) is required. Signaling component for a communication arrangement according to claim 5, with associated means for receiving and monitoring from in, approximately periodic time intervals emitted and at least one communication relationship associated refresh signals (R), with associated funds for breaking down a communication relationship in the absence of at least a portion of the refresh signals (R) over a monitoring period, thereby in that means for breaking down a communication relationship are designed so that the monitoring period so chosen is that this one is bigger than the period of time for a restart of the signaling component (S1, S2, S3) is required.