Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W24/00—Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
  • H04W24/08—Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q3/00—Selecting arrangements
  • H04Q3/0016—Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
  • H04Q3/0029—Provisions for intelligent networking
  • H04Q3/005—Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q3/00—Selecting arrangements
  • H04Q3/0016—Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
  • H04Q3/0062—Provisions for network management
  • H04Q3/0075—Fault management techniques
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
  • H04M2215/32—Involving wireless systems
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/1305—Software aspects
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13093—Personal computer, PC
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13097—Numbering, addressing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13098—Mobile subscriber
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13102—Common translator
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13103—Memory
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13166—Fault prevention
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13167—Redundant apparatus
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13176—Common channel signaling, CCS7
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13204—Protocols
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13299—Bus
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13349—Network management
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13389—LAN, internet
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W24/00—Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
  • H04W24/10—Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
  • H04W88/18—Service support devices; Network management devices

Definitions

• a wireless mobility services platform comprising a network interconnecting:
• an operations and maintenance processor comprising means for performing platform administration and management functions
• a network access processor comprising means for handling signalling traffic
• a database server comprising a memory subscriber database distributed across a plurality of hardware platforms according to a fault-tolerant redundancy scheme; a platform software layer comprising common communication and database access functions hosted on the operations and maintenance processor, the network access processor, and on the database server, and
• the signal relay layer comprises means for monitoring signal traffic according to filter criteria.
• the signal relay layer comprises means for triggering applications based on said monitoring.
• the signal relay layer comprises means for forwarding signals to an original destination and for relaying signals to an alternative destination according to inspection of operations in incoming signals.
• the structure comprises core, HLR, routing, application, and trigger packages.
• the database server is configured in a 2N redundant configuration with two real time locations for all subscriber data.
• the database server comprises means for maintaining a disk subscriber database on the operations and maintenance processor in addition to internal live and standby subscriber databases.
• the operations and maintenance processor comprises means for allowing user updating of subscriber data on said database.
• Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating variants supported
• Fig. 5 is a diagram showing service triggering; and Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing hardware architectures for two hardware platform configurations, one small scale and the other large scale.
• the NAP is a Signalling End Point responsible for handling all SS7 and X.25 signalling traffic and execution of any MAP protocol.
• the NAPs may be deployed in either 2N redundant or N+l load sharing configurations depending on the requirement of the supported application.
• DBS Database Server 4.
• the DBS provides a fully centralised, redundant, in-memory (RAM) subscriber database for the platform 1.
• the DBS is always deployed in 2N redundant configurations, ensuring that all subscriber data is maintained in at least two real time locations and thus there is no loss of service in the event of failure of a single DBS system.
• Data updates are synchronised across DBS instances and the OMP.
• the standalone OMP component allows multiple platforms to be managed and provisioned as a single logical system.
• the OMP is the only platform that needs to interface to an Operator's Network Management and Subscription Management systems.
• NAP and DBS components can be deployed in 2N redundant configurations to ensure full resilience against the failure of a single system. Availability levels of almost 100% can be provided. Failure detection is a fundamental feature of the platform and does not rely on third party products such as HP ServiceGuardTM.
• NAP Network Access Layer
• DBS Database Server
• the distributed architecture ensures that there is no loss of service when adding extra systems to provide additional capacity.
• the 2N redundant configuration allows Standby systems to be upgraded to new Application or OS software versions without impacting live services.
• FIG. 2 the software structure of the platform 1 is shown. Each layer resides on one or more of the architecture components shown in Fig. 1, as follows.
• HP-UXTM (Unix) 11. This is the operating system and resides on the OA & M 2, the
• HP Open CallTM 11 This is a Hewlett PackardTM third party stack and it resides on the NAP 3.
• Platform Layer 12 This comprises the common software functions such as communication functions and database access function. It resides on all components 2, 3, and 4.
• SRL Signal Relay Layer
• Major applications 14 These are large-scale applications such as a RIG, a HLR, or an AuC. They reside at least partly on all architecture components 2, 3, and 4. Smaller applications 15. These are smaller-scale applications which may be added to the platform 1 in a modular manner. They at least partly reside on all three components.
• Fig. 1 and the software structure of Fig. 2 allow new and custom applications to be quickly developed and deployed in a cost-effective manner. Multiple applications can be co-hosted.
• Application specific logic resides on the NAP component, where network traffic can be handled according to the particular requirements of the implemented service.
• Subscriber data is stored in the DBS RAM database and in secure storage on the OMP.
• the package oriented database design used allows new data types and structures to be easily implemented without the need for complicated and time- consuming modifications to a fixed database schema. All entries may be dual keyed by MSISDN or IMSI (MDN & MIN in ANSI 41) or equivalents.
• An illustration of the database package structure is shown in Fig. 3. The structure includes core, HLR, routing, application, and trigger packages. The modular nature of the platform also allows for frequent re-use of common components.
• the NAP 3 is a highly available, highly perfomant Network Server responsible for handling all SS7 and X.25 network traffic. Each NAP platform can support up to 32 SS7 links.
• the application logic for the various products resides on the NAP, as this is where MAP, TCAP and SCCP primitives can be managed. NAP stacks are illustrated in Fig. 4.
• This configuration consists of N active NAP nodes, each with a hot standby partner node, which is immediately available to take over in the event of any failures in the live system.
• the recovery time is guaranteed to be no more than 6 seconds. All SS7 links remain active during recovery, and the subsystems remain in service.
• Each NAP pair has a single point code per protocol stack. The addition of a new pair requires the assignment of additional point codes.
• N active platforms share the network. In the event of the failure of one of the platforms, the load is redistributed amongst the remaining systems. This configuration is dependent on the remainder of the home SS7 network supporting SCCP Global Title Routing and being able to switch the GT translation to a different NAP if the primary NAP is unavailable. Point code aliasing could also be used, where supported.
• Database Server (DBS)
• the DBS provides a fully centralised, redundant, in-memory (RAM) subscriber database for applications running on the platform 1.
• the DBS is always deployed in a 2N Redundant configuration ensuring that all subscriber data is maintained in at least two real-time locations and thus there is no loss of service in the event of the failure of a single DBS instance.
• Each DBS memory database is fully synchronised with its peer DBS (in the 2N Redundant pair) and the disk database stored on the OMP. For each pair, one DBS will be configured to be live and one will be the shadow. The live/ shadow combination of DBS systems is configured to maintain maximum redundancy in case of failure.
• the active DBS can be configured in one of three ways, depending on the nature of the service and Network Operator's requirements:
• the active DBS does not wait for shadow DBS acknowledgement before updating its database. However, it does not respond to the client Application until the shadow acknowledgement is received.
• the active DBS does not wait for shadow acknowledgement before updating its database and responding to the client Application. This is the fastest mode and is designed for applications requiring rapid response times.
• OMP Operations and Maintenance Processor
• the Operations and Maintenance Processor provides full administration and management of the platform 1 including mediation with the operators Subscriber Administration and Network Management systems.
• the OMP also contains the disk database and plays a major role in database synchronisation.
• the OMP is responsible for the following tasks:
• the OMP consists of the following logical entities: • OMP Manager
• GUI Graphical user interfaces
• a fully-functional MML is used to allow external systems to remotely manage all subscriber data.
• UNIX file which may be a special file, e.g. RS-232, TCP/IP Socket etc.
• An advantageous feature of the platform 1 is the Signal Relay Layer 13 as it provides the ability to monitor SS7 traffic in the network and trigger applications based on inspection of operations at SCCP, TCAP or MAP levels. Inspected operations can be:
• This ability allows the platform to support applications such as Number Portability, or act as an Address Register in a network containing multiple HLRs.
• the decision to Forward, Relay or Respond can be made using data contained on the platform or by querying an external system using MAP, INAP, TCP/IP or other protocol.
• An example of triggering is shown in Fig. 5, in which the platform is called "Ulysses".
• the platform generates an INAP signal 2 and subsequently a MAP operation 3b for a destination network element, before a MAP response is provided from the destination network element to the source network element.
• Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate two typical configurations that demonstrate the flexibility of the architecture and its ability to be tailored to meet the individual requirements of particular applications and operators.
• Fig. 6 shows a small to medium deployment with redundancy. This configuration would be suitable for applications that require redundancy but where the capacity and performance requirements are not that high, for example Number Portability applications in a small GSM network.
• Fig. 10 shows a large scale multi-node configuration with full redundancy. This particular configuration represents an instance of a large Roaming Interworking Gateway (RIG) between ANSI-41 and GSM. There are eleven systems in all.
• ROG Roaming Interworking Gateway
• the platform 1 Asing transaction rates of the platform 1, it is possible to deploy the platform in configurations handling from 10s to 1000s of transactions per second sustained traffic during the busy hour. Regarding response times, the platform 1 will turn messages around in 200-700ms depending on the protocol handling needed and the database requirements. Ultimately the response time will be dependent on the application. A reasonable assumption is that they can respond in 500ms or less for 95% of service instances during the busy hour.
• the target response times for applications are in the region of:
• the platform 1 can support in the order of 6 Million HLR type data records. Other applications, such as Number Portability require less data, and up to 10 million such records can be handled.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Transceivers (AREA)
• Measurement And Recording Of Electrical Phenomena And Electrical Characteristics Of The Living Body (AREA)

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• 2000
  • 2000-12-21 WO PCT/IE2000/000165 patent/WO2001049052A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2000-12-21 AT AT00985748T patent/ATE410891T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-12-21 JP JP2001549035A patent/JP4830081B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
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  • 2000-12-21 EP EP00985748A patent/EP1240790B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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  • 2000-12-21 ES ES00985748T patent/ES2313911T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
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• 2002
  • 2002-06-19 US US10/173,974 patent/US7130907B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

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