AMF Context Backup via Group Identifier for Cross-Manufacturer Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
In communication systems, when a mobility management entity fails, the context of a terminal is often lost, triggering a re-registration process and disrupting network connections, especially when AMF entities from different manufacturers are involved due to incompatible data formats.
Innovation Solution
A method where a communications device obtains a group identifier of a terminal and sends a message to a secondary mobility management entity when an exception occurs, allowing context synchronization and preventing re-registration by using serving and backup group identifiers to manage terminal contexts across multiple AMF entities, enabling one-to-many backup and reducing resource impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If context backup uses UDSF entity with manufacturer-specific data formats, then backup reliability is improved for same-manufacturer AMF entities, but compatibility deteriorates when AMF entities from different manufacturers are involved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the data format from manufacturer-specific proprietary formats to a standardized universal format that can be understood by AMF entities from different manufacturers. This parameter change in data representation enables cross-manufacturer compatibility while maintaining backup reliability through standardized interchange protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a standardized data format as an intermediary layer between different manufacturer-specific AMF entities and the UDSF backup system. This intermediary standard format acts as a universal language that enables context backup and restoration across manufacturer boundaries without requiring direct compatibility between different vendor implementations.
2Reliability
If 1+1 backup system is used for AMF entities, then backup coverage is improved, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables a single AMF entity backup to serve multiple purposes by implementing a standardized context format that can be restored by any compatible AMF entity, not just a dedicated backup partner. This multi-functional capability allows the same backup infrastructure to support multiple AMF entities, reducing overall resource requirements compared to dedicated 1+1 backup pairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a backup system where the backup capacity exceeds the minimum 1+1 requirement by enabling one backup to serve multiple AMF entities. This partial redundancy approach provides sufficient backup coverage for reliability while consuming fewer resources than full 1+1 backup pairs for each AMF entity.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication method, a communications device, and a communications system to avoid, when an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity fails, a case in which a re-registration process of a terminal that is being served is triggered because a context of the terminal is lost. The method includes: obtaining, by a communications device, a first group identifier of a terminal group to which a first terminal served by a first mobility management entity belongs; and sending, by the communications device, a message related to the first terminal to a second mobility management entity based on the first group identifier when an exception occurs in the first mobility management entity, where the second mobility management entity is a mobility management entity in which a context of the first terminal exists.