Broadband Session State Synchronization for Control Card Switchover
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Solution Overview
Problem
In broadband network systems, the switchover from an active control card to a standby control card during failures results in prolonged downtime and connection losses due to the lack of synchronized dynamic operating states of circuits, leading to slower startup times for subscriber sessions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to synchronize state information between the active and standby control cards using inter-process communication protocols, allowing the standby card to start up sessions quickly by utilizing the synchronized information, akin to a warm restart, thereby minimizing disruption to existing subscriber sessions and traffic forwarding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the standby control card operates independently without synchronization with the active control card, then the device complexity is reduced, but the startup time increases and service availability decreases during switchover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary synchronization of circuit operating states from the active control card to the standby control card before any failure occurs. This allows the standby card to have current state information ready in advance, enabling it to quickly resume service without lengthy initialization delays when a switchover is triggered.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copied version of the dynamic operating states from the active control card and stores it in the standby control card. This copy includes circuit configuration and status information that allows the standby card to immediately continue processing without re-establishing connections from scratch.
2Loss of information
If the standby control card operates independently without synchronization, then the loss of information is minimized during normal operation, but the reliability decreases during failover due to lack of current state data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary synchronization mechanism that periodically transfers state information from the active to the standby control card. This intermediary process ensures the standby card maintains current knowledge of circuit states without requiring constant communication, enabling reliable failover while minimizing information loss.
3Loss of time
If the active and standby control cards communicate continuously about dynamic operating states, then the startup time during switchover is reduced, but the device complexity and communication overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic synchronization of state information from the active to the standby control card at predetermined intervals. This periodic communication maintains the standby card's state data current enough for rapid failover while avoiding the complexity and overhead of continuous real-time communication.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for process a crossconnect switchover in a network element are described. According to one embodiment, an exemplary method includes synchronizing state information regarding broadband subscriber sessions of one or more circuits of a network element between one or more hub devices of an active control card and a standby control card of the network element, and in response to a crossconnect switchover, starting up one or more sessions associated with the one or more hub devices of the standby control card using the synchronized information, such that the one or more sessions are started up as if they are restarted. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.