Charging Control Function Server Load Information Records

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current charging systems in service provider networks face issues with overload conditions, leading to blind searches for alternate CCF servers, increased network traffic, creation of incomplete CDRs, and additional processing burdens, as they lack the ability to intelligently identify and recommend alternate CCF servers with sufficient processing capacity.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method where CCF servers store and update load information records, including identifiers, load status, and timestamps, to select and recommend alternate CCF servers experiencing overload conditions, and incorporating this information in accounting responses to network elements, thereby providing a redirection directive to ensure efficient failover operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If CCF servers use blind search for alternate peers during overload, then failover can be attempted, but network traffic increases and processing burden increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefailover reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork traffic

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

CCF servers perform preliminary actions by maintaining up-to-date load information records about alternate peers before overload occurs. When overload happens, the failed CCF can immediately provide informed alternate peer recommendations based on pre-collected load status, avoiding the need for blind search and reducing network traffic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where CCF servers continuously exchange load information through status messages. This feedback loop maintains current knowledge of peer load conditions, enabling intelligent alternate peer selection that reduces unnecessary network traffic compared to blind search approaches.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If CCF servers use blind search for alternate peers, then failover can be attempted, but processing load increases due to multiple incomplete CDRs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefailover capabilityVSAvoidprocessing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Load information records are maintained in advance with current load status of alternate peers. This preliminary information allows the failed CCF to immediately recommend suitable alternate peers without requiring multiple trial failures, thereby reducing the creation of incomplete CDRs and improving processing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Continuous feedback through status messages keeps load information records updated. This enables the system to make informed failover decisions that reduce the number of failed attempts and incomplete CDRs, improving overall processing efficiency while maintaining failover capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If CCF servers do not provide alternate peer recommendations, then system complexity is reduced, but failover efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidfailover time

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining load information records about alternate peers before failure occurs. This pre-collected information enables immediate intelligent recommendations during failover, reducing failover time without adding significant complexity since the data collection is done proactively.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

CCF servers self-serve by maintaining their own load information records and making intelligent alternate peer recommendations autonomously. This self-service approach reduces failover time without requiring complex external coordination or control mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Productivity

If CCF servers maintain load information records, then intelligent alternate peer selection is enabled, but memory usage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealternate peer selection efficiencyVSAvoidmemory usage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Each CCF server maintains load information records locally about its alternate peers. This distributed local storage approach enables intelligent alternate peer selection at each node without requiring centralized memory resources, balancing the memory usage across the system while maintaining high selection efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9357081B2Method for choosing an alternate offline charging system during an overload and apparatus associated therewith

Publication Date: 2016.05.31 WSOU INVESTMENTS LLC

AI summary

A method for using a charging system to account for service provided by a network element in a service provider network is provided. The method may include storing load information records for multiple charging control function (CCF) servers at the CCF servers, receiving status messages from the multiple CCF servers at the CCF servers in conjunction with operation of the CCF servers in a charging system, and updating load status and timestamp fields in the load information records for the status messages received cyclically. The load information records being accessible to the select CCF server for selecting at least one alternate CCF server after the select CCF server determines it is too busy to process some accounting request (ACR) from some network element. The select CCF server may include a peer characteristics storage module, a charging system communication module, and a status message parsing module.