CDF Tracking Parameter for Offline Charging Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In offline charging systems, when a selected Charging Data Function (CDF) goes out-of-service during a session, it leads to incomplete Charging Data Records (CDRs), increasing complexity for downstream billing mediation systems to combine multiple incomplete CDRs into a coherent and complete CDR.
Innovation Solution
A new tracking parameter is defined in the charging protocol to record the sequence of CDFs selected to handle accounting requests for a session, allowing entities to determine which CDFs possess accounting requests for a failed-over session and facilitate the generation of complete CDRs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a CDF is selected to handle accounting requests for a session, then the charging events are processed by a single CDF, but if the CDF goes out-of-service during the session, the CDR becomes incomplete and downstream billing mediation systems face increased complexity to combine multiple incomplete CDRs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by recording the selected CDF identifier in a tracking parameter at the beginning of session processing. This allows the system to proactively track which CDF was originally selected, enabling downstream entities to identify and retrieve the correct accounting requests even if the CDF goes out-of-service, thereby ensuring complete CDR generation without increasing billing mediation complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by including the CDF identifier in the tracking parameter that is passed through accounting requests. This feedback mechanism allows downstream billing mediation systems to trace back which CDF processed the accounting requests, enabling them to correctly associate and combine accounting requests from multiple CDFs into a complete CDR, thus reducing system complexity
2Reliability
If multiple CDFs are used to handle accounting requests for a session due to failover, then service continuity is maintained, but tracking which CDFs possess accounting requests becomes complex and CDR generation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by recording the selected CDF identifier in a tracking parameter when the CDF is first selected to handle accounting requests. This pre-tracking mechanism ensures that even if failover occurs and multiple CDFs process requests, the system maintains a record of which CDFs were involved, simplifying the tracking process and enabling straightforward CDR generation by identifying all CDFs that possessed accounting requests for the session
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods that track Charging Data Functions (CDFs) that handle accounting requests for a session. One embodiment comprises a distributor unit that receives an interim accounting request for a session. The interim accounting request includes a tracking parameter that includes one or more CDF identifiers (ID) indicating one or more CDFs that handled accounting requests for the session. The distributor unit processes the tracking parameter to identify a first CDF ID for a first destination CDF that handled accounting requests for the session. When the first destination CDF is not available to receive the interim accounting request, the distributor unit selects a second destination CDF for the interim accounting request based on a distribution algorithm. The distributor unit adds a second CDF ID for the second destination CDF in the tracking parameter of the interim accounting request, and transmits the interim accounting request to the second destination CDF.