Cloud Session Preservation via Mirrored State Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud-based VoIP and SIP communication systems face challenges in preserving communication sessions due to the inability to share physical addresses between geographically distinct system instances, which is a limitation in traditional high availability techniques.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that mirror information associated with communication sessions between geographically redundant cloud-based system instances, allowing one instance to take control of the session and maintain it using different physical addresses in case of failure, ensuring seamless continuity without adopting the failed instance's addresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional session preservation techniques using shared physical addresses are used, then communication session continuity is maintained during system failure, but cloud-based environments cannot implement this due to geographic distribution requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy (mirror) of the communication session information from the primary system instance to the backup system instance. This mirrored information includes session state, endpoint details, and routing information. When the primary instance fails, the backup instance uses this copied information to take over the session without requiring shared physical addresses, thus resolving the contradiction between session continuity and geographic distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the mirroring system) that transfers session information between geographically distributed instances. This intermediary allows the backup instance to acquire necessary session data without direct access to the primary instance's physical address, enabling session preservation in cloud environments while maintaining geographic redundancy.
2Reliability
If geographically distinct system instances are used in cloud-based environments, then system redundancy and availability are improved, but traditional address-sharing failover techniques cannot be implemented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the address management function by separating the physical address (which remains unique to each geographic instance) from the session information (which is mirrored). This segmentation allows each instance to maintain its own identity and address while still enabling failover through information copying, thus reducing address management complexity while preserving system availability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of sharing physical addresses, the patent copies session information between instances. This copying approach eliminates the need for complex address sharing mechanisms while maintaining the ability to transfer sessions during failover, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If physical addresses are changed during failover in cloud-based systems, then geographic redundancy is maintained, but session continuity becomes difficult to preserve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent copies complete session information including endpoint addresses, session state, and routing data from the primary to backup instance. When failover occurs, the backup instance uses this copied information to maintain session continuity even though the physical address changes. This allows geographic redundancy to be maintained while session continuity is preserved through the use of mirrored session data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary mirroring of session information before failover occurs. By having the backup instance already possess complete session information through continuous mirroring, the system can immediately take over upon failure without needing to re-establish connections or exchange address information, thus maintaining session continuity despite address changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, are described for preservation of communication sessions in a geographically redundant cloud-based environment. The system comprises a plurality of end point devices and a plurality of cloud-based system instances, each comprising one or more server computing devices. A first cloud-based system instance assigned a first physical address is configured to establish a communication session using the first physical address between a first end point device and a second end point device, and mirror information associated with the communication session to a second cloud-based system instance assigned a second physical address. The second cloud-based system instance is configured to detect a failure of the first cloud-based system instance during the communication session, take control of the communication session using the mirrored information, and maintain the communication session between the first end point device and the second end point device using the second physical address.