Distributed Backup Network Devices for Telephony Service Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In centralized telephony systems, call treatment options for terminal sets are inaccessible if they become disconnected, as there is no central equipment to manage or store this information in decentralized systems, leading to unavailability of critical data.
Innovation Solution
Network devices in a distributed telephony system select backup devices based on reliability, communicate necessary information to assume roles upon unavailability, and receive information to maintain service continuity, enabling primary and secondary backups to handle call processing and voicemail functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centralized equipment is used to manage call treatment options, then call treatment options are centrally managed and available, but the system requires central equipment which reduces system decentralization and increases single point of failure risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized call treatment options management into distributed storage across multiple terminal sets. Each terminal set stores call treatment options for itself and its backup terminal sets, eliminating the need for a single centralized equipment while maintaining availability of call treatment options across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces backup terminal sets as intermediaries that store and can provide call treatment options when the primary terminal set is unavailable. This mediator approach allows decentralized storage while ensuring continuity of service without requiring central equipment.
2Reliability
If terminal sets store their own call treatment options locally, then data is always available at the terminal set, but the system complexity increases and backup mechanisms are needed for reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having terminal sets pre-select backup terminal sets and pre-transmit call treatment options to these backups before any failure occurs. This ensures that when a terminal set becomes unavailable, its call treatment options are already stored at the backup terminal set, enabling immediate failover without increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating redundant copies of call treatment options at backup terminal sets. Each terminal set maintains copies of call treatment options for itself and its backups, ensuring data availability while using simple copy operations rather than complex distributed consensus protocols.
3Reliability
If backup terminal sets are selected based on reliability, then service continuity is improved, but the selection and management process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by having terminal sets automatically select their own backup terminal sets based on reliability criteria without requiring manual configuration or complex centralized management. Each terminal set autonomously identifies reliable backups and establishes information sharing relationships, simplifying the overall operation while maintaining high service continuity.
Data Source
AI summary
A network device selects at least one other network device as its backup and communicates information for use by the backup network device(s) in assuming the role of the network device upon its unavailability. The network device also receives information from at least one network device that has selected it as its backup device for use in assuming the role of the selecting device(s) upon unavailability of the selecting device(s). Each network device may act as a backup for the same number of devices as it has backups. Selection of backup devices may be based on device reliability. In one embodiment, each network device has a primary and secondary backup. The primary backup assumes the role of the network device when the latter becomes unavailable, and the secondary backup assumes the role of the network device when both the network device and its primary backup are unavailable.