Distributed Subscriber Data Backup in Mobile Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mobile communication networks, the failure of network elements such as home location registers (HLRs) or home subscriber servers (HSSs) can lead to the unavailability of subscriber data, preventing mobile devices from accessing the network, as existing backup techniques rely on centralized servers that are vulnerable to failures, resulting in potential loss of subscriber data for millions of users.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a backup service that configures mobile devices to locally store and transmit backup subscriber data to a cloud service, distributing the data across the network, allowing it to be aggregated and queued for restoration to network elements like HLRs or HSSs, thereby reducing the risk of data loss and enabling quick recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If centralized backup servers are used to store subscriber data, then data storage is simplified, but the system becomes vulnerable to single-point failures causing data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized backup system into distributed backup nodes across multiple mobile devices. Instead of one centralized server, subscriber data is divided and stored across many individual devices in the network, eliminating the single-point failure vulnerability while maintaining backup functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multiple copies of subscriber data stored across different mobile devices. Each device holds a portion or copy of the backup data, ensuring that if any single device fails, the data can be recovered from other devices in the distributed network.
2Ease of operation
If subscriber data is stored centrally, then data management is easier, but network access is blocked when the central element fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized data management function into distributed segments across multiple mobile devices. Each device independently stores and can provide backup data, allowing the network to maintain access continuity even when individual devices or network elements fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables mobile devices to automatically participate in the backup process without requiring centralized coordination for each operation. Devices autonomously store, retrieve, and transmit backup data as needed, providing self-service functionality that maintains network access during failures.
3Reliability
If backup data is stored on mobile devices, then data distribution improves reliability, but data aggregation and restoration becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordinating network element that acts as an intermediary to manage data aggregation and restoration from distributed mobile devices. This mediator simplifies the complexity by providing a centralized coordination point that handles the complex tasks of retrieving and reconstructing data from multiple distributed sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines data from multiple distributed mobile devices back into a unified restored backup at the network element. The coordination system merges the segmented data portions stored across devices, reconstructing the complete subscriber data set for recovery.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to recover subscriber data in mobile communication networks are disclosed. Example subscriber data recovery methods disclosed herein include communicating with mobile devices operating in a mobile network to configure the mobile devices to (1) locally store backup subscriber data corresponding to subscriber data maintained at a first network element to manage access to the mobile network and (2) transmit the backup subscriber data to a destination based on configuration data. Disclosed example methods also include queueing respective backup subscriber data received from respective ones of the mobile devices for transmission to at least one of the first network element and/or a second network element to restore the subscriber data maintained at a first network element.