GPRS Tunneling Protocol Path Integrity Table
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current UMTS/GPRS network systems face inefficiencies due to lack of network status awareness, leading to wasted resources and delayed or dropped calls, as they assume path availability without verifying it, resulting in repeated retries and incorrect load sharing.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to build and maintain a path integrity table using GTP messages, updating records based on message reception or lack thereof, and transmitting GTP Echo Requests to determine path operational states, enabling better path selection and resource management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the system assumes path availability without verification, then call processing speed is improved, but network resource efficiency deteriorates due to repeated retries and incorrect load sharing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary path status verification by sending GTP Echo Requests before establishing actual data paths. This advance checking prevents wasted retries on disabled paths and enables informed load sharing decisions, resolving the contradiction between fast call processing and resource efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where path status information is continuously monitored and updated based on GTP Echo Response messages. This feedback loop ensures that load sharing algorithms and call processing decisions are based on current path availability status, preventing resource waste while maintaining processing speed
2Loss of information
If the system monitors path status continuously, then path availability awareness is improved, but system overhead increases due to additional message exchanges
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic GTP Echo Requests with configurable intervals to monitor path status. This periodic approach balances path availability awareness with controlled overhead, allowing the system to update path status information at appropriate frequencies without excessive message exchanges
Solution Approach 2:
The GTP Echo Request/Response mechanism serves multiple functions: path status monitoring, path liveness verification, and trigger for path status updates in the path integrity table. This multi-functionality reduces overhead by combining monitoring and verification tasks into a single message exchange protocol
3Reliability
If the system performs repeated retries on disabled paths, then call delivery reliability is improved, but network resource waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by identifying and marking disabled paths in the path integrity table before attempting call delivery. This prevents retry attempts on known disabled paths, eliminating resource waste while maintaining reliability by directing traffic only through verified available paths
4Productivity
If the system uses load sharing algorithms without path status information, then path utilization is improved, but call success rate deteriorates due to selection of disabled paths
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by differentiating path selection based on individual path status information stored in the path integrity table. Instead of uniform load sharing, the system adjusts path selection locally according to each path's operational state, ensuring high call success rates while maintaining effective utilization of available paths
Data Source
AI summary
Network efficiency is improved by building and maintaining path integrity tables in nodes of a network. The tables include path integrity information for paths associated with the nodes. A path is defined by a source address, a destination address and a port or version number. Once a node is made aware of a path, either by handling network message traffic associated with the path or through manual entry, the node maintains path status information with information provided by normal network message traffic, or absent the normal network message traffic, by transmitting Echo Request messages and processing information related to Echo Response messages or the lack thereof. Information related to paths that are disabled for longer than a disabled path duration limit is deleted from the tables. A Gratuitous GTP Echo Response message can notify other nodes of an administrative state change in a node.