IMS Media Gateway Context Allocation for Optimal Media Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optimal media routing (OMR) techniques fail to optimize media resources consumed by media gateways that interconnect different realms in an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, particularly when access and peering realms of a session border controller are different, leading to inefficient use of scarce resources and increased media delay.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves selectively allocating and bypassing contexts in media gateways to ensure that only a single context performs interworking between realms, optimizing media paths by reducing the number of gateways needed, and incorporating address translation and transcoding functions where necessary, using session description protocol (SDP) offer/answer exchanges to manage gateway allocation and de-allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple contexts are allocated in media gateways to perform interworking between different realms, then interworking functionality is ensured, but media plane resources are consumed inefficiently and media delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple context allocations into a single context that handles interworking between multiple realms. Instead of allocating separate contexts for each realm transition (first context for realm1-realm2, second context for realm2-realm3), the system allocates one context that can perform interworking between realm1 and realm3 directly, consolidating resource usage while maintaining necessary functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The allocated context is designed to perform multiple interworking functions between different realm combinations. A single context can handle interworking between realm1-realm2, realm2-realm3, and realm1-realm3, making it a universal component that serves multiple purposes rather than requiring dedicated contexts for each specific realm pair.
2Reliability
If multiple contexts are allocated in media gateways to perform interworking between different realms, then interworking functionality is ensured, but media delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple context allocations into a single context, the patent reduces the number of processing steps and handovers required in the media path. The single context handles all interworking operations in one location, eliminating the sequential processing delays that would occur when media flows through multiple separate contexts across different gateways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the intermediate realm2 from the media path by allocating a context directly between realm1 and realm3. This removes unnecessary routing steps and reduces the number of gateways the media flow must traverse, thereby minimizing media delay while maintaining interworking functionality through the SDP offer/answer exchange mechanism.
3Productivity
If conventional OMR techniques are used, then media paths are established, but gateway resources are not optimized and scarcity is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism through SDP offer/answer exchanges that provide information about realm relationships and media path requirements. This feedback enables the system to make informed decisions about context allocation, allowing it to optimize gateway resource usage by allocating contexts only where necessary and consolidating them where possible, thus preventing resource scarcity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts context allocation based on real-time media flow requirements and realm configurations. Rather than statically allocating multiple contexts, the system allocates contexts dynamically through SDP negotiations, allowing it to adapt to changing conditions and optimize gateway resource utilization according to actual needs.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a transceiver to support a media flow involving a user equipment and an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network that are connected via a media path that traverses a first realm associated with the user equipment, a second realm, and a third realm associated with the IMS network. In some cases, the apparatus includes a processor to establish a first context to perform interworking between the first realm and the second realm in response to an offer message from the user equipment. The processor later de-allocates the first context in response to receiving an answer message indicating that a second context performs interworking between the first realm and the third realm. In other cases, the processor bypasses allocation of a context to perform interworking between the second realm and the third realm in response to an indication that the media flow is anchored on an incoming side.