Logical Scalable Units for VoLTE Session Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current telecommunications networks face challenges in scaling stateful application servers, such as policy and charging application servers, which require maintaining session stores and ensuring high availability, making it difficult to efficiently utilize scalable computing resources.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of Logical Scalable Units (LSUs) with session continuity information management, allowing for seamless communication and policy decisions across multiple processors, enabling stateful application servers to scale commensurate with demand while maintaining session integrity and high availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stateful application servers are deployed to maintain session stores for high availability, then reliability is improved, but scalability is worsened because traditional scaling solutions cannot linearly scale stateful servers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the stateful application server into multiple independent Logical Scalable Units (LSUs), each capable of maintaining its own session store. This segmentation allows individual LSUs to be scaled independently while maintaining overall system reliability through distributed state management across multiple units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimensional approach to scaling by moving from traditional vertical scaling (adding more instances of the same server) to horizontal scaling through Logical Scalable Units that can be dynamically added, removed, or replicated. This enables linear scalability while maintaining stateful operations through session continuity information exchange between LSUs.
2Productivity
If traditional scaling solutions are used for stateful application servers, then scalability is improved, but session continuity is worsened because existing solutions cannot maintain session integrity during scaling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing session continuity information exchange mechanisms between Logical Scalable Units before scaling operations occur. Session state is pre-synchronized and continuity protocols are pre-configured, ensuring that when scaling happens, session integrity is maintained without interruption or data loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where Logical Scalable Units continuously exchange session continuity information with each other and with the session store. This feedback loop ensures that during scaling operations, each LSU is aware of the current session state and can maintain proper session continuity, allowing for reliable scaling without compromising session integrity.
3Productivity
If more Logical Scalable Units are deployed to increase throughput, then productivity is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to the need for session continuity information management across multiple processors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing Logical Scalable Units with standardized interfaces and protocols for session continuity information exchange. Each LSU is built as a universal, multi-functional unit that can operate independently while communicating through standardized mechanisms, simplifying the overall system architecture despite the increased number of units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces session continuity information as an intermediary mechanism that mediates communication between multiple Logical Scalable Units. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity of direct coordination between LSUs, providing a standardized protocol for session state synchronization and continuity management, thereby reducing the operational complexity of managing multiple processors.
Data Source
AI summary
Logical scalable units (LSU) can be used within a single network data center to provide stateful scalability. However, LSUs are not suitable for operating across multiple network data centers in order to provide geographical redundancy in active-active scenarios while providing high availability. This is because the latencies associated with replicating full session information are unacceptably slow. An additional component in the LSU (known as an LSU Frontend) can be used to replicate a small subset of session information between LSUs. This subset of session information may be enough to enable LSUs to process requests in an acceptable way rather than outright failing. This may be particularly advantageous in scenarios where the requests relate to Voice over LTE calls, because outright failure is very perceivable to subscribers, and it causes resource leakage within the telecommunications network.