Service Redundancy Protocol for MME Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication networks face challenges in maintaining service redundancy, particularly in geographic redundancy, where devices are remotely located to prevent service outages, and existing solutions struggle to seamlessly switch over in case of failures without disrupting network elements like eNodeB, UE, and HSS.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Service Redundancy Protocol (SRP) that allows a mobility management entity (MME) to receive configuration messages, backup information, and activate redundant sessions across remote MMEs, enabling the MME to take over mobility and session management functions, and communicate with eNodeB and serving gateway (SGW) to ensure continuous service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If geographic redundancy is implemented with remotely located devices, then service availability is improved, but device complexity and coordination overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Service Redundancy Protocol (SRP) as an intermediary mechanism that mediates between redundant MMEs. The SRP enables automatic configuration message exchange, backup information synchronization, and seamless failover coordination without requiring complex manual coordination, thus resolving the contradiction between improved service availability and increased coordination complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring redundant MMEs with backup information and establishing SRP connections before failures occur. Configuration messages and backup session information are exchanged in advance, allowing immediate failover without disruption, thus improving service availability while keeping the coordination process automated and manageable
2Reliability
If seamless failover is implemented, then service interruption is minimized, but information synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating redundant copies of MME functionality and session information on backup MMEs. The SRP protocol automatically synchronizes configuration messages and backup information between active and standby MMEs, ensuring that identical service state is maintained without requiring complex real-time information exchange, thus achieving service continuity while managing synchronization overhead
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary synchronization of backup information and configuration data before failures occur. The SRP protocol establishes and maintains backup copies of session information in advance, allowing immediate failover without information loss or complex real-time synchronization during the failover event itself
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for providing service redundancy among devices in a communication network. The devices can be, for example, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a PDN gateway (P-GW), a call session control function (CSCF), a SGSN, a GGSN, or any other device implemented on a chassis. The redundancy includes a geographic redundancy where the devices are remotely located from one another to prevent a service outage. The devices can provide redundancy to multiple other devices, such that one device serves as a backup to multiple other devices. The information used to provide service to a mobile node such as user equipment can be backed up on the redundancy device and the device can advertise the same routing information to the network so the network is unaware of any change.