Offline Charging Data Segmentation for CDF Failure Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing offline charging systems are prone to data loss and revenue loss due to the failure of Charging Data Function (CDF) devices during accounting sessions, as they store data locally and do not have a robust mechanism for data redundancy.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a data storage system with partitioned data segments that allow multiple charging function devices to access and process accounting data, ensuring that data is stored across multiple locations, enabling other devices to generate Charging Data Records (CDRs) if one device fails, thus reducing the risk of data loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a CDF stores accounting data locally in memory during an accounting session, then the system can process charging events efficiently, but the system becomes vulnerable to data loss if the CDF fails during the session
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage of accounting data by creating separate storage locations for different CDFs. Each CDF has its own dedicated storage area, and the system introduces a redistribution mechanism that can relocate accounting data to different CDFs or storage locations. This segmentation ensures that a failure in one CDF does not propagate to other CDFs and that data can be redistributed to available systems, thereby maintaining reliability without sacrificing processing efficiency.
2Device complexity
If the system uses a single CDF to store and process accounting data, then the system structure is simple, but the system lacks redundancy and cannot tolerate CDF failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple CDFs into a unified system where accounting data can be processed by any available CDF. Instead of having isolated single-point-of-failure CDFs, the system combines multiple CDFs into a redundant group that can share the load. The redistribution mechanism enables any CDF to take over the responsibilities of a failed CDF, effectively merging their capabilities into a resilient system that maintains reliability while keeping the overall structure manageable.
3Ease of operation
If the system stores accounting data in a centralized location, then data access is straightforward, but the system becomes a single point of failure and cannot recover from CDF failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a redistribution mechanism as an intermediary between the accounting data storage and the CDFs. This intermediary component manages the redirection of accounting data from failed CDFs to operational CDFs. When a CDF fails, the redistribution mechanism intercepts the data access requests and redirects them to available CDFs, thereby maintaining ease of data access while providing robust failure recovery capability. The intermediary abstracts the complexity of failure handling from the simple data access operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for offline charging. An Offline Charging System (OFCS) includes a data storage system partitioned into a plurality of data segments, a plurality of Input/Output (I/O) devices configured to communicate with the data storage system, and a plurality of charging function devices configured to communicate with the data storage system. An I/O device receives an accounting record for an accounting session, selects a data segment of the data storage system for the accounting session, and stores the accounting record for the accounting session in the data segment. A charging function device retrieves a copy of the accounting record for the accounting session from the data segment, and processes the copy of the accounting record to generate a CDR for the accounting session.