PCRF Policy Rule Reversion for Bearer Modification Failures
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, there is a challenge in ensuring that policy and charging control (PCC) and quality of service (QoS) rules are properly installed and enforced across bearers, as existing systems may fail to install modified rules or complete bearer modifications, leading to inconsistencies and suboptimal service delivery.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) generates modified policy rules and communicates with a gateway to enforce them. If the gateway fails to install the rules, the PCRF reverts to previous rules, utilizing a credit control request (CCR)/credit control answer (CCA) exchange and a timer to determine the success of rule installation and bearer modification, ensuring continuous service by reverting to previous settings if failures occur.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the PCRF generates and enforces modified policy rules to improve service quality, then QoS is improved, but the system may fail to install the rules properly leading to service disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The PCRF stores previous policy rules before enforcing modified rules. This preliminary action enables the system to revert to previous rules if modification fails, ensuring service continuity and preventing disruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway provides feedback to the PCRF regarding the success or failure of policy rule installation. Based on this feedback, the PCRF determines whether to continue with modified rules or revert to previous rules, ensuring reliable service delivery.
2Manufacturing precision
If the gateway attempts to install modified policy rules to achieve better service delivery, then service quality is improved, but installation failures lead to inconsistencies in rule enforcement
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway sends feedback messages to the PCRF indicating whether policy rule installation succeeded or failed. This feedback mechanism allows the PCRF to maintain rule consistency by reverting to previous rules when installation fails, preventing enforcement inconsistencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of policy rules from modified to previous version based on installation outcome. This parameter change ensures that only successfully installed rules are enforced, maintaining rule consistency and accuracy.
3Reliability
If the system uses timer-based verification for rule installation to ensure reliability, then service quality is maintained, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway sends feedback messages to the PCRF regarding rule installation status. This feedback mechanism simplifies the verification process by eliminating the need for complex timer-based checking, while still ensuring reliable rule installation verification.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and apparatuses are provided that facilitate handling failures in policy rule installation and/or related bearer modification procedures. A set of modified policy rules can be provided to a gateway for enforcement thereof and/or correlation with a bearer of a device. The gateway can attempt to install the modified rules and can utilize a credit control request (CCR)/credit control answer (CCA) exchange to notify of a status of the modified rule installation and/or related bearer modification. A policy charging and rules function (PCRF) can, thus, determine the status based on the CCR/CCA exchange. If the status indicates failure, the PCRF can revert to previous policy rules. In addition, an application function can be notified of the status.