Protocol-Neutral Bus for Multiprotocol Session Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) communication solutions, it is challenging to effectively scale and support multiple communication endpoints that use different protocols, as existing systems struggle to efficiently manage and convert protocol-specific messages into protocol-neutral messages for seamless communication across various protocols.
Innovation Solution
The system converts protocol-specific messages, such as SIP INVITE messages, into protocol-neutral messages that are sent to a session processing engine, which applies rules to generate an offer for a communication session. This offer is then published to a protocol-neutral bus, allowing edge servers supporting multiple protocols to convert the message back into protocol-specific messages for communication endpoints, enabling communication across different protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If protocol-specific messages are used for different communication protocols, then protocol compatibility is achieved, but system complexity increases and scalability becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a protocol-neutral message format as an intermediary layer between different communication protocols. The session processing engine converts protocol-specific messages (SIP, H.323, WebRTC) into this neutral format, which then gets converted back to protocol-specific formats at the edge servers. This mediator enables protocol compatibility without requiring the core system to understand all protocol details, thus reducing system complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The protocol-neutral message format serves as a universal communication language that can represent multiple protocol types (SIP, H.323, WebRTC, XMPP, SIPmsg). The session processing engine and protocol-neutral bus can handle all these protocols through a single unified mechanism, eliminating the need for separate handling of each protocol and thereby reducing overall system complexity while supporting multiple protocols.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple protocol-specific message formats are supported, then communication versatility is improved, but message routing and processing become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The protocol-neutral message format acts as a standardized intermediary that simplifies message routing. Instead of routing decisions needing to account for multiple protocol-specific formats, the system routes protocol-neutral messages through a simple bus-based system. The conversion to protocol-specific formats happens at the edge servers based on the destination, making routing straightforward while maintaining communication versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If protocol conversion is performed at every message boundary, then protocol compatibility is maintained, but processing time and system resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the protocol conversion function from the core session processing engine and places it at the edge servers. The session processing engine only handles protocol-neutral messages, while the edge servers perform the protocol-specific conversions. This extraction reduces the processing burden on the core system and allows for more efficient processing by distributing conversion tasks to specialized edge components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs protocol conversion in advance at the edge servers before messages reach the final destination. By preparing protocol-specific messages at the edge rather than converting them at every intermediate boundary, the system reduces processing delays in the core network while maintaining protocol compatibility throughout the communication path.
Data Source
AI summary
To allow the multiple communication endpoints that support different protocols to communicate, a protocol specific message (e.g., a SIP INVITE message) is converted to a protocol neutral message and sent to a protocol neutral bus. The bus delivers this message to a session processing engine, which then applies one or more rules to the protocol neutral request for the first communication session message. The rules are used to apply communication application logic to the first communication session message, then generate a first offer for a communication session message. This message is published to the protocol neutral bus. One or more edge servers supporting one or more protocols may receive that first offer message. The protocol neutral message is converted, by each edge server recipient of that message, to a protocol specific message (e.g., in a different protocol) and is then sent to one or more communication endpoints.