Session Change Over System Automatic SBC Reversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large-scale networks like 5G/4G and SIP-based VoIP networks, when a session border controller (SBC) becomes unoperational, sessions are typically transferred to a secondary SBC, but there is no automatic mechanism to revert these sessions back to the original SBC upon its restoration, requiring manual intervention and causing network bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
A session change over system that uses health check messages to determine the operational status of nodes and reconnect user equipment devices to their original SBC, employing a node reconnection data structure to track and transfer sessions automatically back to the original SBC.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sessions are manually transferred back to the original SBC after restoration, then session continuity is maintained, but network bottlenecks occur and downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary SBC performs preliminary actions by storing session information and originator identification during the failover period. When the primary SBC is restored, the secondary SBC already has the necessary data (session identifiers, user equipment lists, original SBC address) prepared to immediately redirect sessions back to the original SBC without manual intervention or network bottlenecks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where SBCs exchange health check messages to monitor operational status. The secondary SBC receives feedback about the primary SBC's restoration status and automatically triggers session redirection based on this feedback, eliminating the need for manual monitoring and intervention while maintaining continuous session continuity.
2Reliability
If manual session transfer is used after SBC restoration, then session routing is controlled, but maintenance windows are required and user experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary SBC performs self-service by automatically detecting the primary SBC's restoration status through health check messages and autonomously redirecting sessions back to the original SBC. This eliminates the need for manual maintenance window coordination and network engineer intervention, allowing seamless restoration without scheduled downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary SBC preliminarily stores all necessary session routing information and original SBC identification data during the failover event. When restoration occurs, this pre-stored information enables immediate automatic redirection without requiring maintenance window coordination or manual session-by-session transfer control.
3Ease of operation
If user devices are powercycled or rebooted to trigger session transfer, then session redirection can occur, but user experience is degraded and service disruption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from health check messages exchanged between SBCs to automatically trigger session redirection. The secondary SBC monitors the primary SBC's status through these feedback messages and autonomously redirects sessions when restoration is detected, eliminating the need to disrupt user devices or services to initiate redirection.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary SBC performs self-service session redirection based on status feedback from health check messages. This automatic mechanism eliminates the need to powercycle or reboot user devices, as the network infrastructure itself manages the session redirection process without requiring user device intervention or service disruption.
4Device complexity
If SBCs do not track operational status automatically, then system complexity is reduced, but session management efficiency decreases and bottlenecks occur
Solution Approach 1:
The health check message serves multiple functions: it confirms SBC operational status, provides feedback for session redirection decisions, and enables automatic failover detection. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate complex status tracking mechanisms while significantly improving session management efficiency and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A session change over system monitors nodes to determine whether they are operational, and transfers user equipment from one node to another when nodes are not operational. The session change over system receives one or more health check messages from one or more foreign nodes which communicate with user equipment. The session change over system inspects each health check message to determine whether a foreign node is not operational. The session change over system identifies user equipment in communication with the foreign node at a time before the foreign node was not operational. The session change over system communicates with the identified user equipment in place of the foreign node.