Subscriber Location Service Fallback for Network Outages
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Solution Overview
Problem
When a subscriber is not successfully provisioned with a subscriber location service due to network outages or failures, existing systems fail to locate subscriber information, preventing communication sessions over a communication network.
Innovation Solution
Transitioning the subscriber location service and/or network repository service to a second mode of operation in response to trigger events, where the network repository service provides alternative data stores for the network function to attempt, and optionally increasing retry attempts, to facilitate communication session establishment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the subscriber location service stores subscriber information in a centralized data store, then the system achieves simplified architecture and easier operation, but the system loses reliability when network outages or failures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized subscriber information storage into multiple distributed data stores across different network regions. Each data store holds subscriber information for specific regions, and the system maintains mappings between subscriber identifiers and multiple possible data store locations. This segmentation ensures that if one data store is unavailable, subscriber information can still be retrieved from other data stores.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of data store location from a single fixed location to multiple possible locations. The system maintains a mapping that includes multiple data store identifiers and their corresponding network regions. When retrieving subscriber information, the system can change the parameter of which data store to access based on availability, selecting from alternative locations if the primary data store is unavailable.
2Device complexity
If the system uses a single data store for subscriber information, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to handle network failures is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing mappings between subscriber identifiers and multiple data store locations before network failures occur. The system proactively configures alternative data store paths and maintains updated mappings that include backup locations. When a network failure occurs, the system can immediately use the pre-configured alternative paths without needing to perform complex real-time discovery or configuration.
3Productivity
If the network function follows default retry mechanisms, then the system maintains standard operation procedures, but communication sessions cannot be established when subscriber location service entries are missing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system monitors the success or failure of subscriber information retrieval attempts. When a data store returns an error or timeout, the system receives feedback about the failure and uses this information to select alternative data stores from the mapping. The system adjusts its retrieval strategy based on feedback from previous attempts, trying different data store locations until subscriber information is successfully retrieved or all options are exhausted.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more computing devices, systems, and/or methods for locating subscriber information are provided. When a trigger event occurs within a communication network (e.g., a network outage where a provisioning component is unable to provision a subscriber with a subscriber location service), the subscriber location service is transitioned from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation. While in the second mode of operation, the subscriber location service responds to requests from a network repository service with an indicator when a subscriber cannot be found. The indicator triggers the network repository service to select and recommend one or more data stores of subscriber information for a network function to attempt for accessing the subscriber information. The network repository service may provide retry instructions to the network function for retrying the attempts to access the subscriber information one or more times.