Timer Validity Signaling for Communication Network Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In communication networks, timers used for supervising communication procedures can become out-of-sync across entities, leading to premature timeouts and unwanted remote actions, especially in large networks with multiple destinations and alternative routing paths, where manual coordination of timer settings is necessary but lacks logic for informing peers about timer usage.
Innovation Solution
A method where entities determine supervision conditions and add timer validity information to signaling messages, allowing entities involved in communication procedures to manage timer validity and synchronization, ensuring accurate timeout supervision and preventing premature terminations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual coordination of timer settings is used between entities, then timer synchronization can be achieved, but the complexity of configuration and maintenance increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Each entity autonomously determines its own timer values based on local supervision conditions and communicates these values to peer entities through signaling messages. This eliminates the need for external manual coordination while maintaining synchronization, as each entity independently manages and shares its timer configuration
Solution Approach 2:
Entities exchange timer validity information through signaling messages, creating a feedback mechanism where each entity is informed about the timer settings of others. This allows dynamic adaptation and automatic synchronization without manual intervention, as entities can adjust their behavior based on received timer information
2Measurement precision
If entities keep track of their own timers independently, then each entity can manage its timing accurately, but communication procedures can get out-of-sync across the network
Solution Approach 1:
By exchanging timer validity information in signaling messages, entities receive feedback about peer timer states. This allows each entity to maintain accurate local timing while also being aware of network-wide timer status, enabling synchronization without compromising local precision
Solution Approach 2:
Timer validity information acts as an intermediary data element that carries timing state between entities. This intermediary information allows entities to coordinate their independent timer operations without direct interference, maintaining both local accuracy and global synchronization
3Reliability
If timer values are configured manually for each entity, then timer settings can be optimized, but the process is time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
Entities automatically determine their own timer values based on local supervision conditions without requiring manual configuration. This self-service approach eliminates time-consuming manual setup while maintaining optimized timer settings adapted to local network conditions
Solution Approach 2:
Timer validity information is determined and communicated in advance before communication procedures begin. This preliminary establishment of timer values allows entities to be immediately operational without time-consuming configuration processes while ensuring accurate timer settings from the start
Data Source
AI summary
System, methods, entities, and computer program for handling timers in a communication network are described. The communication network comprises a plurality of entities (100-108). The method in a first entity (100) comprises determining (301) whether a supervision condition for supervising a communication procedure is fulfilled. The method further comprises adding (308), based on a result of the step of determining the supervision condition (301), a timer validity information to a signaling message related to the communication procedure, and sending (308) the signaling message to a second entity (102). The method in a second entity (102-108) comprises receiving (400) a signaling message associated with a communication procedure, the signaling message containing a timer validity information. The method further comprises determining (401) whether a further processing condition for performing further steps of the communication procedure is fulfilled, the further processing condition being associated with the timer validity information. The system, entities (100-108) and computer program associated with these methods are also described. Therefore an improved handling of time supervisions in a communication network is achieved in terms of accuracy of supervision timeout, and eliminating a triggering of unwanted remote actions after local timeout.