Method and apparatus for partitioning resources within a session-over-internet-protocol (SoIP) session controller

Abstract

A method and apparatus for partitioning resources within a Session-over-Internet-Protocol (SoIP) Session Controller (SC) are described. In one illustrative embodiment, an apparatus comprises data access logic configured to receive an instruction to define at least one virtual partition in a SoIP SC, grant a primary entity access to data associated with each virtual partition, and grant each secondary entity from a plurality of secondary entities exclusive access, relative to the remaining secondary entities from the plurality of secondary entities, to data associated with a virtual partition associated with that secondary entity; and session administration logic configured to generate, for each SoIP session traversing a given virtual partition, a session data record (SDR) uniquely associated with that given virtual partition.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a Session-over-Internet-Protocol (SoIP) network, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a high-level functional block diagram of a Session Border Controller (SBC), in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A is a functional diagram of a SBC showing a plurality of mutually exclusive virtual partitions within the SBC, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of a virtual partition within a SBC, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for partitioning and reselling session-capacity resources in a SBC, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 5A-5C are a flowchart of a method for handling interpartition SoIP sessions, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for sending multiple session data records (SDRs) for a single SoIP session, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: receiving, in a partitioned Session Controller (SC), from a first virtual partition a request for routing information regarding a destination endpoint associated with a second virtual partition; andperforming the following, when a service agreement exists between a first partition management entity associated with the first virtual partition and a second partition management entity associated with the second virtual partition: sending, to the first virtual partition, a realm signaling address (RSA) of the second virtual partition;establishing a first connection between a source endpoint associated with the first virtual partition and the RSA of the second virtual partition; andestablishing a second connection between an RSA of the first virtual partition and the destination endpoint associated with the second virtual partition, a SoIP session being defined by the first and second connections in tandem.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the first virtual partition is received by an administrative realm within the SC, the administrative realm being associated with an SC management entity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating, for the first connection, a session data record (SDR) associated with the first virtual partition; andgenerating, for the second connection, a SDR associated with the second virtual partition.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising sending the SDR associated with the first virtual partition and the SDR associated with the second virtual partition to a SC-network controller upon termination of the SoIP session.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the following, when no service agreement exists between the first and second partition management entities: sending, to the first virtual partition, a realm signaling address (RSA) of a third virtual partition;establishing a first connection between a source endpoint associated with the first virtual partition and the RSA of the third virtual partition;sending, to the third virtual partition, a RSA of the second virtual partition;establishing a second connection between the RSA of the third virtual partition and the RSA of the second virtual partition; andestablishing a third connection between the RSA of the second virtual partition and the destination endpoint.

6. An apparatus, comprising: data access logic configured to: receive an instruction to define at least one virtual partition in a Session-over-Internet-Protocol (SoIP) Session Controller (SC);grant a primary entity access to data associated with each virtual partition; andgrant each secondary entity from a plurality of secondary entities exclusive access, relative to the remaining secondary entities from the plurality of secondary entities, to data associated with a virtual partition associated with that secondary entity; andsession administration logic configured to generate, for each SoIP session traversing a given virtual partition, a session data record (SDR) uniquely associated with that given virtual partition.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: session routing logic configured to receive, for each virtual partition, SoIP session-routing information including a set of source endpoints and a set of destination endpoints, each endpoint from the set of source endpoints and the set of destination endpoints being associated with a logical address mutually exclusive from a logical address for each remaining endpoint from the set of source endpoints and the set of destination endpoints.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each virtual partition is associated with at least one realm, each realm being associated with a logical IP address.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the data access logic is configured to receive the instruction from a SC-network controller.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein SoIP session-routing information associated with routing interpartition SoIP sessions resides in a route server that is external to the SoIP SC.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein SoIP session-routing information associated with routing intrapartition and interpartition SoIP sessions resides in a route server that is external to the SoIP SC.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the data access logic is further configured to define an administrative realm associated with the primary entity, the administrative realm acting as an intermediary between the at least one virtual partition and an external route server associated with interpartition SoIP sessions.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each virtual partition is associated with a single realm.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the data access logic is further configured to grant each secondary entity from the plurality of secondary entities exclusive access, relative to the remaining secondary entities from the plurality of secondary entities, to configuration of alarm services associated with a virtual partition associated with that secondary entity

15. A method, comprising: sending a plurality of session data records (SDRs) for a single Session-over-Internet-Protocol (SoIP) session between a source endpoint associated with a first virtual partition of a partitioned Session Controller (SC) and a destination endpoint associated with a second virtual partition of the partitioned SC, each SDR in the plurality of SDRs being associated with a different virtual partition that participates in establishing the single SoIP session.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of SDRs are sent to a SC-network controller upon termination of the single SoIP session.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of SDRs are initiated upon establishment of the single SoIP session.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein each SDR from the plurality of SDRs includes a source identification, a destination identification, a session duration, and a quality-of-service indicator.

19. A method, comprising: selling a block of Session-over-Internet-Protocol (SoIP) session capacity associated with a SoIP session controller to a first customer,a session capacity for a virtual partition from a plurality of virtual partitions and from the block of SoIP session capacity being resold by the first customer to a second customer after the selling, each virtual partition from the plurality of virtual partitions being mutually exclusive from the remaining virtual partitions from the plurality of virtual partitions.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: each partition customer from a plurality of partition customers including the second customer is uniquely associated with a virtual partition from the plurality of virtual partitions,each virtual partition from the plurality of virtual partitions being associated with SoIP-session-related data,exclusive access to configuration of and to the SoIP-session-related data for each partition customer from the plurality of partition customers being defined by a user interface, the exclusive access being relative to the remaining partition customers from the plurality of partition customers.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first customer has exclusive access, relative to the plurality of partition customers, to define the plurality of virtual partitions.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the SoIP session controller is configured to generate a session data record (SDR) for each intrapartition SoIP session, the SDR being associated with the virtual partition traversed by the intrapartition session.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the SoIP session controller is configured to route interpartition SoIP sessions associated with supporting service agreements between different partition customers and to make interpartition routing information accessible to the plurality of mutually exclusive virtual partitions.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the SoIP session controller is configured to generate a separate session data record (SDR) for each virtual partition that participates in an interpartition SoIP session.