Patent Application
20100217875
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in a communications network, for example a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System having an IP Multimedia Subsystem.
IP Multimedia services provide a dynamic combination of voice, video, messaging, data, etc. within the same session. By growing the number of basic applications and the media that it is possible to combine, the number of services offered to the end users will grow, and the inter-personal communication experience will be enriched. This will lead to a new generation of personalised, rich multimedia communication services, including so-called “combinational IP Multimedia” services.
The UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) is a third generation wireless system designed to provide higher data rates and enhanced services to subscribers. UMTS is a successor to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), with an important evolutionary step between GSM and UMTS being the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). GPRS introduces packet switching into the GSM core network and allows direct access to packet data networks (PDNs). This enables high-data rate packets switch transmissions well beyond the 64 kbps limit of ISDN through the GSM call network, which is a necessity for UMTS data transmission rates of up to 2 Mbps. UMTS is standardised by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) which is a conglomeration of regional standards bodies such as the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI), the Association of Radio Industry Businesses (ARIB) and others. See 3GPP TS 23.002 for more details.
The UMTS architecture includes a subsystem known as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for supporting traditional telephony as well as new IP multimedia services (3GPP TS 22.228, TS 23.228, TS 24.229, TS 29.228, TS 29.229, TS 29.328 and TS 29.329 Releases 5 to 7). IMS provides key features to enrich the end-user person-to-person communication experience through the use of standardised IMS Service Enablers, which facilitate new rich person-to-person (client-to-client) communication services as well as person-to-content (client-to-server) services over IP-based networks. The IMS is able to connect to both PSTN/ISDN (Public Switched Telephone Network/Integrated Services Digital Network) as well as the Internet.
The IMS makes use of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to set up and control calls or sessions between user terminals (or user terminals and application servers). The Session Description Protocol (SDP), carried by SIP signalling, is used to describe and negotiate the media components of the session. Whilst SIP was created as a user-to-user protocol, IMS allows operators and service providers to control user access to services and to charge users accordingly. The 3GPP has chosen SIP for signalling between a User Equipment (UE) and the IMS as well as between the components within the IMS.
Specific details of the operation of the UMTS communications network and of the various components within such a network can be found from the Technical Specifications for UMTS that are available from http://www.3gpp.org. Further details of the use of SIP within UMTS can be found from the 3GPP Technical Specification TS 24.228 V5.8.0 (2004-03).
A user registers with the IMS using the specified SIP REGISTER method. This is a mechanism for attaching to the IMS and announcing to the IMS the address at which a SIP user identity can be reached. In 3GPP, when a SIP terminal performs a registration, the IMS authenticates the user, and allocates a S-CSCF to that user from the set of available S-CSCFs. Whilst the criteria for allocating S-CSCFs is not specified by 3GPP, these may include load sharing and service requirements. It is noted that the allocation of an S-CSCF is key to controlling (and charging for) user access to IMS-based services. Operators may provide a mechanism for preventing direct user-to-user SIP sessions which would otherwise bypass the S-CSCF.
During the registration process, it is the responsibility of the I-CSCF to select an S-CSCF if a S-CSCF is not already selected. The I-CSCF receives the required S-CSCF capabilities from the home network's Home Subscriber Server (HSS), and selects an appropriate S-CSCF based on the received capabilities. (It is noted that S-CSCF allocation is also carried out for a user by the I-CSCF in the case where the user is called by another party, and the user is not currently allocated an S-CSCF.) When a registered user subsequently sends a session request to the IMS, the P-CSCF is able to forward the request to the selected S-CSCF based on information received from the S-CSCF during the registration process.
Within the IMS service network, Application Servers (ASs) are provided for implementing IMS service functionality. Application Servers provide services to end-users in an IMS system, and may be connected either as end-points over the 3GPP defined Mr interface, or “linked in” by an S-CSCF over the 3GPP defined ISC interface. In the latter case, Initial Filter Criteria (IFC) are used by an S-CSCF to determine which Applications Servers should be “linked in” during a SIP Session establishment. Different IFCs may be applied to different call cases. The IFCs arc received by the S-CSCF from an HSS during the IMS registration procedure as part of a user's User Profile. Certain Application Servers will perform actions dependent upon subscriber identities (either the called or calling subscriber, whichever is “owned” by the network controlling the Application Server). For example, in the case of call forwarding, the appropriate (terminating) application server will determine the new terminating party to which a call to a given subscriber will be forwarded. In the case that an IFC indicates that a SIP message received at the S-CSCF should be forwarded to a particular SIP AS, that AS is added into the message path. Once the SIP message is returned by the AS to the S-CSCF, it is forwarded on towards its final destination, or forwarded to another AS if this is indicated in the IFCs.
As appreciated by the applicant, the IMS does not specify any procedure by which an IMS node advertises the adjacent nodes (or far end nodes) about a temporary unavailability due to, for example, a restart, local maintenance operations such as software (SW) upgrades, and so on, and the later recovery.
The lack of such a procedure can cause some interference in the usual function of the applications involved.
It is desirable to address the above-identified issue.
The following is a list of some of the previously-considered procedures for recovery situations:
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use by an Interrogating Call/Session Control Function, I-CSCF, of an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising: in response to receipt of a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, message, requesting capabilities information relating to a user from a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, of the IMS; and, on receipt of the capabilities information from the HSS, selecting a primary and a secondary Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS to provide services to the user.
The method may comprise attempting to forward the SIP message to the primary S-CSCF with information relating to the secondary S-CSCF, such that the information can be provided subsequently to the HSS.
The method may comprise, if the attempt is determined to have failed, forwarding the SIP message to the secondary S-CSCF instead.
The SIP message may relate to a non-registered user.
The SIP message may comprise a SIP Register message.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use by an Interrogating Call/Session Control Function, I-CSCF, of an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising: in response to receipt of a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, message, requesting information from a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, of the IMS relating to a Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS assigned to provide services to a user; and receiving information from the HSS relating to a primary and a secondary S-CSCF assigned to the user.
The method may comprise attempting to forward the SIP message to the primary S-CSCF; and if the attempt is determined to have failed, forwarding the SIP message to the secondary S-CSCF instead.
The method may comprise determining that the attempt has failed if a reply is not received from the primary S-CSCF within a predetermined time period.
The SIP message may relate to a registered user.
The SIP message may comprise a SIP Register message or a SIP Invite message.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use by a Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising: in response to receipt of a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, message from an Interrogating Call/Session Control Function, I-CSCF, of the IMS comprising information relating to a primary and a secondary Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS, forwarding the information relating to the secondary Serving Call/Session Control Function to a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, of the IMS.
The method may comprise forwarding the information to the HSS in a Diameter message.
The Diameter message may be a Server-Assignment-Request message.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use by a Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising: in response to a restart, clearing user-related data in the knowledge that secondary S-CSCFs have been assigned respectively to the users concerned.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use by a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, of an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising: receiving from an Interrogating Call/Session Control Function, I-CSCF, of the IMS a request for information relating to a Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS assigned to provide services to a user, and in response sending information relating to a primary and a secondary S-CSCF.
The request may be a re-registration or de-registration request.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use by a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, of an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising: receiving a message from a Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS including information relating to a primary and a secondary Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS, and in response storing the information relating to the primary and the secondary S-CSCF.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use in an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising associating at least a primary and a secondary Serving Call/Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS with a user, with responsibility for providing services to the user residing at least initially with the primary S-CSSF, thereby enabling the responsibility to be switched from the primary S-CSCF to the secondary S-CSCF should the primary S-CSCF become unavailable.
Associating may comprise making use of such an association.
Where a message is stated as being sent from a user or sent to a particular node, for example, it is to be understood that this is intended as including the case where the message is not sent directly from the user or to the particular node, but via other nodes as well.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for use in an IP Multimedia Subsystem, the apparatus comprising means for performing a method according to any of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for controlling an apparatus to perform a method according to any of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention there is provided a program which, when loaded into an apparatus, causes the apparatus to become an apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention.
The program may be carried on a carrier medium.
The carrier medium may be a storage medium.
The carrier medium may be a transmission medium.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus programmed by a program according to the ninth or tenth aspect of the present invention.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium containing a program according to the ninth or tenth aspect of the present invention.
Because of the lack of specified procedures in the current IMS standard as mentioned above, failure of an S-CSCF may result in incorrect processing of sessions, or not processing the sessions at all.
Before a description embodiments of the present invention, two use cases will be described so explain the context in which embodiment of the present invention will operate. In these use cases, a S-CSCF is assumed to experience a persistent failure of some sort.
For simplicity, the Data Model example depicted in
When the I-CSCF of the terminating network receives a SIP message to initiate a call, the I-CSCF sends a Cx-Location-Query to the HSS, and the HSS should return the already-assigned S-CSCF name, S-CSCF1, to be accessed by the I-CSCF, so that the terminating session establishment is properly treated and therefore reaches the destination UE.
However, while the S-CSCF1 is down, it will not be reached, and after several attempts the I-CSCF will reject the call, stating that it was not able to forward the SIP message in a predetermined time. In this case, the flow might be as shown in
In this case, no terminating call will progress to this user until the S-CSCF1 is restarted or the user is registered again in another S-CSCF.
Use Case 2: Re-Registration when S-CSCF has a Persistent Failure
When the I-CSCF receives a protected SIP REGISTER message (Authorization header with integrity protected parameter set to “yes”), the I-CSCF sends a Cx-Query message to the HSS, and the HSS should return the already-assigned S-CSCF name, S-CSCF1, to be accessed by the I-CSCF.
However, while the S-CSCF1 is down, it will not be reached and after several reattempts the I-CSCF will reject the re-registration with a 504 Server Time-Out message.
Note that this situation will happen until the user is initially registered (an unprotected SIP REGISTER message is sent), and in this case the I-CSCF will request the capabilities again.
The following steps are illustrated in
With the above scenarios in mind, the basic idea underlying an embodiment of the present invention is to allow S-CSCF handover to an already-selected S-CSCF (S-CSCF2) whenever there is a persistent failure in a S-CSCF by:
For this to happen, the I-CSCF might select a pair of S-CSCFs at initial registration that are stored in the HSS.
When the primary selected S-CSCF (S-CSF1) fails, the I-CSCF will select the secondary S-CSCF (S-CSCF2), and the HSS shall accept queries from this S-CSCF (S-CSCF2).
This actions performed in an embodiment of the present invention by the I-CSCF, S-CSCF and HSS will now be described in more detail.
1 Actions at Reception of a Registration Request
With reference to
When a re-registration or deregistration is performed, the HSS would return both S-CSCF1 and S-CSCF2 in the Cx-Query/Cx-SelectPull to the I-CSCF, such that if one of them should not answer, then the other could be used. This is described in more detail below with reference to
2. Actions at Reception of any Other Message
In a normal 3GPP Procedure, when a call is received for an already registered user, the I-CSCF would request from the HSS the server assigned to the user in a Cx-LocationQuery, with the HSS returning the allocated S-CSCF1. In an embodiment of the present invention, the HSS would return both S-CSCF1 and S-CSCF2. The I-CSCF then forwards the SIP message to S-CSCF1, and if it does not answer, S-CSCF2 will be used instead. This is described in more detail below with reference to
In a normal 3GPP Procedure, when a terminating call is received for a non-registered user, I-CSCF will request the capabilities to HSS in a Cx-LocationQuery in order to select a S-CSCF (in general, Cx-Location-Query (Diameter LIR) is sent by the I-CSCF to the HSS when it receives a SIP INVITE message, while Cx-Query (Diameter UAR) is sent by the I-CSCF to the HSS when it receives a SIP REGISTER message). In an embodiment of the present invention, the I-CSCF would select one primary S-CSCF (S-CSCF1) and one secondary S-CSCF (S-CSCF2) and will forward the SIP message to S-CSCF1 including S-CSCF2 since both node names are to be stored in the HSS.
1 Basic Restart Procedure at Primary S-CSCF
If the S-CSCF restarts after a failure it would perform the following general action for the user related data that have been affected by the S-CSCF fault: clear all user related data.
Since another S-CSCF (S-CSCF2) will have been allocated to serve the user in case the primary S-CSCF (S-CSCF1) fails, this S-CSCF (S-CSCF2) would not need to perform any further action.
2 Actions at Reception of a Secondary S-CSCF in any SIP Message
The S-CSCF would be able to receive a secondary S-CSCF (S-CSCF2) as part of a SIP header in any SIP message.
If a server assignment is to be performed after the reception of the SIP message (Cx-Put/Cx-SelectPull), the S-CSCF2 is included as part of an AVP in the Diameter message to the HSS.
1 Actions at reception of a Cx-Put/Cx-Pull
When a server assignment request is received at the HSS for a non-registered user trying to set its state as registered or unregistered, the HSS would be able to store two S-CSCF names, the primary one (S-CSCF1) and the secondary one (S-CSCF2).
When a server assignment request is received for a registered user trying to set its state as unregistered (due to a terminating call has been received in a S-CSCF with no data associated to this user), the HSS would accept said request from either S-CSCF1 or S-CSCF2, and store the sending S-CSCF as the one currently serving the registration of the user. This is illustrated, for example, in
2 Actions at Reception of any Cx Message
The HSS can admit any Cx message received from either S-CSCF1 or S-CSCF2.
At reception of any Cx message, the HSS checks that the S-CSCF which sent the message is either: the primary (S-CSCF1) or the secondary (S-CSCF2), so as to allow its further processing, and also in order to set this S-CSCF as the one being used and facilitate the sending of outgoing messages.
3. Actions when No Cx Message Answer is Received
When the HSS sends any Cx outgoing message (e.g. Cx-Deregister or Cx-UpdateSubs) and no answer is received from S-CSCF1, the HSS can re-send the message to S-CSCF2.
Recovery Procedure at Reception of Mobile Terminating Session when S-CSCF has a Persistent Failure
The sequence flow is illustrated in
The sequence flow is illustrated in
The above description can be summarised by illustrating in general terms in
In summary, the above-described procedures according to an embodiment of the present invention differ from known procedures in at least some of the following ways:
A system, method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention allows hand-over to a new S-CSCF when the previously-assigned one has failed.
This is achieved by allowing the I-CSCF to select a pair of S-CSCFs at initial registration. The information about the selected primary S-CSCF, and about the “spare” S-CSCF, is stored in the HSS, which causes both names to be sent from the HSS to an I-CSCF in any subsequent query response. Then, in the event the I-CSCF detects a faulty condition of the primary S-CSCF (at re-registration, de-registration or incoming call), it forwards the concerned message (i.e. REGISTER or INVITE) to the spare S-CSCF.
An embodiment of the present invention has one or more of the following advantages:
It will be appreciated that operation of one or more of the above-described components can be controlled by a program operating on the device or apparatus. Such an operating program can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or could, for example, be embodied in a signal such as a downloadable data signal provided from an Internet website. The appended claims are to be interpreted as covering an operating program by itself, or as a record on a carrier, or as a signal, or in any other form.
It will also be appreciated by the person of skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In particular, it will be appreciated that, although described in relation to a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System having an IP Multimedia Subsystem, the present invention is also applicable to other types of network.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2007/057590 | 7/23/2007 | WO | 00 | 4/29/2010 |
