Methods, systems, and computer readable media for sharing diameter binding data

Abstract

According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for sharing Diameter binding data. The method includes receiving, by a first Diameter signaling router (DSR), a first Diameter message requiring processing. The method also includes selecting, by the first DSR, a processing element to perform the required processing from a plurality of processing elements. The method further includes routing, by the first DSR, the received first Diameter message to the selected processing element. The method further includes creating, by the first DSR, a binding record associating the selected processing element with information associated with the received first Diameter message. The method further includes communicating, by the first DSR, the binding record to a second DSR.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates to sharing Diameter binding data. More specifically, the subject matter relates to methods, systems, and computer readable media for sharing Diameter binding data.

BACKGROUND

The Diameter protocol is a next generation authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) protocol. The Diameter base protocol is defined in IETF RFC 3588, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Commonly used within the Internet multimedia subsystem (IMS) architecture, the Diameter protocol was derived from the remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS) protocol. Historically, the RADIUS protocol was employed by Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide a secure communication channel between an ISP's access server and a secure location where user credential information was stored, e.g., a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) server. While the RADIUS protocol provided a standardized AAA exchange protocol, the emergence of new technologies and applications necessitated the development of a protocol capable of meeting ever-changing demands. Diameter aims to extend the standardized approach of RADIUS while providing expanded functionality and remaining open to future development.

As the prevalence of the Diameter protocol increases within providers' telecommunication networks, many providers are turning to distributed architectures for processing and routing the accompanying increase in volume of Diameter message traffic. While a distributed architecture may offer a provider advantages such as load balancing and redundancy, it also presents various issues. One such issue is sharing Diameter binding data within such a distributed architecture.

Accordingly, a need exists for methods, systems, and computer readable media for sharing Diameter binding data.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for sharing Diameter binding data. The method includes receiving, by a first Diameter signaling router (DSR), a first Diameter message requiring processing. The method also includes selecting, by the first DSR, a processing element to perform the required processing from a plurality of processing elements. The method further includes routing, by the first DSR, the received first Diameter message to the selected processing element. The method further includes creating, by the first DSR, a binding record associating the selected processing element with information associated with the received first Diameter message. The method further includes communicating, by the first DSR, the binding record to a second DSR.

According to another aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a system for sharing Diameter binding data. The system includes a first DSR. The first DSR includes a Diameter routing engine module configured to receive a first Diameter message requiring processing, select a processing element to perform the required processing from a plurality of processing elements, and route the received first Diameter message to the selected processing element. The first DSR also includes a binding query client module configured to create a binding record associating the selected processing element with information associated with the received first Diameter message and communicate the binding record to a second DSR.

As used herein, the term “node” refers to a physical computing platform including one or more processors and memory.

As used herein, the term “module” refers to software in combination with hardware (such as a processor) and/or firmware for implementing features described herein.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in software in combination with hardware and/or firmware. For example, the subject matter described herein may be implemented in software executed by one or more processors. In one exemplary implementation, the subject matter described herein may be implemented using a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps. Exemplary computer readable media suitable for implementing the subject matter described herein include non-transitory computer readable media, such as disk memory devices, chip memory devices, programmable logic devices, and application specific integrated circuits. In addition, a computer readable medium that implements the subject matter described herein may be located on a single device or computing platform or may be distributed across multiple devices or computing platforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter described herein will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for sharing Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively first and second portions of an exemplary message sequence for utilizing a distributed Diameter binding repository (DBR) to share Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively first and second portions of an exemplary message sequence for utilizing a centralized DBR to share Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary Diameter binding data table for sharing Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for sharing Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for sharing Diameter binding data are provided. FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for sharing Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein. Referring to FIG. 1, network environment 100 may include one or more processing elements. For example, network environment 100 may include home subscriber server (HSS) processing elements 102₁, 102₂, and 102_n. HSS processing elements 102₁, 102₂, and 102_n may contain subscription related information such as subscriber profiles and may be utilized in the performance of authentication, authorization, and accounting functions. Network environment 100 may also include policy and charging rules function (PCRF) processing elements 104₁, 104₂, and 104_n. PCRF processing elements 104₁, 104₂, and 104_n may serve as central policy decision points for network environment 100 and may make real-time policy decisions based on aggregated information pertaining to network environment 100. Network environment 100 may further include one or more charging entity processing elements, such as charging data function (CDF) processing elements, on-line charging function (OCF) processing elements, off-line charging function (OFCF) processing elements, and/or charging gateway function (CGF) processing elements. For example, network environment 100 may include CDF processing elements 106₁, 106₂, and 106_n.

Processing elements within network environment 100 (e.g., HSS processing elements 102₁, 102₂, and 102_n, PCRF processing elements 104₁, 104₂, and 104_n, and/or CDF processing elements 106₁, 106₂, and 106_n) may communicate with one another via Diameter messages, and network environment 100 may further include one or more Diameter signaling routers (DSRs) for routing such Diameter messages between network environment 100's processing elements. For example, network environment 100 may include DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110. DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110 may respectively include Diameter routing engine (DRE) modules 112 and 114, which may be configured to route Diameter messages between various Diameter nodes (e.g., HSS processing elements 102₁, 102₂, and 102_n, PCRF processing elements 104₁, 104₂, and 104_n, and/or CDF processing elements 106₁, 106₂, and 106_n) within network environment 100 via various Diameter interfaces (e.g., Gy, Ro, Rf, and S6a interfaces) and may enable DSR “X” 108 and/or DSR “Y” 110 to function as Diameter routing agents, Diameter proxy agents, and/or Diameter translation agents for Diameter messages within network environment 100.

DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110 may be part of a distributed Diameter routing platform for network environment 100 and may work in collaboration to route Diameter messages within network environment 100. For example, DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110 may utilize load sharing to distribute the Diameter message routing requirements of network environment 100 amongst each other. Working in collaboration to route Diameter messages within network environment 100, however, may require each of DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110 to be cognizant of the routing being performed by its counterpart. For example, it may be advantageous for DSR “Y” 110 to be aware that DSR “X” 108 has routed Diameter messages associated with a specific Diameter session or associated with a specific subscriber to a particular processing element within network environment 100 for performing processing required by such messages. Moreover, the identity of particular processing elements within network environment 100 may be obscured from other processing elements that need to communicate with them (e.g., the identities of one or more CDFs may be unknown to one or more charging trigger functions (CTFs)). In such scenarios, DSR “X” 108 may form a binding record associating such a specific Diameter session or subscriber with the particular processing element being utilized to perform the required processing within network environment 100.

In accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein, such Diameter binding data may be shared within network environment 100 (e.g., between DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110). For example, network environment 100 may include one or more Diameter binding repositories (DBRs) for facilitating the sharing of Diameter binding data between DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110. In some embodiments, DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110 may each be associated with their own respective DBR. For example, DSR “X” 108 may be associated with DBR “X” 116 and DSR “Y” 110 may be associated with DBR “Y” 118. In such embodiments, DBR “X” 116 may be co-located at a common network node with DSR “X” 108 and/or DBR “Y” 118 may be collocated at a common network node with DSR “Y” 110. In some embodiments, DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110 may both be associated with a centralized DBR, such as DBR “Z” 120. In such embodiments, DBR “Z” 120 may be co-located at a common network node with DSR “X” 108, co-located at a network node with DSR “Y” 110, or located at a network node distinct from DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110.

DBR “X” 116, DBR “Y” 118, and DBR “Z” 120 may respectively include binding query server (BQS) modules 122, 124, and 126 for respectively hosting binding databases 128, 130, and 132. Binding databases 128, 130, and 132 may include one or more binding records generated by DSR “X” 108 and/or DSR “Y” 110 associating information associated with received Diameter messages with one or more processing elements. For example, binding databases 128, 130, and 132 may include one or more binding records generated by DSR “X” 108 and/or DSR “Y” 110 associating Diameter session identification information, username information, international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) information, Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) private identity (IMPI) information, IMS public identity (IMPU) information, session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) information, network access identifier (NAI) information, mobile/dialable number information, IMS charging identifier (ICID) information, and/or user IP address information associated with Diameter messages received by DSR “X” 108 and/or DSR “Y” 110 with one or more processing elements of network environment 100 (e.g., HSS processing elements 102₁, 102₂, and 102_n, PCRF processing elements 104₁, 104₂, and 104_n, and/or CDF processing elements 106₁, 106₂, and 106_n).

DSR “X” 108 and DSR “Y” 110 may respectively include binding query client (BQC) modules 134 and 136 for generating and communicating binding queries to one or more of DBR “X” 116's BQS module 122, DBR “Y” 118's BQS module 124, and DBR “Z” 120's BQS module 126 for retrieving one or more binding records respectively stored within binding databases 128, 130, and 132. Table 1 illustrates an exemplary query for retrieving a binding record.

TABLE 1
Exemplary Binding Record Query
Subscriber Identifier: <user1@sample.com>
Assigned Processing Element: <CDF_2>
Sequence Number: <00001>
Timestamp: < January 1, 1900 00:00 UTC>

As Table 1 illustrates, a query for retrieving a binding record may include information for identifying a binding record such as a subscriber identifier associated with a received Diameter message that requires processing (e.g., processing by an OCF processing element). Such a query may also include an initial assignment (e.g., a default OCF processing element) for performing the required processing if a binding record matching the query is not located. Such a query may further include a sequence number for identifying lost requests and a timestamp for measuring latency.

Upon receiving a query for retrieving a binding record, DBR “X” 116's BQS module 122, DBR “Y” 118's BQS module 124, and/or DBR “Z” 120's BQS module 126 may identify a binding record associated with the query and, in response, generate and communicate a query response to the requesting DSR (e.g., to DSR “X” 108's BQC module 134 or DSR “Y” 110's BQC module 136). Table 2 illustrates an exemplary query response.

TABLE 2
Exemplary Binding Record Query Response
Subscriber Identifier: <user1@sample.com>
Assigned Processing Element: <CDF_1>
Sequence Number: <00001>
Timestamp: < January 1, 1900 00:00 UTC>

As Table 2 illustrates, a query response may include the subscriber identifier associated with the received Diameter message requiring processing. The query response may also include information identifying a processing element for performing the required processing (e.g., information identifying a CDF processing element). The query may also include the sequence number of the request and the timestamp of the request.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively first and second portions of an exemplary message sequence for utilizing a distributed DBR to share Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein. Referring to FIG. 2A, at step 1, DSR “X” 108 may receive a Diameter message requiring processing. For example, DSR “X” 108 may receive a credit control request (CCR) message requiring processing. DSR “X” 108 may select a processing element to perform the processing required by the received CCR message. For example, DSR “X” 108 may select “CDF_—1” 106₁ to perform the processing required by the received CCR message. In some embodiments, DSR “X” 108 may select a processing element to perform the processing required by the received Diameter message based on a load-balancing algorithm (e.g., a round-robin or weighted distribution scheme). Such an algorithm may be designed so a processing element with a relatively small load is selected for received Diameter messages requiring processing that are associated with a new Diameter session (i.e., a session which has not previously been associated with a particular processing element). In some embodiments, such an algorithm may select a processing element to perform the processing required by the received Diameter message based on load status information maintained by DSR 108 (e.g., Diameter transport connection congestion and/or abnormally high response delays) and/or load information received from one or more processing elements (e.g., “TOO_BUSY” responses).

At step 2, DSR “X” 108 may create a binding record associating the selected processing element (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁) with information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message) and may store the binding record in DBR “X” 116's binding database 128. At step 3, DSR “X” 108 may communicate the binding record to DSR “Y” 110. In some embodiments, DSR “X” 108 may communicate the binding record by synchronizing DBR “X” 116's binding database 128 with DBR “Y” 118's binding database 130. For example, DSR “X” 108 may send a DBR update message to DSR “Y” 110 containing the binding record associating the selected processing element (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁) with information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message) and, at step 4, DSR “Y” 110 may store the binding record in DBR “Y” 118's binding database 130, thereby updating DBR “Y” 118's binding database 130 to reflect the binding created by DSR “X” 108. At step 5, DSR “X” 108 may route the received Diameter message (e.g., the received CCR message) to the selected processing element (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁).

Referring to FIG. 2B, at step 6, DSR “Y” 110 may receive a Diameter message requiring processing. For example, DSR “Y” 110 may receive a CCR message requiring processing. At step 7, DSR “Y” 110 may identify the binding record created by DSR “X” 108 and stored in DBR “Y” 118's binding database 130. For example, DSR “Y” 110 may identify the binding record created by DSR “X” 108 and stored in DBR “Y” 118's binding database 130 based on information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message). Having identified the binding record, DSR “Y” 110 may select a processing element specified by the binding record (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁) to perform the required processing for the received CCR message. At step 8, DSR “Y” 110 may route the received Diameter message (e.g., the received CCR message) to the selected processing element (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁).

FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively first and second portions of an exemplary message sequence for utilizing a centralized DBR to share Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein. Referring to FIG. 3A, at step 1, DSR “X” 108 may receive a Diameter message requiring processing. For example, DSR “X” 108 may receive a CCR message requiring processing. DSR “X” 108 may select a processing element to perform the processing required by the received CCR message. For example, DSR “X” 108 may select “CDF_—1” 106₁ to perform the processing required by the received CCR message. At step 2, DSR “X” 108 may create a binding record associating the selected processing element (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁) with information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message). At step 3, DSR “X” 108 may communicate the binding record to a centralized DBR, for example, DBR “Z” 120 which, at step 4, may store the binding record in DBR “Z” 120's binding database 132, thereby updating DBR “Z” 120's binding database 132 to reflect the binding created by DSR “X” 108. At step 5, DSR “X” 108 may route the received Diameter message (e.g., the received CCR message) to the selected processing element (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁).

Referring to FIG. 3B, at step 6, DSR “Y” 110 may receive a Diameter message requiring processing. For example, DSR “Y” 110 may receive a CCR message requiring processing. At step 7, DSR “Y” 110 may query DBR “Z” 120 for a binding record associated with information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message). For example, DSR “Y” 110 may query DBR “Z” 120 for a binding record using a query such as the exemplary binding record query illustrated by Table 1. At step 8, DBR “Z” 120 may identify the binding record created by DSR “X” 108 and stored in DBR “Z” 120's binding database 132. For example, DBR “Z” 120 may identify the binding record created by DSR “X” 108 based on information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message). At step 9, DBR “Z” 120 may respond to DSY “Y” 110's query with a query response message identifying a processing element specified by the identified binding record (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁) to perform the required processing for the received CCR message. For example, DBR “Z” 120 may respond to DSY “Y” 110's query with a query response message such as the exemplary binding record query response illustrated by Table 2. At step 10, DSR “Y” 110 may select the processing element specified by the query response message (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁) and may route the received Diameter message (e.g., the received CCR message) to the selected processing element (e.g., “CDF_—1” 106₁).

FIG. 4 is an exemplary Diameter binding data table for sharing Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein. Referring to FIG. 4, Table 400 may include columns for specifying one or more Diameter session identifiers, user names, IMSIs, IMPIs, IMPUs, SIP URIs, NAIs, mobile/dialable numbers, user IP addresses, and or processing element identifiers/addresses. Table 400 may include one or more entries for associating information associated with Diameter messages requiring processing with one or more processing elements for performing the required processing. For example, Table 400 may include an entry associating Diameter session “aaa://10.0.0.1:1;1”, user name “user1@sample.com”, IMSI “310150999999991”, IMPI “sip:user1@sample.com”, IMPU “sip:user1@sample.com”, SIP URI “sip:user1@sample.com”, NAI “user1@sample.com”, mobile/dialable number “919-460-0001”, user IP address “10.0.0.1”, and processing element identifier “CDF_—1”. Table 400 may also include an entry associating Diameter session “aaa://10.0.0.2:1;1”, user name “user2@sample.com”, IMSI “310150999999992”, IMPI “sip:user2@sample.com”, IMPU “sip:user2@sample.com”, SIP URI “sip:user2@sample.com”, NAI “user2@sample.com”, mobile/dialable number “919-460-0002”, user IP address “10.0.0.2”, and processing element identifier “CDF_—2”. Table 400 may further include an entry associating Diameter session “aaa://10.0.0.3:1;1”, user name “user3@sample.com”, IMSI “310150999999993”, IMPI “sip:user3@sample.com”, IMPU “sip:user3@sample.com”, SIP URI “sip:user3@sample.com”, NAI “user3@sample.com”, mobile/dialable number “919-460-0003”, user IP address “10.0.0.3”, and processing element identifier “CDF_—1”. Table 400 may be stored in the binding database of one or more DBRs. For example, Table 400 may be stored in one or more of DBR “X” 116's binding database 128, DBR “Y” 118's binding database 130, and/or DBR “Z” 120's binding database 132.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for sharing Diameter binding data in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter described herein. Referring to FIG. 5, in step 500, a first Diameter message requiring processing is received by a first DSR. For example, DSR “X” 108 may receive a CCR message requiring processing. In step 502, a processing element is selected by the first DSR from a plurality of processing elements to perform the required processing. For example, “CDF_—1” 106₁ may be selected from amongst CDF processing elements 106₁, 106₂, and 106_n by DSR 108. In step 504, the received first Diameter message is routed by the first DSR to the selected processing element. For example, the received CCR message may be routed by DSR “X” 108 to “CDF_—1” 106₁. In step 506, a binding record associating the selected processing element with information associated with the received first Diameter message is created by the first DSR. For example, a binding record associating “CDF_—1” 106₁ with information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message). In step 508, the binding record is communicated by the first DSR to a second DSR. For example, DSR “X” 108 may send a DBR update message to DSR “Y” 110 and DBR “Y” 118 may be updated to include the binding record created by DSR “X” 108 associating “CDF_—1” 106₁ with information associated with the received CCR message (e.g., a session identifier associated with the received CCR message and/or a subscriber identifier associated with the received CCR message).

It will be understood that various details of the subject matter described herein may be changed without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose of limitation, as the subject matter described herein is defined by the claims as set forth hereinafter.

Claims

1. A method for sharing Diameter binding data, the method comprising: receiving, by a first Diameter signaling router (DSR), a first Diameter message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element;selecting, by the first DSR, a Diameter processing element to perform the required processing from a plurality of processing elements;routing, by the first DSR, the received first Diameter message to the selected Diameter processing element;creating, by the first DSR, a binding record associating the selected Diameter processing element with information associated with the received first Diameter message, the information including a session identifier;storing the binding record in a Diameter binding repository associated with the first DSR;communicating, by the first DSR, the binding record to a second DSR by transmitting a message containing the binding record from the first DSR to the second DSR;at the second DSR, synchronizing a Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR with the Diameter binding repository associated with the first DSR, wherein synchronizing the Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR includes updating, by the second DSR, the binding record in the Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR;at a third DSR, receiving a Diameter signaling message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element, transmitting, by the third DSR, a query message to the second DSR for the binding record; andat the second DSR, receiving the query message and responding to the query message with a response message identifying the Diameter processing element in the binding record.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving, by the second DSR, a second Diameter message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element;selecting, by the second DSR based on the communicated binding record and information, including the session identifier, associated with the received second Diameter message, the Diameter processing element previously selected by the first DSR to perform the required processing; androuting, by the second DSR, the received second Diameter message to the selected processing element.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein selecting, by the second DSR, the processing element previously selected by the first DSR comprises selecting the processing element based on the binding record stored in the Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein selecting, by the second DSR, the processing element previously selected by the first DSR comprises identifying the binding record based on the information associated with the received second Diameter message.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein communicating, by the first DSR, the binding record to the second DSR comprises: storing, by the first DSR, the binding record in a Diameter binding repository (DBR) associated with the first DSR and the second DSR; andretrieving, by the second DSR, the binding record from the DBR.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein selecting, by the second DSR, the processing element previously selected by the first DSR comprises selecting, by the second DSR, the processing element based on the binding record retrieved from the DBR.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein retrieving, by the second DSR, the binding record comprises identifying the binding record based on the information associated with the received second Diameter message.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the DBR is co-located with the first DSR at a first network node, and the second DSR is located at a second network node distinct from the first network node.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the DBR is co-located with the second DSR at a first network node, and the first DSR is located at a second network node distinct from the first network node.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the DBR is located at a first network node, the first DSR is located at a second network node distinct from the first network node, and the second DSR is located at a third network node distinct from the first network node and the second network node.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein at least one of the information associated with the received first Diameter message and the information associated with the received second Diameter message comprises at least one of Diameter session identification information, username information, international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) information, Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) private identity (IMPI) information, IMS public identity (IMPU) information, session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) information, network access identifier (NAI) information, mobile/dialable number information, IMS charging identifier (ICID) information, and user IP address information.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first DSR and the second DSR comprises at least one of a Diameter routing agent, a Diameter proxy agent, a Diameter redirect agent, and a Diameter translation agent.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding record creates an association between a Diameter session that the received first Diameter message is associated with and at least one of a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) associated with the selected processing element, and a home subscriber server (HSS) associated with the selected processing element.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the binding record creates the association between the Diameter session that the received first Diameter message is associated with and a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, and wherein the charging entity comprises at least one of a charging data function (CDF), an on-line charging function (OCF), an off-line charging function (OFCF), and a charging gateway function (CGF).

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding record creates an association between a subscriber identifier that the received first Diameter message is associated with and at least one of a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) associated with the selected processing element, and a home subscriber server (HSS) associated with the selected processing element.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the binding record creates the association between the subscriber identifier that the received first Diameter message is associated with and a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, and wherein the charging entity comprises at least one of a charging data function (CDF), an on-line charging function (OCF), an off-line charging function (OFCF), and a charging gateway function (CGF).

17. A system for sharing Diameter binding data, the system comprising: first, second and third Diameter signaling routers (DSRs), the first DSR comprising:at least one processor;a Diameter routing engine module implemented by the at least one processor and configured to receive a first Diameter message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element, select a Diameter processing element to perform the required processing from a plurality of Diameter processing elements, and route the received first Diameter message to the selected Diameter processing element;a binding query client module implemented by the at least one processor and configured to create a binding record associating the selected Diameter processing element with information, including a session identifier, associated with the received first Diameter message and communicate the binding record to a the second DSR by transmitting a message containing the binding record from the first DSR to the second DSR; anda Diameter binding repository associated with the first DSR for storing the binding record;wherein the second DSR is configured to synchronize a Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR with the Diameter binding repository associated with the first DSR, wherein synchronizing the Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR includes updating, by the second DSR, the binding record in the Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR;wherein the third DSR is configured to receive a Diameter message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element, to transmit a query message to the second DSR for the binding record; andwherein the second DSR is configured to receive the query message and respond to the query message with a response message identifying the Diameter processing element in the binding record.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the second DSR is configured to: receive a second Diameter message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element;select, based on the communicated binding record and information associated with the received second Diameter message, the Diameter processing element previously selected by the first DSR to perform the required processing; androute the received second Diameter message to the selected processing element.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the second DSR is configured to select the processing element based on the binding record stored in the second DBR Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the second DSR is configured to select the processing element by identifying the binding record stored in the second DBR Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR based on the information associated with the received second Diameter message.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the first DSR is configured to communicate the binding record to the second DSR by storing the binding record in a Diameter binding repository (DBR) associated with the first DSR and the second DSR, and wherein the second DSR is configured to retrieve the binding record from the DBR.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the second DSR is configured to select the processing element previously selected by the first DSR based on the binding record retrieved from the DBR.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the second DSR is configured to retrieve the binding record by identifying the binding record based on the information associated with the received second Diameter message.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the DBR is co-located with the first DSR at a first network node, and the second DSR is located at a second network node distinct from the first network node.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the DBR is co-located with the second DSR at a first network node, and the first DSR is located at a second network node distinct from the first network node.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the DBR is located at a first network node, the first DSR is located at a second network node distinct from the first network node, and the second DSR is located at a third network node distinct from the first network node and the second network node.

27. The system of claim 18 wherein at least one of the information associated with the received first Diameter message and the information associated with the received second Diameter message comprises at least one of Diameter session identification information, username information, international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) information, Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) private identity (IMPI) information, IMS public identity (IMPU) information, session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) information, network access identifier (NAI) information, mobile/dialable number information, IMS charging identifier (ICID) information, and user IP address information.

28. The system of claim 17 wherein at least one of the first DSR and the second DSR comprises at least one of a Diameter routing agent, a Diameter proxy agent, a Diameter redirect agent, and a Diameter translation agent.

29. The system of claim 17 wherein the binding record creates an association between a Diameter session that the received first Diameter message is associated with and at least one of a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) associated with the selected processing element, and a home subscriber server (HSS) associated with the selected processing element.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the binding record creates the association between the Diameter session that the received first Diameter message is associated with and a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, and wherein the charging entity comprises at least one of a charging data function (CDF), an on-line charging function (OCF), an off-line charging function (OFCF), and a charging gateway function (CGF).

31. The system of claim 17 wherein the binding record creates an association between a subscriber identifier that the received first Diameter message is associated with and at least one of a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) associated with the selected processing element, and a home subscriber server (HSS) associated with the selected processing element.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the binding record creates the association between the subscriber identifier that the received first Diameter message is associated with and a charging entity associated with the selected processing element, and wherein the charging entity comprises at least one of a charging data function (CDF), an on-line charging function (OCF), an off-line charging function (OFCF), and a charging gateway function (CGF).

33. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising: receiving, by a first Diameter signaling router (DSR), a first Diameter message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element;selecting, by the first DSR, a Diameter processing element to perform the required processing from a plurality of processing elements;routing, by the first DSR, the received first Diameter message to the selected Diameter processing element;creating, by the first DSR, a binding record associating the selected Diameter processing element with information associated with the received first Diameter message, the information including a session identifier;storing the binding record in a Diameter binding repository associated with the first DSR;communicating, by the first DSR, the binding record to a second DSR by transmitting a message containing the binding record from the first DSR to the second DSR;at the second DSR, synchronizing a Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR with the Diameter binding repository associated with the first DSR, wherein synchronizing the Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR includes updating, by the second DSR, the binding record in the Diameter binding repository associated with the second DSR; andat a third DSR, receiving a Diameter signaling message requiring processing by a Diameter processing element, transmitting, by the third DSR, a query message to the second DSR for the binding record; andat the second DSR, receiving the query message and responding to the query message with a response message identifying the Diameter processing element in the binding record.