Multiplex communications – Data flow congestion prevention or control – Control of data admission to the network
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-12
2004-08-24
Qureshi, Afsar (Department: 2667)
Multiplex communications
Data flow congestion prevention or control
Control of data admission to the network
C370S409000, C370S410000, C370S522000, C370S242000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06781954
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to monitoring message transmission in telephone switches. More specifically, this invention relates to monitoring message transmission in telephone switches with a software-based monitoring system wherein messages are categorized according to a transaction table and messages with the same transaction parameters are stored together.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern telephone switching systems handle literally millions of landline and wireless phone calls during every minute of the day. These messages are input to the system from thousands of nodes which are at times at great distances from the central hub of the switching system that handles and routes the calls in the phone network. Needless to say, monitoring the messages received at the nodes to verify their accuracy and to ensure that they reach their intended location is a monumental task that must be constantly monitored or the telecommunication system runs the risk of performing poorly or shutting down altogether.
Many modern switches are in existence today which can experience the types of problems briefly outlined above. One such switch is the DX200 switch which is a total, integrated switching solution that is used all over the world. The DX200 architecture is owned and produced by Nokia Corporation, Helsinki, Finland. Prior methods of signal monitoring have typically monitored the messages at the switch elements and in order to monitor signaling in the DX200 switch and other similar switches, external protocol analyzers, which are separate, independent pieces of hardware, must be employed at the nodes to gather and analyze message and signaling data. Such external protocol analyzers are available from, for example, Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, Calif. A particularly useful external protocol analyzer is Hewlett-Packard's “acceSS7”.
This type of analyzer must be attached to the signaling link or open interface (e.g. the subscriber interface) in the switch. The problem associated with external protocol analyzers of this type is that they are required to be physically attached to nodes in the system. This requires that a person physically travel from place-to-place in the system to perform the required monitoring functions through actual physical connections of the analyzer to the nodes in the system to gather data of suspected faults therein. Of course, this activity can be very time consuming, expensive and difficult when tracking faults and other events in the whole network. Moreover, external protocol analyzers are expensive pieces of equipment that require constant servicing themselves in order to ensure that they perform and correctly yield useful and accurate signaling data for the switch.
Accordingly, there is a long-felt, but unresolved, need in the art for efficient and simple techniques to monitor signal transmission in a telecommunications network, and particularly at the switches or other signaling points thereof. Such techniques should not require the use of any external and superfluous hardware. Furthermore, these techniques should be simple to implement in existing switches and allow for straightforward troubleshooting of the switch without utilizing complex data analysis and reduction techniques.
It would be beneficial if these techniques allowed the faults to be traced quickly and alleviated the inconvenience of physically going to a place in the network where the fault is suspected. Such needs have not heretofore been achieved in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The systems and methods in accordance with the present invention perform signal monitoring of a message which comprises a signal without the need for use of an external signal monitoring device by incorporating the signal monitoring function in a separate processor which is operable to control signal monitoring. Preferably, the message signals are monitored by a network element or signaling point and it is determined whether a trigger condition for the message signals has occurred. If the trigger has occurred, the processor then collects and stores the message signals for further processing and the message signals are referenced according to parameters set out in a transaction table to process the message signals when the trigger has occurred. More preferably, the referenced message signals are then stored in a database having stored therein other message signals which have been similarly referenced according to the transaction table when a trigger condition has occurred for the other message signals.
The methods and systems of the present invention thus efficiently and cost-effectively perform signal monitoring without the need for external devices to be connected to the system. By performing signal monitoring in accordance with the present invention, the computational costs for signal monitoring are reduced and the signal monitoring function is greatly streamlined. The inventive signal monitoring systems and methods also advantageously provide centralized signal monitoring since the signal monitoring for the entire network may be accomplished at a single network element if desired. Moreover, the inventive signal monitoring methods and systems allow signal monitoring to occur at any signaling point in the network and not just at a switch element thereof. Such results have not heretofore been achieved in the art.
These and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.
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Uberwachungs- und Managementsystem für Netze mit dem Zeichengabesystem Nr. 7 in NTZ Nachrichten Technische Zeitschrift No. 49 (1996) Feb. No. 2, Berlin Germany.
Aalto Petri
Takamäki Timo
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Nokia Networks Oy
Qureshi Afsar
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