Cisco Technology, Inc.

Starent Networks Corporation

Other

Matthew Hayden Harper

Sanil Kumar Puthiyandyil

Rajesh Ramankutty

Kuntal Chowdhury

Janakiraman Senthilnathan

Leonard Schwartz

Ashraf M Dahod

Andrew Gibbs

Kenneth Edward Virgile

Anthony Schoener

Shaji E Radhakrishnan

Timothy G Mortsolf

Benjamin Ari Tober

Kaitki Agarwal

John William Marshall

Mohammed Ismael Tatar

Michael E Lipman

James Alexander Markevitch

Hamed Eshraghian

Werner E Niebel

Steven Philip Holmes

Greg Cheever

Jeffrey Nelson Shaw

This disclosure relates to a system and method for routing data packets adaptively in a communication system. As the proliferation of data rich content and increasingly more capable mobile devices has continued, the amount of data communicated over mobile operator's networks can continue to exponentially increase. One way to accommodate increased data traffic and provide high quality data communication services to end users is by utilizing network resources efficiently. This disclosure provides systems and methods for efficiently utilizing network resources by providing adaptive intelligence to data packet routing systems.

Adaptive intelligent routing in a communication system

Methods and systems are provided for filtering packets in a wireless communication system in the to-subscriber direction. This filtering is at least in part based on RF circuit state information. For example, a packet filter is used that either permits or denies packets from reaching a mobile subscriber based on whether there is already an established RF circuit to provide packets to the mobile subscriber. Alternatively, or in addition, the packet filter may consider the history of circuit state transitions associated with a particular mobile subscriber, the percentage (or aggregate number) of available airlink resources that are currently in use, and/or the length of time associated with the dormancy of a mobile subscriber's RF connection. In various embodiments, the packet filter may cause one or more packets to be sent to a mobile subscriber using a special data channel that does not require the establishment of an RF circuit.

RF-aware packet filtering in radio access networks

In one embodiment, an apparatus cascades groups of serialized data streams through devices, and performs operations based on information communicated therein. A received group of serialized data streams is aligned, but not framed, and forwarded to a next device (e.g., a next stage in a linear or tree cascaded formation of devices). Eliminating the framing and subsequent serialization operations performed on the received group of serialized data streams reduces the latency of communications through the cascaded devices, which can be significant when considered in relation to the high-speed communication rates. The received group of serialized data streams is also framed to create a sequence of data frames for processing (e.g., associative memory lookup operations, controlling multiplexing of received downstream serialized data streams, general or other processing) within the device.

Cascaded communication of serialized data streams through devices and their resulting operation

Resources for IP networking are managed. A field is added to an operating system kernel software procedure. The field references a virtual router context. Packet processing software code is modified to cause the packet processing software code to execute in accordance with the virtual router context.

Managing resources for IP networking

Systems and methods for caching information related to access rights are provided. The access rights may be rules stored in an access control list. The cache may include packet parameters against which packets in a data flow are matched to determine if a match is possible from the cache. If a match is possible, a corresponding rule is applied to the packet. If a match is not found in the cache, the access control list may be searched for a corresponding rule. The rule from the access control list may be populated into the cache when a match is found in the access control list.

System and method for caching access rights

A system and method for providing services to packet flows in a communication network. The services include enhanced charging, stateful firewalls, traffic performance optimization (TPO) and advanced services such as content differentiated charging, per-subscriber stateful firewalls, and VPNs, for example. A gateway can be used to route each packet flow through the services on a per-subscriber basis by inspecting accounting messages and checking subscriber profiles prior to setting up a new packet flow session. By directing the packet flow through the services requested latency can be reduced as well as the need to have equipment for each session regardless of whether the service is provided to the packet flow. The services can be provided in-line as well.

Providing services to packet flows in a network

Systems and methods are provided that allow voice and data traffic to be shifted from one chassis to other chassis without interrupting service. Geographic Redundancy (GR) is an inter-chassis redundancy, where the chassis may be a home agent, a packet data serving node, or any combination of wireless networking devices. Additionally, each chassis can have one or more partitions that handle subscriber session traffic and a corresponding redundant partition on a different chassis. The redundant chassis partition can take over all or a portion of the functionality of the active chassis partition if the active chassis or any critical peer servers/gateways communicating with the active chassis should fail. This provides users with uninterrupted service in the case of some failures.

System and method for active geographic redundancy

Systems and methods for integrating subscriber management and call control functionalities in a packet data network are provided. Subscriber management services include things such as tracking usage for billing, providing account information, and authorization of resources to a subscriber or user. Call control functionality includes setting up Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) call sessions for the exchange of data. SIP functionality is provided by a SIP server and subscriber management is provided by a Network Access Server (NAS), where the SIP functionality and NAS functionality are implemented on the same device. The combined device can maintain at least one database that maps information between the functionalities, so both functionalities may access or be alerted to the other's information.

System and method for collapsed subscriber management and call control

The present invention relates to a synchronized timestamp mechanism in a packet processing system. This synchronized timestamp mechanism provides a globally synchronized counter value so counters located on separate packet processing cards can be synchronized. The synchronizing of these packet processing cards provides tracking of how long it takes for packets to be processed, provides the ability to generate packet headers that include sequence numbers for robust header compression, and allows the use of encryption protocols without a time reference signal. The synchronization is provided by sending the cards with counter value information and this information can be used to update the card's internal counter value information so that the card is synchronized with other cards.

Globally synchronized timestamp value counter

Methods and systems are provided for using a PDSN in a wireless communication network that includes multiple IP addresses and multiple corresponding physical interfaces. Through the use of multiple IP addresses and interfaces, the throughput of the PDSN may be substantially increased. Additionally, the multiple IP addresses and interfaces may be used to provide redundancy in order to protect against software or hardware failures. According to the methods and systems of the invention, moreover, the risk of internal hard handoffs resulting from the use of a PDSN having multiple IP addresses and interfaces is eliminated or at least substantially reduced.

Methods and systems for providing improved handoffs in a wireless communication system

Techniques for providing an uninterrupted data stream to a mobile node are disclosed. In a first technique, a time stamp is inserted at some point in the wireless network and the time stamp is used along with a tolerance value to determine when to transmit a packet in a data stream. By transmitting the packets at the same adjusted time, transmission to mobile nodes is synchronized. A second technique uses duplication of data stream content to avoid an interruption in the data stream at a mobile node. A third technique uses an error correcting code to avoid interruption of the data stream at a mobile node. A fourth technique uses a sequence number inserted into packets in the data stream at the content server to synchronize transmission to mobile nodes.

Synchronizing data transmission over wireless networks

Methods and systems are provided for filtering packets in a wireless communication system in the to-mobile subscriber direction. This filtering is at least in part based on RF circuit state information. For example, a packet filter is used that either permits or denies packets from reaching a mobile subscriber based on whether there is already an established RF circuit to provide packets to the mobile subscriber. Alternatively, or in addition, the packet filter may consider the history of circuit state transitions associated with a particular mobile subscriber, the percentage (or aggregate number) of available airlink resources that are currently in use, and/or the length of time associated with the dormancy of a mobile subscriber's RF connection. In various embodiments, the packet filter may cause one or more packets to be sent to a mobile subscriber using a special data channel that does not require the establishment of an RF circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Salem, NH, United States of America

Matthew Hayden Harper