Metaswitch Networks Limited

Matthew Williams

Michael Jeffrey Evans

Andrew Munro Caldwell

Alex Hockey

Nicholas Peter Larkin

Jonathan Lawn

Calum Sutherland Loudon

Diarmid MacKenzie

Shaun Crampton

Daniel Ian Jackson

Matthew John Russell

Josephine Julie Adkin

David Graeme Robertson

Robert Day

Martin Young

Nicholas Larkin

Measures, including methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable storage media, associated with network orchestration. A model of a physical resources part of a network and a model of a virtualised resources part of the network are obtained. The physical/virtualised resources part of the network includes a plurality of physical resources/at least one virtualised network function and represents dependencies between different physical/virtualised resources in the physical/virtualised resources part of the network. At least one optimisation operation is performed using the models of the physical and virtualised resources parts of the network to identify an optimised mapping of the at least one virtualised network function onto at least one of the plurality of physical resources. The at least one virtualised network function is instantiated on the at least one of the plurality of physical resources based on the identified optimised mapping.

Network orchestration

Measures for providing timer services in a network including a cluster of nodes responsible for providing timer services to clients. At a given node in the cluster, a request to provide a timer is received from a client. Configuration of a primary replica of the requested timer on a first node in the cluster to pop after a first time has elapsed is initiated. A first timer replication message is transmitted to a second node in the cluster, the first timer replication message indicating that the second node should configure a first backup replica of the requested timer. A second timer replication message is transmitted to a third node in the cluster, the second timer replication message indicating that the third node should configure a second backup replica of the requested timer. Popping of the primary, first backup or second backup timer replicas includes initiating callback of a given client.

Timer services

A media gateway and method with a media session manager function, a media processor function, and a media session state datastore function. The functions are provided by one or more instantiations which allow for independent scalability of the functions in the media gateway.

Media gateway

Data is processed in a telecommunications network. First and second notifications are received, via an input interface, from first and second Charging Trigger Functions, CTFs, in the telecommunications network. The first and second notifications relate to network resource usage in the telecommunications network. A scalable transformation function is used to transform data derived from the first and second notifications into a first usage detail report in a first detail report format and a second usage detail report in a second, different detail report format. The first and second usage detail reports are output, via an output interface, to at least one recipient system.

Data processing

Measures, including methods, systems and computer-readable storage mediums, for use in processing notifications relating to telecommunication sessions. A cluster of servers is operable to receive incoming notifications where each server can process any given notification and update a store holding records based on previous notifications. The cluster may include a timer function to allow records to be closed when no relevant notifications are received after a timeout interval.

Processing notifications relating to telecommunication sessions

A message is processed at a node in a cluster of nodes. The message is received at the node. The message is addressed to at least one other node in the cluster. At least one action associated with the message is performed at the node. A response message is transmitted indicating that the at least one action has been performed.

Message processing

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods for providing a non-registering endpoint with non-registration services (such as the ability to make a call) in an IMS network without requiring the non-registering endpoint to register. A request for a non-registration service is received and processed by an entity in the IMS network that is configured to handle such requests. The entity requires information about the non-registering endpoint itself before it can process the request. Since the non-registering endpoint is part of the network, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) knows some information about the non-registering endpoint, but can only provide this information to the entity if the non-registering endpoint is registered or being registered by the entity. Consequently, in embodiments, the entity makes it look like the non-registering endpoint is registering, in order for the entity to obtain the information from the HSS.

Managing interaction constraints

Measures (for example methods, systems and non-transitory computer-readable storage media) to process data in an IMS network, including an HSS, an I-CSCF and an S-CSCF. The I-CSCF transmits a request message identifying a user of the IMS network to the HSS. The I-CSCF receives an answer message from the HSS. The answer message comprises an indication either that the user is assigned and not registered to the S-CSCF, or that the user is registered with the S-CSCF. The I-CSCF performs a predetermined action in response to the answer message indicating that the user is assigned to the S-CSCF.

Measures, including methods, systems and computer-readable storage mediums, for use in operating a network node in a network. Signalling information for an in-progress communication session dialog is processed according to a stateless operating mode. The processing according to the stateless operating mode includes storing communication session dialog state data associated with the communication session dialog. An operating mode change trigger is detected. In response to the detection, the stored communication session dialog state data associated with the communication session dialog is retrieved. Signalling information for the in-progress communication session dialog is processed according to a state-full operating mode. The processing according to the state-full operating mode is carried out at least in part on the basis of the retrieved communication session dialog state data associated with the communication session dialog.

Network node

At a network node separate from a subscriber configuration network node configured to store subscriber configuration data for a plurality of subscriber devices, a request to access configuration data associated with a subscriber stored at the subscriber configuration network node is received. In response to the received access request comprising a private user identity for the subscriber, but not a public user identity for the subscriber, the network node retrieves, from a user identity database configured to store user identity data for identifying subscribers in the network, a public user identity for the subscriber, the retrieval being carried out on the basis of the private user identity for the subscriber comprised in the received access request, and transmits an authorization request to the subscriber configuration network node comprising the public user identity retrieved from the user identity database and the private user identity comprised in the received access request.

Processing data

Measures for processing data in a telecommunications network. At a cache, a subscriber configuration data request requesting subscriber configuration data for a subscriber device is received from a network node in a cluster of network nodes. In response to receipt of the subscriber configuration data request, it is determined that a shared cache store does not contain subscriber configuration data for the subscriber device. In response to the determination, subscriber configuration data for the subscriber device is retrieved from a subscriber configuration network node. The subscriber configuration data for the subscriber device retrieved from the subscriber configuration network node is transmitted to the network node.

Growing community of inventors

Enfield, United Kingdom

Matthew Williams