Geo-redundant PCRF MRA with MPE allocation via IMSI hashing and IP indexed table

摘要

A system includes a wireless access network, a gateway that controls communications between the wireless access network and a packet data network, and a policy-charging-and-rule-function (PCRF). The PCRF includes a routing agent in communication with the gateway and a group of multi-media processing engines (MPEs) that are associated with the routing agent. The routing agent receives from the gateway a request to establish a session for a piece of user equipment, and selects one of the MPEs to handle the session based on an IMSI of the piece of user equipment. The routing agent maintains a table indexed by IP address, and makes an entry therein that points to the selected MPE.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a policy-charging-and-rule-function (PCRF), a request to establish a session for a piece of user equipment, wherein the PCRF includes a routing agent that receives the request and that maintains a table that is indexed by IP Address; causing the PCRF to select one of a plurality of multi-media processing engines (MPEs) included in the PCRF to handle the session based on a user-equipment-identifier of the piece of user equipment; causing the routing agent to store, in the table, in association with an IP address of the piece of user equipment, an entry designating the one of the plurality of MPEs selected for the session; receiving at the routing agent an Authorization Access Request (“AAR”) including an IP address; searching the table on the basis of the IP address included in the AAR; and if a given IP Address in the table matches the IP address included in the AAR, and if a given entry associated with the given IP Address designates one of the plurality of MPEs, forwarding the AAR to the one of the plurality of MPEs that is designated by the given entry.