EP0853411A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Distributed-protocol server
Assignee: Nokia of America Corp
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Filing: 1997-12-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-12-08
Abstract
Abstract A distributed processing system (100) includes a protocol server (101) that enables a plurality of clients (103-104) to share the use of one set of Signaling System 7 (SS7) links (99), that centralizes the link-termination circuitry (110) for use by the plurality of clients, and that provides access to upper layers (215-219) of the SS7 protocol stack (200) by distributing the processing of different layers of the stack between the protocol server and the clients. The protocol server terminates the lower layers (210-213) of the SS7 protocol, while each client terminates the upper layers of the SS7 protocol. Communication between the protocol server and the clients of information expressed in the upper layers of the SS7 protocol is effected via the TCP/IP protocol over a LAN (102). A service access bridge process (113, 116) in the protocol server translates between the lower layers of the SS7 protocol and the TCP/IP protocol, and a distributed signaling server process (114, 117) in the protocol server routes communications across the LAN. A distributed signaling client process (121, 124) in each client translates between the TCP/IP protocol and the upper layers of the SS7 protocol. The distributed signaling server and distributed signaling client processes are substantially protocol independent, allowing for use of any protocol in place of the SS7 protocol. The distributed processing system may be either a multiprocessor or a uniprocessor.
Inventors
- 👤 Rainie M. Bicknell
- 👤 Richard P. Moleres
- 👤 Benny J. Ellis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 00:17
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/0016; H04Q3/0025; H04L; H04L69/00; H04L69/16; H04L69/168; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/10; H04L67/104; H04L67/1087; H04L67/1091; H04L69/08; H04L69/169; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04L69/18; H04Q2213/00; H04Q2213/13107; H04Q2213/13176; H04Q2213/13204; H04Q2213/13299; H04Q2213/13389; H04Q2213/13527; H04Q2213/13535
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A communications apparatus (100) comprising: a server (101) for communicating over a first communications link (99)
that has a first communications protocol (200) comprising a plurality of protocol
layers (210-219), CHARACTERISED BY the server terminating only lower layers
(210-213) of the first communications protocol; a second communications link (102) that has a second communications
protocol different from the first communications protocol, connected to the server; at least one client (103) of the server connected to the second
communications link, for executing an application (123, 126) that uses the first
communications protocol to communicate, for terminating only upper layers (215-219)
of the first communications protocol; and the server and the at least one client each further for communicating
communications expressed in the first communications protocol between the server
and the at least one client over the second communications link by using the second
communications protocol.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
34 words
The communications apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the communications expressed in the first communications protocol and
communicated over the second communications link are expressed in only the upper
layers of the first communications protocol.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The communications apparatus of claim 2 wherein: communications that are communicated over the first communications
link are expressed in both the upper layers and the lower layers of the first
communications protocol.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
The communications apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the server comprises means (114, 117, 119) for routing the communications expressed in the
first communications protocol from the server over the second communications link
to a recipient indicated by communications received by the server over the first
communications link.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
The communications apparatus of claim 4 comprising a plurality of
the servers, wherein: each client comprises means (120, 121, 124) for routing communications received from the
application, from the client over the second communications link to one of the
servers indicated by the communications received from the application.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
182 words
A server (101) for a client-server communications apparatus (100) that
comprises a first communications link (99), a second communications link (102),
and at least one client (103) of the server connected to the second communications
link for executing an application (123, 126) that communicates by using a first
communications protocol (200) having a plurality of protocol layers (210-219) and
for terminating only upper layers (215-219) of the first communications protocol, the
client for communicating communications expressed in the first communications
protocol over the second communication link by using a second communications
protocol different from the first communications protocol, the server CHARACTERISED BY: a first arrangement (110-112) connected to the first communications link
for communicating over the first communications link by using the first
communications protocol and for terminating only lower layers (210-213) of the first
communications protocol; and a second arrangement (113-119) connected to the first arrangement and
to the second communications link for communicating communications expressed in
the first communications protocol between the server and the at least one client over
the second communications link by using the second communications protocol.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
175 words
A client (103) for a client-server communications apparatus (100) that
comprises a first communications link (99), a second communications link (102),
and a server (101) connected to the first communications link for communicating
over the first communications link by using a first communications protocol (200)
that comprises a plurality of protocol layers (210-219) and for terminating only
lower layers (210-213) of the first communications protocol, the server connected to
the second communications link for communicating communications expressed in
the first communications protocol over the second communications link by using a
second communications protocol different from the first communications protocol,
the client CHARACTERISED BY: a first arrangement (103) for executing an application (123, 126) that
uses the first communications protocol to communicate and terminating only upper
layers (215-219) of the first communications protocol; and a second arrangement (120-122, 124-125) connected to the first
arrangement and to the second communications link, for communicating
communications expressed in the first communications protocol between the server
and the client over the second communications link by using the second
communications protocol.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
143 words
A method of communicating in a client-server communications
apparatus (100) comprising a first communications link (99), a second
communications link (102), a server (101) connected to both the first
communications link and the second communications link, and a client (103) of the
server connected to the second communications link and executing an application
(123, 126) that communicates by using a first communications protocol (200) having
a plurality of protocol layers (210-219), the method CHARACTERISED BY the
steps of: terminating only upper layers (215-219) of the first communications
protocol at the client; communicating communications that are expressed in the first
communications protocol between the client and the server over the second
communications link by using a second communications protocol different from the
first communications protocol; and terminating only lower layers (210-213) of the first communications
protocol on the first communications link at the server.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
325 words
The method of claim 8 wherein: the step of terminating only upper layers of the first communications
protocol comprises the steps of receiving a first communication expressed in a highest layer of the first
communications protocol from the application, generating, from the first communication received at the client, a second
communication expressed in upper layers of the first communications protocol, generating a third communication expressed in the highest layer of the
first communications protocol from a fourth communication expressed in the upper
layers of the first protocol at the client, and sending the third communication to the application; the step of communicating communications that are expressed in the
first communications protocol comprises the steps of generating from the second communication at the client a fifth
communication expressed in the second communications protocol, transmitting the fifth communication from the client to the server over
the second communications link by using the second communications protocol, receiving the fifth communication at the server over the second
communications link, regenerating the second communication from the fifth communication at
the server, generating a sixth communication expressed in the second protocol from
the fourth communication at the server, transmitting the sixth communication from the server to the client over
the second communications link by using the second communications protocol, receiving the sixth communication at the client over the second
communications link; and regenerating the fourth communication from the sixth communication at
the client; and the step of terminating only lower layers of the first communications
protocol comprises the steps of generating a seventh communication expressed in all layers of the first
communications protocol from the second communication at the server, transmitting the seventh communication from the server over the first
communications link by using the first communications protocol, receiving an eighth communication expressed in all layers of the first
communications protocol over the first communications link at the server, and generating the fourth communication from the eighth communication at
the server.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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