Patent Abstract:
A system and method for hand-off maintenance is disclosed. The present invention relates to communication networks and particularly, to network interfaces in communication networks. In existing hand-off mechanisms, when a restart occurs in a Media Gateway, the Media Gateway always tries to register back to the primary Media Gateway Controller, which is under maintenance. As the primary Media Gateway Controller cannot address the request, calls running on the Media Gateway will be affected leading to abrupt release of calls. The method provides a solution to the problem by rejecting service requests from the Media Gateway that are already handed off at the Media Gateway. Further, at Media Gateway level not to register requests to the primary Media Gateway Controller, when a primary Media Gateway Controller is under maintenance. When the primary Media Gateway Controller is under maintenance, requests are directed to the secondary Media Gateway Controller. The secondary Media Gateway Controller then serves the requests to the Media Gateway until the primary Media Gateway Controller is back to operation.

Full Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to communication networks and, more particularly, to network interfaces in communication networks. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Media Gateway Controller (MGC) redundancy concept is employed in present day communication networks. MGC redundancy concept is based on a one-plus-one concept or active-active concept, where both the MGC&#39;s are maintained in active state for operation. In cases, wherein one of the MGC fails or may be taken out for maintenance reasons, the other MGC of the pair takes over the control of Media Gateway (MG) served by the failed MGC. The concept is based on static allocation of MG to the MGC of a pair. Each MG has a preliminary link connected to one MGC (primary MGC) and a secondary link connected to another MGC (secondary MGC). During manual maintenance of MGC, MG served by the MGC may be directed to secondary MGC by sending a hand-off request. 
         [0003]    The drawbacks involved in the above mentioned hand-off mechanism is that, if a restart occurs on the MG after the MG is successfully registered with the secondary MGC, the MG tries to connect to the primary MGC instead of secondary MGC. Further, if the maintenance is not yet started on the primary MGC, the primary MGC accepts the connection request from the MG without the knowledge of network operator. As a result, the MG is not served when the MGC goes for maintenance. On the other hand, when there is an internal failure in the processor handling the concerned MG, the connection between the MG and secondary MGC is lost. The MG may again re-register with the primary MGC by sending a service request to establish the connection. But the primary may not be able to serve the MG as it is under maintenance. Due to these problems, all calls running on the concerned MG will be affected. Also, the network operator is not aware that a MG is actually registered to the MGC under maintenance. 
         [0004]    MG and MGC are separated by a long distance, and actions done at the MG side are not known at the MGC level. Data related to all MGs are configured before hand on the MGC. If a new MG is to be serviced by a primary MGC, which is to be under maintenance, the service request sent from the MG is accepted by the primary MGC without the knowledge of the network operator. Because of the above reasons, calls running on the concerned MG are affected and abrupt release of calls takes place. Also, there is no standardization aspect in existing hand-off mechanisms. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a Media Gateway Controller (MGC) in a communication network. The MGC provided with atleast one means for triggering hand-off for a plurality of Media Gateways (MG&#39;s) controlled by the MGC, setting a flag for indicating hand-off to the MGs, sending a service change reason and address of a secondary MGC to plurality of the MGs, receiving a reply for the service change reason from atleast one MG, receiving a reply for the service change reason from the secondary MGC and rejecting any service change reason from the MGs after the MGC is not available. The service change reason sent to said MG includes a reason for service change and a property. The service change reason sent to the secondary MGC includes a reason for service change. The MGC is functioning in a geo redundancy environment. The flag is sent to the MG in the form of a property. The MGC communicates with the MGs using H.248 protocol interface. 
         [0006]    Embodiments further disclose a Media Gateway (MG) in a communication network. The MG configured with atleast one means for sending a service change reason to a secondary Media Gateway Controller (MGC) for registration on determining that a primary Media Gateway Controller (MGC) is not available, receiving a reply for the service change reason from the secondary MGC, storing status of a flag received in the service change reason, sending the service change reason to the primary MGC, on receiving an indication from the primary MGC that the primary MGC is back in normal operation and receiving a reply for the service change reason from the primary MGC. The reply for the service change reason includes a method and a property. The flag status is indicated to the MG via a property in the reply for service change. 
         [0007]    Also disclosed herein is a method for hand-off maintenance in a communication network. The network comprising of a primary Media Gateway Controller (MGC), a secondary MGC and plurality of Media Gateways (MGs). The method comprising steps of a primary MGC setting a flag for a plurality of the MGs indicating hand-off mechanism for the MGs, when the primary MGC is not availabl the primary MGC sending a service change reason and address of the secondary MGC to plurality of MGs, the MG sending the service change reason to the secondary MGC, the MGs storing the flag status received in the service change reason, the MGC sending the service change reason to the secondary MGC, the secondary MGC validating the reason and the secondary MGC connecting to the MG for providing service to the MG. The method sends the service change reason to the primary MGC, when the primary MGC is back into normal operation and receives a reply for the service change reason from the primary MGC, when the primary MGC is back into normal operation. The service change reason includes a reason for service change and a property. The primary MGC and the secondary MGC communicate via SIP protocol in a geo redundancy environment. The flag is sent to the MGs in the form of property. 
         [0008]    These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0009]    The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system for handling hand-off mechanism, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates a media gateway (MG), according to embodiments as disclosed herein; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a media gateway controller (MGC), according to embodiments as disclosed herein; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a sequence diagram illustrating the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  are flow charts depicting the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a sequence diagram illustrating handling of MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart depicting the process of handling MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a sequence diagram illustrating switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart depicting switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein. 
         [0020]    The embodiments herein disclose a method for hand-off maintenance of Media Gateway Controller by providing systems and methods thereof. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1 through 9 , where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments. 
         [0021]    A system and method for handling hand-off mechanism in a Media Gateway controller (MGC) is disclosed. The system employs a method for handling Media Gateways (MG), when the MGC to which the MG is registered is under maintenance. In a geo redundancy environment, a pair of MGC function together to address the functioning of MGs, wherein one of the MGCs is the primary MGC and the other MGC is the secondary MGC. In case of non operational state of a primary MGC, the functionality is taken over by the secondary MGC. All MGs served by the primary MGC are now served by the secondary MGC after sending a hand-off signal. When the primary MGC is under maintenance, a flag is set in the primary MGC for hand off of the MGs served by the primary MGC to the secondary MGC. The primary MGC sends a service change reason to the MGs being served by it. The service change reason message may also provide reason for service change, a property and flag status set in the MGC. The reason for service change may be stated as ‘service change reason’ include messages like ‘service change directed by primary MGC’, ‘maintenance of primary MGC’ and the like. Property may be stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ and may indicate a ‘tag’ such as ‘g/grhandoff’ and a ‘value’ such as ‘true’ or ‘false’ and the like. The primary MGC may further send the reason to the MG, which then sends the reason to the secondary MGC. 
         [0022]    The MG on receiving the service change reason, stores the status of the flag. Further, the MG sends a service change reason message to the secondary MGC to establish connection with the secondary MGC. The MG stores the property in itself for any further use. The secondary MGC on receiving the service change reason message checks for the reason. If the reason is valid, the secondary MGC accepts the service change reason from the MG. The MG is now registered with the secondary MGC. The secondary MGC then handles the requests of the MG without any interaction of the network operator. When the primary MGC is back into normal operation after maintenance, the flag on the primary MGC is reset. Further, any requests from the MGs are directed back to the primary MGC and the primary MGC handles the functioning of the MGs. 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system for handling the hand-off mechanism, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The description herein is with reference to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) network, however does not aim to limit the scope of the embodiments to SIP networks. The system depicts a geo redundancy environment with a SIP network  106 , a primary MGC  101 , a secondary MGC  102 , a plurality of MGs  103 ,  104  and  105 . MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  are connected to the primary MGC  101  via a primary link and to the secondary MGC  102  via a secondary link. 
         [0024]    The primary MGC  101  contains registration details of all the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  served by the primary MGC  101 . When the primary MGC  101  is under maintenance, all the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  served by the primary MGC  101  are designated to the secondary MGC  102 . When the primary MGC  101  is under maintenance, a flag is set on the primary MGC  101  indicating hand-off of MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  to the secondary MGC  102 . Further, any registration requests to the primary MGC  101  are rejected by the primary MGC  101 . The primary MGC  101  then sends a service change reason message to the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105 . The service change message may also include status of the flag, a reason and property of the message. The flag indicates if hand-off has occurred or not. The primary MGC  101  also sends the address of the secondary MGC  102  to the MG  103  the MG  103  then sends the service change reason message to the secondary MGC  102  indicating reason for the service change. The reason for service change may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and indicated as ‘MGC directed change in GR’ and the like. 
         [0025]    The secondary MGC  102  takes over the functioning of the primary MGC  101  on either failure or maintenance condition of the primary MGC  101 . The secondary MGC  102  performs the function of checking for the reason in the service change reason message. If the reason is valid, the secondary MGC  102  serves the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105 . The secondary MGC  102  also performs the function of sending a manual handoff trigger to the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  when the primary MGC  101  is back in normal operation. 
         [0026]    The MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  on receiving the service change reason message store status of the flag. Then, MGs  103 ,  104 , and  105  may send a service request message to the secondary MGC  102  for connection. The service request message may include a new reason that indicates hand-off. The reason may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and may be of the form like ‘MGC directed change’ and the like. On receiving the service request message, the secondary MGC  102  validates the reason for service change by checking if hand-off has occurred from the primary MGC  101 . If the reason is valid, then the request is accepted and the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  are served. After maintenance of the primary MGC  101 , the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  are switched back to the primary MGC  101  for service via a manual handoff trigger. The flag on the primary MGC  101  is then reset. The secondary MGC  102  then sends a new property to the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105 . The property may be stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ and be of the form ‘grhandoff=false’, after which the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  reset the stored flag. The MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  register with the primary MGC  101  by sending a service request message. The primary MGC  101  then resets the flag stored on it for the concerned MG. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates a media gateway (MG), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The Media Gateway (MG)  103  comprises of a signal converter  201 , a media server  202 , a call agent  203  and a RAM  204 . The MG  103  converts media provided in one type of network to the format required in another type of network. For example, a MG  103  could terminate bearer channels from a switched circuit network (e.g. DSOs) and media streams from a packet network (e.g. RTP streams in an IP network). The MG  103  may be capable of processing audio, video and T.120 alone or in any combination, and may be capable of full duplex media translations. The MG  103  may also play audio/video messages and perform other IVR functions, or may perform media conferencing. Media streaming functions such as echo cancellation, Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF), and tone sender are also located in the MG  103 . The MG  103  is often controlled by a separate Media Gateway Controller, which provides the call control and signaling functionality. Communication between the MG  103  and the Call Agent  203  is achieved by means of protocols such as the Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) or Megaco (H.248) or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The MGs used in SIP networks are often stand-alone units with their own call and signaling control units integrated and can function as independent, intelligent SIP end-points. 
         [0028]    The signal converter  201  handles all the signals received by the MG  103  and performs conversion on the signals if required. In an example, the signal converter  201  may convert received switched circuit signals to packet switched signals and so on. Any signal received may be converted into the required format at the output. The signal converter  201  interfaces with the media server  202  and the call agent  203  within the MG  103 . When hand-off is triggered, signal converter  201  is informed by the call agent  203  that it has to communicate with the secondary MCG  102 . The signal converter  201  receives signals from the secondary MGC  102  and processes the signals accordingly. 
         [0029]    The media server  202  handles the functioning of components in the MG  103 . The media server  202  maintains a record of the functions to be performed on the data received by the MG  103 . The media server  202  may be configured with set of instructions to be performed when the MG  103  is handed off. Depending on the instructions record on the media server  202 , the media server may issue signals for the functioning of other units of the MG  103 . The media server  202  is interfaced with a Random Access Memory unit (RAM)  204 . The RAM  204  stores any data required for processing of the signals. The MG  103  may be configured for specific applications by storing specific sets of instructions in the RAM  204 . RAM  204  may be configured to store the status of the flags sent to MG  103  by the primary MGC  101 . In addition, RAM  204  may also store the reason and property sent to the MG  103  in the service change reason. 
         [0030]    The call agent  203  is responsible for handling all the call processing functions within the MG  103 . The call agent  203  also handles user specific functions and applications. When the MG  103  is handed off by the primary MGC  101 , the call agent is informed of the hand-off. The call agent  203  takes care that all the further service requests of MG  103  is sent to the secondary MGC  102 . In case the user makes any changes in the property of the service message, the call agent  203  takes care of its implementation. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  illustrates a media gateway controller (MGC), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The media gateway controller (MGC)  101  comprises of a call agent  301 , a mini browser adapter  302 , an element management system  303 , a bulk data management system  304  and a server  305 . The call agent  301  is concerned with handling specific services to the users. The call agent  301  handles switching logic and call control for all sites including the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  controlled by the primary MGC  101 . The MGC  101  includes both centralized configuration and maintenance of call control functionality. When new functionality needs to be added, only the MGC  101  needs to be updated. The call agent  301  is the logic responsible for registration and management of resources at the MG  103  and is responsible for functions such as billing and routing. In Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) networks, the Call Agent  301  registers and proxies for all endpoints in a domain, including phones as well as MGs  103 ,  104  and  105 . When the MG  103  is triggered hand-off, call agent  301  takes up the responsibility of sending control signals to all the units of the MGC  101  to stop accepting any further service requests from the MG  103 . 
         [0032]    The mini browser adapter  302  performs the function of retrieving, presenting and traversing information across the network. Any information required during hand-off process is fetched by the mini browser adapter  302 . Mini browser adapter  302  accesses information provided by the server  305 . Mini browser adapter  302  provides connections to links fetched from the server  305 . When a link is clicked, browser navigates to the resource indicated by the link&#39;s target Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), and process of bringing content to the user begins. During the call handling sessions any information which is to be accessed from the server  305  is fetched by the mini browser adapter  302 . 
         [0033]    Element management system  303  comprises of systems and applications concerned with managing network elements on the network element management layer. Key functionality of the element management system  303  is fault detection, configuration of the components, accounting, performance management and providing security. The element management system  303  takes care of any faults if occurred after hand-off is triggered i.e., it takes care that hand-off signal is sent to the MG  103  and no further service requests are accepted by the primary MGC  101 . 
         [0034]    Bulk data management system  304  handles large bulks of data stored in the MGC  101 . Since MGC  101  stores information related to all the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  under its control, data associated with the MGC  101  is relatively bulky. In order to handle such large volumes of data, bulk data management system  304  is employed in the MGC  101 . Data related to service requests such as the reason, property the status of the flags and the like are maintained in the bulk data management system  304 . The server  305  functions according to the controlling logic provided by the MGC  101 . During hand-off, the server  305  is informed to issue signals such that the control is transferred to the secondary MGC  102  for providing service. The server  305  accepts any service change reasons transferred from the mini browser adapter  303  and processes the requests accordingly. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram illustrating the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC  101  is under maintenance, hand-off is triggered on the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  handled by the primary MGC  101 . A flag ‘X’ is maintained for MGs  103 ,  104 , and  105  in the primary MGC  101  to indicate the hand-off trigger. While triggering hand-off for each MG  103 ,  104  and  105 , a new flag ‘Y’ is sent from the primary MGC  101  to MGs  103 ,  103  and  105 . Flag ‘Y’ that indicates ‘g/grhandoff=true’ may be sent in a generic package ‘g’. Also, a new service change reason ‘MGC directed change in GR’ may be provided and sent to the MGs  103 ,  104  and  105  with a method and tag as ‘handoff’. The secondary MCG  102  shall always accept registration requests if the service change reason specified is ‘MGC directed change in GR’. 
         [0036]    Consider a case, wherein hand-off is triggered ( 401 ) for the MG  103  by the operator  410 . When hand-off is triggered, flag ‘X’ is set on the primary MGC  101  indicating that the primary MGC  101  will no longer service the MG  103 . The primary MGC  101  then sends ( 402 ) a service change reason to the MG  103 . The service change reason may also include method ‘handoff’ that indicates that hand-off has occurred, a reason stated as ‘service change reason’ may be of the form ‘MGC directed change in GR’ and a flag ‘Z’ for indicating MGC directed change. The service change reason also includes a property stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ and may be of the form ‘g/grhandoff=true’, where value ‘true’ indicates that hand-off is taken place in a geo redundancy environment and instructs the MG  103  to perform actions required accordingly. A flag ‘Y’ is sent to the MG  103  to indicate the property. Once the MG  103  receives the service change reason, the MG  103  stores the status of all the flags on it. MG  103  makes a check for the property ‘true’ so as to verify the hand-off. On the property being true, the MG  103  sends ( 403 ) a reply in the form of an acknowledgment to the service request. Further, the MG  103  sends ( 404 ) a service change reason to the secondary MGC  102  requesting the secondary MGC  102  for providing service to the MG  103 . The service change reason may also include a method indicating that hand-off has occurred with a reason stated as ‘service change reason’ and be of the form ‘MGC directed change in GR’. The reason may be indicated by the status of ‘Z’ flag. The secondary MGC  102  on receiving the service change reason validates the status of the flag by checking for the reason. The secondary MGC  102  then sends ( 405 ) a reply in the form of an acknowledgment to the MG  103  for the service change reason. 
         [0037]    If a restart occurs at the MG  103  at this stage, the MG  103  is configured in such a way that the service change reason after restart is sent to the secondary MGC  102 . Restart may occur due to several reasons such as the battery going off, loss of connectivity, lack of network coverage and the like. The service change reason is sent ( 406 ) to the primary MGC  101 . The service change reason may include a method ‘restart’ indicating restart has taken place, and a reason such as ‘cold boot’ to indicate that the system failed due to cold boot. Also, ‘Z’ flag on the MG  103  may be lost due to restart process. The primary MGC  101  on receiving the service change reason rejects the request for service, as the primary MGC  101  is under maintenance. The primary MGC  101  sends ( 407 ) an error response message to the MG  103 . The message may be of the form ‘g/grhandoff=true’ indicating the property is true and also includes ‘MGCldToTry’ indication message. On receiving the error message the MG  103  sends ( 408 ) a service change reason to the secondary MGC  102 . The service change reason indicates method as ‘failover’ and reason as ‘MGC directed change in GR’ with flag ‘Z’ set. The MG  103  then sends ( 409 ) a reply for service change to the secondary MCG  102 . The secondary MGC  102  accepts the registration by validating the ‘Z’ flag and serves the MG  103 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart depicting the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC  101  is under maintenance, the operator  410  triggers ( 510 ) hand-off for MGs  103  served by the primary MGC  101 . A flag ‘X’ is set on the primary MGC  101  indicating hand-off for the MG  103 . The primary MGC  101  sends ( 502 ) a service change reason and property to the MG  103 . The reason may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and of the form ‘MGC directed service change’ and so on. The MG  103  on receiving the service change reason message stores the property in the form of a flag ‘Y’ on it. The MG  103  then sends ( 503 ) a reply in the form of service change reason to the primary MGC  101 . The MG  103  sends ( 504 ) a service request to the secondary MGC  102  with a reason for the service change. The service change reason may provide a method stating ‘handoff’ to indicate that hand-off has occurred on the primary MGC  101  due to which the secondary MGC  102  is requested for service and a reason stating ‘service change reason’ that hand-off is directed by primary MGC. The secondary MGC  102  checks for the validity of the message and then sends ( 505 ) a reply in the form of an acknowledgment. Further, a restart may occur ( 506 ) on the MG  103 . After the restart, a check ( 507 ) is made if the service request is sent to the primary MGC  101 . In case request is sent to the primary MGC  101 , a service error message is sent ( 508 ) from the primary MGC  101  to the MG  103 . On the other hand, if the service request is sent to the secondary MGC  102 , the secondary MGC  102  accepts the request and serves the MG  103 . The MG  103  then sends ( 509 ) a service change reason to the secondary MGC  102 . The secondary MGC  102  sends ( 510 ) a reply for the service request to the MG  103  and the MG  103  is served by the secondary MGC  102 . The various actions in method  500  may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in  FIG. 5  may be omitted. 
         [0039]      FIG. 6  is a flow diagram illustrating handling of MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The embodiments here deal with handling the MG  103  during failure of internal processor. The operator  410  triggers ( 601 ) hand-off for MG  103  when the primary MGC  101  is under maintenance. The primary MGC  101  sends ( 602 ) a service change reason to the MG  103  indicating hand-off. The service change reason may include details such as method ‘handoff’ and a reason as ‘MGC directed change in GR’ and a property ‘g/grhandoff=true’. The reason may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and property as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’. The reason indicates that the service is directed by the primary MGC  101  as it is under maintenance and property indicates that flag ‘Y’ is set. The MG  103  sends ( 603 ) reply for service change to the primary MGC  101 . The MG  103  sends ( 604 ) service change reason to the secondary MGC  102 . The service change reason is sent with details such as method and reason for hand off. The reason is indicated by setting a flag ‘Z’. The secondary MGC  102  sends ( 605 ) reply for service change reason to the MG  103 . 
         [0040]    An internal failure occurs on the secondary MGC  102  triggering heartbeat failure with the MG  103 . The MG  103  checks the stored flag ‘Y’ and sends ( 606 ) the service request to the secondary MGC  102 . The service change reason may include a method and a reason for service change. The method ‘disconnected’ indicates there is an internal failure in the MG  103  and once the MGC  101  recovers, the MG  103  sends service request to the secondary MGC  102 . The reason indicates the change is directed by the primary MGC  101 , this is also indicated by flag ‘Z’. The secondary MGC  102  checks for the status of the flag ‘Z’, which indicates if the hand-off trigger is released and further accepts ( 607 ) the request from the MG  103 . The secondary MGC  102  then serves the MG  103  until the primary MGC  101  is put back into operation. 
         [0041]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart depicting the process of handling MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC  101  is under maintenance, operator triggers ( 701 ) the MG  103 . Operator sends a message to the primary MGC  102  indicating trigger of the MG  103 . The primary MGC  102  sends ( 702 ) service change reason to the MG  103  with a reason. The reason may be of the form ‘MGC directed change in GR’ that indicates the change is directed by the primary MGC, which is under maintenance. A flag ‘Z’ is set to indicate the reason such as handoff triggered and flag ‘Y’ is set to indicate the property. The MG  102  sends ( 703 ) reply to the service change reason received from the MG  102 . The MG further sends ( 704 ) service change reason to the secondary MGC  102  with the reason. On receiving the service change reason, the secondary MGC  102  sends ( 705 ) reply to service change reason. 
         [0042]    A check ( 706 ) is made if internal failure of the processor has occurred at the secondary MGC  102 . When the MG  103  recovers back after internal failure, the MG  103  resends ( 707 ) service request to the secondary MGC  102 . The service change reason may include a method and a reason for the service change. The method ‘disconnected’ indicates there is an internal failure in the MG  103  and once the MG  103  recovers, MG  103  sends service request to the secondary MGC  102 . Reason indicates the change is directed by the primary MGC  10 . In addition, directed change is also indicated by the flag ‘Z’. The secondary MGC  102  sends ( 708 ) reply to service change reason message. The secondary MGC  102  checks for the status of the flag ‘Z’. Flag ‘Z’ indicates if hand-off is still triggered and further accepts ( 709 ) the request from the MG  103 . Secondary MGC  102  then serves MG  103  until the primary MGC  101  is put back into operation. The various actions in method  700  may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in  FIG. 7  may be omitted. 
         [0043]      FIG. 8  is a flow diagram illustrating switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC  101  gets back after maintenance, the function of servicing the MG  103  is switched back to the primary MGC  101 . The hand-off triggered for the MG  103  is released and the flag in the primary MGC  101  (i.e., flag ‘X’) is reset. The operator sends ( 801 ) a hand-off release signal to the secondary MGC  102 , indicating the primary MGC  101  can now handle the functionality of MG  103 . The secondary MGC  102  sends ( 802 ) a service change reason to the MG  103 . Service change reason may include a method and a reason. Method indicates ‘handoff and reason indicates ‘g/grhandoff=false’ i.e., flag ‘Y’ is reset. The MG  103  then sends ( 803 ) a reply to service change reason to the secondary MGC  103 . While sending the reply for service change the flag ‘Y’ shall be reset. Since flag ‘Y’ is reset, the MG  103  shall know that it has to contact the primary MGC  101  for service. The MG  103  then sends ( 804 ) service change reason to the primary MGC  101  stated as ‘service change reason’ and a property stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’. Method specifies ‘handoff’ and reason specifies ‘g/grhandoff=false’. Primary MGC  101  on receiving the service request validates the request for the status of flag ‘Y’ and stored the property. Primary MG  101  sends ( 805 ) reply for the service change to the MG  103 . Further, flag ‘X’ within the primary MGC  101  shall be reset for the MG  103 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart depicting switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC  101  is back after maintenance, handoff trigger is released. Operator sends ( 901 ) a release of handoff trigger to the secondary MGC  102 , indicating the secondary MGC  102  is ready for service of the MG  103 . Secondary MGC  102  sends ( 902 ) service change reason to the MG  101 . The service change reason is provided with a reason and property as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ for service change. The MG  103  stores the property on it. The MG  103  sends ( 903 ) reply for service change reason. Further, flag ‘Y’ stored within the primary MGC  101  may be reset. Once the flag ‘Y’ is reset, the MG  103  infers that the primary MGC  101  is back to normal operation and service change reason is to be sent to the primary MGC  101 . MG  103  sends ( 904 ) service change reason to the primary MGC  102 . Service change reason is sent along with reason and method. The primary MGC  101  on receiving service change reason sends ( 905 ) reply for the service change to the MG  103 . Further, flag ‘X’ within primary MGC  101  will be reset for MG  103 . The various actions in method  900  may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in  FIG. 9  may be omitted. 
         [0045]    The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module. 
         [0046]    The embodiment disclosed herein specifies a system for handling hand-off mechanism in a geo redundancy environment. The mechanism allows implementing hand-off mechanism by providing a system thereof. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The hardware device can be any kind of device which can be programmed including e.g. any kind of computer like a server or a personal computer, or the like, or any combination thereof, e.g. one processor and two FPGAs. The device may also include means which could be e.g. hardware means like e.g. an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g. an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented in pure hardware or partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g. using a plurality of CPUs. 
         [0047]    The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims as described herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7