Patent ID: 8478828

Claim:
A method for routing Diameter messages, the method comprising: at a Diameter signaling router (DSR) comprising a plurality of Diameter message processors: receiving, by a first of the plurality of Diameter message processors and from a first Diameter node, a Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is received via a first Diameter connection; determining, by the first Diameter message processor, a next-hop Diameter node for the Diameter message; communicating, by the first Diameter message processor and to a second of the plurality of Diameter message processors, the Diameter message; and communicating, by the second Diameter message processor and to the next-hop Diameter node, the Diameter message, wherein the Diameter message is communicated via a second Diameter connection, wherein the first Diameter message processor adds an inter-message processor routing tag identifier to the Diameter message before sending the message to the second Diameter message processor and wherein the second Diameter message processor uses the inter-message processor routing tag to identify the message as being directed to it and as not requiring another Diameter routing lookup.