Methods, systems, and computer readable media for diameter network management

1. A method for providing Diameter network management information in a communications network, the method comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router (DSR):

determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with a first Diameter application in response to receiving a Diameter message from a first Diameter node, wherein determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with the first Diameter application includes sending a Diameter request message to the first Diameter application and determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application in response to receiving a response message indicating an error or communications issue;

in response to determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application, generating a first Diameter network management message (DNMM) indicating that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application; and

sending the first DNMM to a second Diameter node distinct from the DSR and the first Diameter node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with the first Diameter application includes sending a Diameter request message to the first Diameter application and determining that successful communications with the first Diameter application are not available in response to failing to receive, at the DSR, a response in a predetermined amount of time.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a Diameter request message is a Diameter watchdog request (DWR) message.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising:

at the second Diameter node:

receiving the first DNMM;

in response to receiving the first DNMM, generating a Diameter network management request message requesting information regarding availability status of the first Diameter application via the DSR; and

sending the Diameter network management request message to the DSR.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising:

at the second Diameter node:

receiving the first DNMM; and

in response to receiving the first DNMM, determining a different path for sending a Diameter message towards the first Diameter application and sending the Diameter message to the first Diameter application via a different path.

6. The method of claim 4 comprising:

at the DSR:

receiving the Diameter network management request message; and

in response to receiving the Diameter network management request message, indicating to the second Diameter node availability status of the first Diameter application via the DSR.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein indicating to the second Diameter node availability status of the first Diameter application via the DSR includes one of providing no response indicating that availability status has not changed, providing a response, providing a response indicating that a Diameter message cannot be communicated to the first Diameter application via the DSR, and providing a response indicating that a Diameter message can be communicated to the first Diameter application via the DSR.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the DSR comprises a Diameter relay agent, a Diameter redirect agent, a Diameter translation agent, or a Diameter proxy agent and wherein the first and second Diameter nodes each comprise a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS) and/or authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server, a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF), a serving gateway (SGW), a packet data network gateway (PDN GW), a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF), a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), a subscriber profile repository (SPR), a Diameter peer node, a Diameter agent, a network node, a policy engine, a policy server, an application function (AF), an application server, a Diameter signaling agent, a long term evolution (LTE) node, an Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network node, a server, a node, a database, a computing platform, or a second DSR.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising:

at the DSR and after determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application:

determining whether successful Diameter communications have become available with the first Diameter application;

in response to determining that successful Diameter communications have become available with the first Diameter application, generating a second DNMM indicating that successful Diameter communications have become available with the first Diameter application; and

sending the second DNMM towards the second Diameter node.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with the first Diameter application includes determining that Diameter messages cannot be communicated to a realm associated with the first Diameter application and wherein the first DNMM indicates that Diameter messages cannot be communicated to the realm via the DSR.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising:

at the second Diameter node:

receiving the first DNMM indicating that Diameter message cannot be communicated to the realm via the DSR; and

in response to receiving the first DNMM, determining a different path for sending a Diameter message to the realm and sending the Diameter message to the realm via a different path.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the realm comprises one of a cluster including Diameter nodes, a network segment including Diameter nodes, a domain including Diameter nodes, a subnet including Diameter nodes, an address space including Diameter nodes, a geographical location including Diameter nodes, a logical location including Diameter nodes, a logical group including Diameter nodes, or a physical group including Diameter nodes.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first DNMM comprises one of a Diameter transfer prohibited (DTFP) message, a Diameter transfer allowed (DTFA) message, a Diameter route set test (DRST) message, a Diameter transfer cluster prohibited (DTCP) message, a Diameter transfer cluster allowed (DTCA) message, or a Diameter cluster route set test (DCRST) message.

14. A system for providing Diameter network management information in a communications network, the system comprising:

a Diameter signaling router (DSR), the DSR comprising:

a Diameter communications interface; and

a network management module for determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with a first Diameter application in response to receiving a Diameter message from a first Diameter node, for, in response to determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application, generating a first Diameter network management message (DNMM) indicating that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application, and for sending the first DNMM to a second Diameter node distinct from the DSR and the first Diameter node, wherein determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with the first Diameter application includes sending a Diameter request message to the first Diameter application and determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application in response to receiving a response message indicating an error or communications issue.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the network management module determines whether successful Diameter communications are available with the first Diameter application by sending a Diameter request message to the first Diameter application and using a response timer for determining whether a corresponding response is received in a predetermined amount of time.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein a Diameter request message is a Diameter watchdog request (DWR) message.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the network management module receives a Diameter network management request message transmitted by the second Diameter node in response to receiving the first DNMM, and, in response to receiving the Diameter network management request message, indicates to the second Diameter node availability status of the first Diameter application via the DSR.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein indicating to the second Diameter node availability status of the first Diameter application via the DSR includes one of providing no response indicating that availability status has not changed, providing a response, providing a response indicating that a Diameter message cannot be communicated to the first Diameter application via the DSR, and providing a response indicating that a Diameter message can be communicated to the first Diameter application via the DSR.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the DSR comprises a Diameter relay agent, a Diameter redirect agent, a Diameter translation agent, and a Diameter proxy agent and wherein the first and second Diameter nodes each comprise a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS) and/or authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server, a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF), a serving gateway (SGW), a packet data network gateway (PDN GW), a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF), a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), a subscriber profile repository (SPR), a Diameter peer node, a Diameter agent, a network node, a policy engine, a policy server, an application function (AF), an application server, a Diameter signaling agent, a long term evolution (LTE) node, an Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network node, a server, a node, a database, a computing platform, or a second DSR.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein, after determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application, the network management module determines whether successful Diameter communications have become available with the first Diameter application, and, in response to determining that successful Diameter communications have come available with the first Diameter application, generates a second DNMM indicating that successful Diameter communications have become available with the first Diameter application, and sends the second DNMM to the second Diameter node.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with the first Diameter application includes determining whether Diameter messages can be communicated to a realm associated with the first Diameter application and wherein the first DNMM indicates that Diameter messages cannot be communicated to the realm via the DSR.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein the first DNMM includes a Diameter transfer prohibited (DTFP) message, a Diameter transfer allowed (DTFA) message, a Diameter route set test (DRST) message, a Diameter transfer cluster prohibited (DTCP) message, a Diameter transfer cluster allowed (DTCA) message, or a Diameter cluster route set test (DCRST) message.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the realm includes a cluster including Diameter nodes, a network segment including Diameter nodes, a domain including Diameter nodes, a subnet including Diameter nodes, an address space including Diameter nodes, a geographical location including Diameter nodes, a logical location including Diameter nodes, a logical group including Diameter nodes, or a physical group including Diameter nodes.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:

at a Diameter signaling router (DSR):

determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with a first Diameter application in response to receiving a Diameter message from a first Diameter node, wherein determining whether successful Diameter communications are available with the first Diameter application includes sending a Diameter request message to the first Diameter application and determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application in response to receiving a response message indicating an error or communications issue;

in response to determining that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application, generating a first Diameter network management message (DNMM) indicating that successful Diameter communications are not available with the first Diameter application; and

sending the first DNMM to a second Diameter node distinct from the DSR and the first Diameter node.