PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION IN SCHEDULED TASK PERFORMANCE

1 . A method performed by a session management node in a subscriber network for performing a scheduled task, the method comprising:

determining, by the session management node, a next task time for a session;

storing the next task time;

waiting for a period of time;

after waiting, determining whether a task should be performed with respect to the session based on the next task time; and

if the task should be performed with respect to the session, sending a message to at least one other node in the subscriber network including an indication that the task should be performed with respect to the session.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, at the session management node, a session request; and

performing at least one of an establishment, a modification, and a termination, with respect to the session in response to the session request;

wherein the steps of determining the next task time and storing the next task time are performed in response to the step of performing at least one of an establishment, a modification, and a termination.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

applying a preconfigured rule with respect to the session, wherein the preconfigured rule is associated with a rule schedule;

wherein the step of determining the next task time is performed based on the rule schedule.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of determining a next task time comprises:

determining a rule switch time at which the preconfigured rule will no longer apply based on the rule schedule; and

determining the next task time based on the rule switch time.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the step of storing the next task time comprises storing the next task time and an identifier together as a task record of a plurality of task records, and

the step of determining whether the task should be performed with respect to the session based on the next task time comprises iterating through the plurality of task records.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the plurality of task records are stored in an ordered cache, and

the step of iterating through the plurality of task records comprises:

iterating through the ordered cache,

locating a waiting task record of the plurality of task records for which waiting task associated with a waiting session should not yet be performed, and

stopping iteration through the ordered cache in response to locating the waiting task record.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the task is a reauthorization of the session.

8 . A session management node for performing a scheduled task in a subscriber network, the session management node comprising:

an interface for communicating with at least one other network node;

a task cache for storing a plurality of task records;

a task scheduler configured to:

determine, by the session management node, a next task time for a session,

store the next task time as part of a task record stored in the task cache;

a task engine configured to determine whether a task should be performed with respect to the session based on the next task record; and

a message generator configured to, if the task should be performed with respect to the session, send a message via the interface to at least one other node in the subscriber network including an indication that the task should be performed with respect to the session.

9 . The session management node of claim 8 , further comprising:

a request handler configured to:

receive, via the interface, a session request, and

perform at least one of an establishment, a modification, and a termination, with respect to the session in response to the session request;

wherein the task scheduler stores the next task time in response to the request handler performing the at least one of an establishment, a modification, and a termination.

10 . The session management node of claim 8 , further comprising:

a rules storage for storing a plurality of rules, each rule of the plurality of rules being associated with a rule schedule; and

a rules engine configured to apply an applied rule of the plurality of rules with respect to the session;

wherein the task scheduler is further configured to determine the next task time based on the rule schedule associated with the applied rule.

11 . The session management node of claim 10 , wherein, in determining the next task time, the task scheduler is configured to:

determine a rule switch time at which the applied rule will no longer apply based on the rule schedule associated with the applied rule; and

determine the next task time based on the rule switch time.

12 . The session management node of claim 8 , wherein:

the task cache is ordered based on a task time associated with task record of the plurality of records; and

in determining whether a task should be performed with respect to the session, the task engine is configured to:

iterate through the task cache,

locate a waiting task record of the plurality of task records for which waiting task associated with a waiting session should not yet be performed, and

stop iterating through the task cache in response to locating the waiting task record.

13 . The session management node of claim 8 , wherein the task is a reauthorization of the session.

14 . A tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for execution by a session management node in a subscriber network for performing a scheduled task, the method comprising:

instructions for determining, by the session management node, a next task time for a session;

instructions for storing the next task time;

instructions for waiting for a period of time;

instructions for, after waiting, determining whether a task should be performed with respect to the session based on the next task time; and

instructions for, if the task should be performed with respect to the session, sending a message to at least one other node in the subscriber network including an indication that the task should be performed with respect to the session.

15 . The tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , further comprising:

instructions for receiving, at the session management node, a session request; and

instructions for performing at least one of an establishment, a modification, and a termination, with respect to the session in response to the session request;

wherein the instructions for determining the next task time and storing the next task time are executed in response to the instructions for performing at least one of an establishment, a modification, and a termination.

16 . The tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , further comprising:

instructions for applying a preconfigured rule with respect to the session, wherein the preconfigured rule is associated with a rule schedule;

wherein the instructions for determining the next task time are executed based on the rule schedule.

17 . The tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions for determining a next task time comprise:

instructions for determining a rule switch time at which the preconfigured rule will no longer apply based on the rule schedule; and

instructions for determining the next task time based on the rule switch time.

18 . The tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein:

the instructions for storing the next task time comprise instructions for storing the next task time and an identifier together as a task record of a plurality of task records, and

the instructions for determining whether the task should be performed with respect to the session based on the next task time comprise instructions for iterating through the plurality of task records.

19 . The tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein:

the plurality of task records are stored in an ordered cache, and

the instructions for iterating through the plurality of task records comprise:

instructions for iterating through the ordered cache,

instructions for locating a waiting task record of the plurality of task records for

which waiting task associated with a waiting session should not yet be performed, and

instructions for stopping iteration through the ordered cache in response to locating the waiting task record.

20 . The tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the task is a reauthorization of the session.