Systems and methods for using the advanced intelligent network to redirect data network traffic

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for providing a low cost mechanism for remotely rerouting queries in a telecommunications network. A service control point (SCP) executes an application which causes a queries to be launched over a LAN or WAN to a remotely located data center. The system contains a primary and secondary data center, in which the secondary data center operations on a ‘hot-standby’ basis. Based on a manually provided indication, maintenance personnel may telephone and interact with a voice response unit or a web-based interface, which indicates that the SCP or SCP application should route queries to the secondary data center. Similarly, the same mechanism can be used to indicate that queries should be re-routed back to the primary data center. This allows remote management for controlling the queries without having to extensively modify the related infrastructure.

That which is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at a web server, as part of a switchover from a primary data center to a secondary data center, a request from a user indicating that redirection of a query to the secondary data center be initiated at a service control point;   transmitting, using an IP based communication protocol, an indication from the web server to the service control point that the query should be transmitted to the secondary data center; and   ascertaining, at the service control point, an IP address associated with the secondary data center to be used for transmitting said query.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 transmitting the query from the service control point to the secondary data center using the IP address associated with the secondary data center.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 routing the query from the service control point over a data communications network to the secondary data center using the IP address.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
 receiving a user identifier and a password from the user;   verifying the user identifier and the password, said transmitting said indication from the web server to the service control point being conditional on successful verification of the user identifier and the password.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 receiving a time-synchronized passcode from the user; and   verifying the time-synchronized passcode matches a second time-synchronized passcode associated with the user identifier, said transmitting said indication from the web server to the service control point being conditional on successful verification of the time-synchronized passcode.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said receiving, at a web server, the request from the user is performed as part of a manually initiated switchover from a primary database to said secondary database. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said user identifier corresponds to a maintenance person who manually controls said switchover from the primary database to said secondary database. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said secondary data center is located outside of a public switched telephone network. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said query is a query to said service control point that is launched by a telephone switch. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said query relates to how a call should be handled at said telephone switch. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said query is communicated to said service control point using a protocol that is different from the protocol used by said service control point to transmit the query to said secondary database. 
     
     
         12 . A system comprising:
 a web server capable of receiving an indication of redirection from a user over the Internet, as part of a switchover from a primary data center to a secondary data center, indicating that a secondary address is to be used for transmitting a query to the secondary data center;   a service control point, operatively connected to the web server and configured to receive the indication of redirection from the web server and use the secondary address for transmitting the query to the secondary data center; and   the secondary data center storing data, connected to a data communications network, configured to receive the query from the service control point transmitted using the secondary address, the secondary data center being configured to provide a response message in response to the query, the response message comprising stored data.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein said primary data center is connected to the data communications network and stores data that is also stored in the secondary data center. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the data communications network is an IP based network and the secondary address is an IP-based address. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the web server is configured to verify a time synchronized numerical passcode with a second time-synchronized numerical passcode associated with a user identifier and the web server is configured to transmit the indication to the service control point conditional on successful verification of the time-synchronized passcode. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the web server is configured to prompt the user to one of: select the service control point to use the primary or secondary data center, select the service control point to use whatever is the alternative database, or enter a numerical IP address value of the primary or secondary data center, and transmission of the indication to the service control point is conditional on detection of the user in response respectively selecting the secondary data center, selecting the service control point to use the alternative database and the secondary data center is the alternative database, or entering the numerical IP address value of the secondary data center. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a telephone switch for launching said query to said service control point.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein said query relates to how a telephone call should be handled by said telephone switch. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein said telephone switch is configured to communicate said query using a different communications protocol than a communications protocol that said service control point uses to communicate with said secondary data center. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein said secondary data center is located outside of a public switched telephone network.