Abstract: A wireless communication system (20) includes a monitoring module (34) that is capable of detecting at least one type of fault scenario in the system. In a disclosed example, sleeping cells (24-30) are detected by determining a deviation between actual cell performance and an expected cell performance. The disclosed examples include automatically determining the expected cell performance and automatically determining any deviation between the actual cell performance and the expected cell performance. Statistical analysis provides an indication whether a determined deviation is indicative of a fault condition.

Abstract: A communication network includes an overload control algorithm that adapts to changing circumstances. In a disclosed example, an acceptance fraction for each of a plurality of message types depends upon the arrival rates of the message types. As at least one of the arrival rates changes, the acceptance fraction is responsively changed to provide an overload control algorithm that adapts to changes in message traffic.

Abstract: A communication network includes an overload control algorithm that reduces the number of messages that need to be opened, which reduces the computational cost of the overload control algorithm while still accounting for relative priorities among various message classes. In one example, statistical probabilities based upon arrival rate information provide the ability to determine a sufficient number of messages to open to ensure that the number of acceptable messages are processed. Messages exceeding the sufficient number are throttled without opening them. By not opening such messages, the computational cost otherwise associated with opening them is avoided. The statistical information based upon the arrival rate for a plurality of message classes provides a sufficient likelihood that the appropriate number of acceptable messages will be opened so that system performance is not compromised.

Abstract: A communication system includes overload control at a platform level. A translator module receives messages from any number of distinct networks and provides priority information regarding each of those messages to an overload control module that uses the translated priority information and arrival rate information to provide needed message traffic control. The disclosed arrangement provides a universally applicable overload control approach that reduces duplicated resources associated with individual overload control algorithms for each network message processor.

Abstract: A method of wireless communication. The method includes the step of transmitting at least one message including delay information. This delay information may correspond with a delay length associated with accessing a service through an open loop network. The delay length may include a time interval between a first instant corresponding with a received service request and a second instant corresponding with granting service access. Alternatively, the delay length may comprise a time interval between a first instant corresponding with a received service request generating at a predefined moment in time and a second instant corresponding with granting service access. The delay length may correspond with traffic congestion, channel condition, system loading, processor occupancy, queuing delay, and/or scheduling delay, for example.

Abstract: A method for determining an optimal configuration and redundancy allocation for a system containing a plurality of units grouped into a plurality of elements and one or more modules. The method conducts random statistical sampling of a combinatorial space reflecting the possible combinations, redundancies and integrations of the units and elements in a given system. For each sample combination, the method calculates an optimization metric that reflects the reliability and/or the cost of that combination. The optimization metric may incorporate relative weighting of constraints used to evaluate whether the combination is optimal. The optimum configuration will be the configuration having the lowest optimization metric out of all the samples.