Communication method and apparatus

• US 20050094582A1
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Forissier, Jerome, Mansutti, David, Lamberton, Marc, Gayraud, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,045,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of sending, from a processing system, a message to a destination identified in the message, the destination being one, of a plurality of destinations, the message being sent via an intermediate module, each of the processing system and the destinations being connected to the intermediate module by individual point-to-point connections, comprising: resolving the address,-. of the destination identified in the message; sending the message and the resolved address across the connection to the intermediate module; and at the intermediate module, receiving the message and resolved address, selecting, based on the resolved address, through which of the point-to-point connections the message should be sent; and sending the message through the selected connection.

Claims

1. A method of sending, from a processing system, a message to a destination identified in the message, the destination being one of a plurality of destinations, the message being sent via an intermediate module, each of the processing system and the destinations being connected to the intermediate module by individual point-to-point connections, comprising:

resolving the address of the destination identified in the message;

sending the message and the resolved address across the connection to the intermediate module; and

at the intermediate module,

receiving the message and resolved address,

selecting, based on the resolved address, through which of the point-to-point connections the message should be sent; and

sending the message through the selected connection.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of destinations include session initiation protocol (SIP) proxy servers, and wherein the message is a SIP message.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the point-to-point connections are transport control protocol (TCP) connections.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of resolving includes obtaining an Internet protocol (IP) address of the destination.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate module is a load-balancing element.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a point-to-point connection further comprises consulting a previously populated database mapping resolved IP addresses to TCP connections.

14. A session initiation protocol (SIP) network operating in accordance with the method of claim 1.

7. A system for sending, from a processing system, a message to a destination identified in the message, the destination being one of a plurality of destinations, the message being sent via an intermediate module, each of the processing system and the destinations being connected to the intermediate module by individual point-to-point connections, comprising:

an address resolver for resolving the address of the identified destination;

a message forwarder for sending the message and the resolved address across the connection to the intermediate module;

the intermediate module comprising,

a receiver for receiving the message and resolved address,

a processor for selecting, based on the resolved address, through which of the point-to-point connections the message should be sent; and

a message forwarder for sending the message through the selected connection.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of destinations include session initiation protocol (SIP) proxy servers, and wherein the message is a SIP message.

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein the point-to-point connections are transport control protocol (TCP) connections.

10. A system according to claim 7, wherein the address resolver is a domain name server for obtaining an Internet protocol (IP) address of the destination.

11. A system according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate module is a load-balancing element.

12. A system according to claim 7, further comprising a database mapping resolved IP addresses to TCP connections.

13. A session initiation protocol (SIP) network comprising elements according to claim 7.