Automated provisioning of phones in packet voice networks

• US 20050198218A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shen, Fong, Cooke, Jawhny, Haddad, Najeeb Farhan, Tasker, Michael, Andrieux, Laure
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005

Abstract

Approaches for provisioning phones in packet voice networks are disclosed. One approach comprises determining that an Internet Protocol (IP) phone has registered in a network; receiving a unique identifier of the IP phone; determining, based on the unique identifier of the IP phone, a user identifier of an individual user associated with the IP phone; generating a configuration for the IP phone based on the user identifier; and providing the configuration to the IP phone. Various approaches for deriving a user identifier based on the unique identifier of the phone are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

determining that an Internet Protocol (IP) phone has registered in a network;

receiving a unique identifier of the IP phone;

determining, based on the unique identifier of the IP phone, a user identifier of an individual user associated with the IP phone;

generating a configuration for the IP phone based on the user identifier; and

providing the configuration to the IP phone.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the unique identifier of the IP phone is a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein the step of determining a user identifier further comprises the steps of:

requesting each switch in the network to provide a plurality of port identifiers corresponding to each port of said switch and a plurality of neighbor MAC addresses corresponding to each neighbor device that is coupled to each said port;

selecting one of the port identifiers based on matching the unique identifier of the IP phone to the neighbor MAC addresses;

based on the selected port identifier, selecting a user identifier from a table that associates switch ports to users.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the unique identifier of the IP phone is a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein the step of determining a user identifier further comprises the steps of:

requesting an inventory system to provide a plurality of port identifiers corresponding to each port of each switch in the network and a plurality of neighbor MAC addresses corresponding to each neighbor device that is coupled to each said port;

selecting one of the port identifiers based on matching the unique identifier of the IP phone to the neighbor MAC addresses;

based on the selected port identifier, selecting a user identifier from a table that associates switch ports to users.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the unique identifier of the IP phone is a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein the step of determining a user identifier further comprises the steps of:

requesting an inventory system to provide a plurality of port identifiers corresponding to each port of each switch in the network, a plurality of neighbor MAC addresses corresponding to each neighbor device that is coupled to each said port, and a plurality of user identifiers that are associated with users of computers that correspond to at least some of the neighbor MAC addresses;

selecting one of the port identifiers based on matching the unique identifier of the IP phone to the neighbor MAC addresses;

selecting one of the user identifiers based on the selected port identifier.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein another device is coupled to the IP phone, and wherein the step of determining a user identifier further comprises the steps of:

retrieving, from a network element to which the IP phone and the other device are coupled, discovery protocol neighbor information;

determining from the discovery protocol neighbor information that the other device is coupled to the same network element as the IP phone;

obtaining the user identifier from the discovery protocol neighbor information.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein another device is coupled to the IP phone, and wherein the step of determining a user identifier further comprises the steps of:

monitoring network traffic passing through the IP phone and directed to the other device;

obtaining the user identifier from the network traffic when the network traffic comprises packets of a protocol known to include user identifiers.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of determining that an IP phone has registered in a network comprises the steps of subscribing to events identifying registration of IP phones, wherein the events are published by a call controller in the network.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of determining that an IP phone has registered in a network comprises the steps of requesting a call controller in the network to provide information about all IP phones that are known to the call controller.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of determining that an IP phone has registered in a network comprises the steps of requesting a call controller in the network to provide information about all IP phones that are known to the call controller, and wherein the step of receiving a unique identifier of the IP phone comprises receiving, from the call controller, a MAC address of each IP phone that is known to the call controller.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating a configuration comprises selecting a stored basic configuration based on the unique identifier of the IP phone and the user identifier, assigning a phone number, and assigning a feature set, to result in generating a final configuration.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of provisioning a call controller in the network with the final configuration.

12. A method as recited in any of claims 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12, wherein the call controller comprises a Cisco Call Manager.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of registering the IP phone at a call control system with a minimum configuration and a temporary number that is assigned from a pool of available numbers.

14. A method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

determining that an Internet Protocol (IP) phone has registered in a network;

assigning a unique temporary phone number to the IP phone;

receiving a media access control (MAC) address of the IP phone;

identifying a port of a switch in the network that is coupled to the IP phone;

when a mapping of switch ports to user identifiers is unavailable in the network, using discovery protocol neighbor information to identify another device that is coupled to the same port as the IP phone, and obtaining a user identifier from the discovery protocol neighbor information when such other device is identified;

when a mapping of hostnames to user identifiers is unavailable in the network;

monitoring IP traffic passing through the IP phone and directed to the other device;

obtaining the user identifier from the IP traffic when the IP traffic comprises packets of a protocol known to include user identifiers;

retrieving, from a database of user information, a user record based on the user identifier;

obtaining a user phone number from the user record; and

provisioning the IP phone with a final configuration that includes the user phone number.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the provisioning step includes creating a final configuration that includes configuration information for one or more feature sets specific to a user associated with the user identifier.

16. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

determining that an Internet Protocol (IP) phone has registered in a network;

receiving a unique identifier of the IP phone;

determining, based on the unique identifier of the IP phone, a user identifier of an individual user associated with the IP phone;

generating a configuration for the IP phone based on the user identifier; and

providing the configuration to the IP phone.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

means for determining that an Internet Protocol (IP) phone has registered in a network;

means for receiving a unique identifier of the IP phone;

means for determining, based on the unique identifier of the IP phone, a user identifier of an individual user associated with the IP phone;

means for generating a configuration for the IP phone based on the user identifier; and

means for providing the configuration to the IP phone.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a network interface that is coupled to the data network for receiving one or more packet flows therefrom;

a processor;

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

determining that an Internet Protocol (IP) phone has registered in a network;

receiving a unique identifier of the IP phone;

determining, based on the unique identifier of the IP phone, a user identifier of an individual user associated with the IP phone;

generating a configuration for the IP phone based on the user identifier; and

providing the configuration to the IP phone.