Systems and methods for dynamically registering endpoints in a network

• US 20090070406A1
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malas, Daryl W., Terpstra, Richard D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,843,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2589 over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Various systems and methods for dynamically registering a communication device with a network are disclosed. As one example, a system is disclosed that includes a home feature server, a central feature server, and a floating feature server. The floating feature server is communicably coupled to at least the home and central feature servers, and the home feature server is communicably coupled to at least the central feature server. The home feature server is associated with a communication device. The floating feature server is communicably coupled to a computer readable medium that includes instructions executable by the floating feature server to: receive an access request from the communication device; issue a services request to the home feature server; and service the access request. In some cases, the computer readable medium further includes instructions executable to determine that the first services access request failed, and to issue a second services access request to the central feature server. Various other embodiments and/or features are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically provisioning feature server access in a communication network, the method comprising:

periodically updating a network service resource list, wherein the network service resource list indicates at least one feature server accessible via a load balancer;

receiving a registration request; and

providing an indication of the at least one feature server from the network service resource list in response to the registration request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network service resource list is an ordered list, and wherein the at least one feature server is provided based at least in part upon a location in the network service resource list.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one feature server is paired with a NAT traversal manager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network service resource list includes a plurality of NAT traversal managers paired with a plurality of feature servers, and wherein the at least one feature server is one of the plurality of feature servers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least two of the plurality of feature servers are clustered.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the plurality of feature servers is clustered with a home feature server associated with a communication device issuing the registration request, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a network access request at the at least one of the plurality of feature servers; and

accessing a database communicably coupled to the home feature server, wherein the database identifies a feature supported in relation to the communication device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein one of the plurality of feature servers is a central feature server, and wherein another of the plurality of feature servers is a home feature server associated with a communication device issuing the registration request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes issuing a services request to the home feature server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the services request is a first services request;

wherein the first services request fails; and

wherein based at least in part on the first services request failure, issuing a second services request to the central feature server.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of NAT traversal managers are respectively paired with at least one of the plurality of feature servers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of feature servers is paired with at least two of the plurality of NAT traversal managers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the network service resource list includes a plurality of NAT traversal managers paired with a plurality of feature servers, wherein the at least one feature server is one of the plurality of feature servers, and wherein the providing an indication of the at least one feature server from the network service resource list in response to the registration request comprises:

providing a list of at least two NAT traversal manager and feature server pairs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the list of at least two NAT traversal manager and feature server pairs is an ordered list.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the list of at least two NAT traversal manager and feature server pairs includes a first NAT traversal manager paired with a first feature server, and the first NAT traversal manager paired with a second feature server.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the list of at least two NAT traversal manager and feature server pairs includes a first NAT traversal manager paired with a first feature server, and a second NAT traversal manager paired with the first feature server.

16. A method for dynamically registering a communication device with a communication network, the method comprising:

issuing a registration request to a load balancer;

in response to the registration request, receiving a network service resource list, wherein the network service resource list indicates at least one feature server; and

accessing the at least one feature server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the network resource list includes a first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair and a second NAT traversal manager and feature server pair, and wherein the at least one feature server is included with the first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair, and wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes accessing a NAT traversal manager included in the first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one feature server is a first feature server;

wherein the network resource list includes a first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including a first NAT traversal manager and the first feature server, and a second NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including a second NAT traversal manager and the first feature server; and

wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes accessing the first NAT traversal manager.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein accessing the at least one feature server fails, and wherein the method further comprises:

based at least in part on the failed access, accessing the first feature server and the second NAT traversal manager.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one feature server is a first feature server;

wherein the network resource list includes a first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including a first NAT traversal manager and the first feature server, and a second NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including the first NAT traversal manager and a second feature server; and

wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes accessing the first NAT traversal manger.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein accessing the at least one feature server fails, and wherein the method further comprises:

based at least in part on the failed access, accessing the second feature server and the first NAT traversal manager.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one feature server is a first feature server;

wherein the network resource list includes a first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including a first NAT traversal manager and the first feature server, and a second NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including a second NAT traversal manager and a second feature server; and

wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes accessing the first NAT traversal manager.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein accessing the at least one feature server fails, and wherein the method further comprises:

based at least in part on the failed access, accessing the second feature server and the second NAT traversal manager.

24. A system for facilitating dynamic network access requests, the system comprising:

a home feature server;

a central feature server, wherein the central feature server is communicably coupled to the home feature server, and wherein the home feature server is associated with a communication device;

a floating feature server, wherein the floating feature server is communicably coupled to the central feature server, wherein the floating feature server is communicably coupled to a computer readable medium, and wherein the computer readable medium stores instructions executable by the floating feature server to;

receive an access request from the communication device;

issue a services request to the home feature server; and

service the access request.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the services access request is a first services access request, and wherein the computer readable medium stores further instructions executable by the floating server to:

determine that the first services access request failed; and

issue a second services access request to the central feature server.