VOICE-OVER-INTERNET PROTOCOL DEVICE LOAD PROFILING

• US 20100150136A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Corporate Resources Group LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Scarbrough, Rachel, Houle, Dennis J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,493,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0081 Network operation, administration, maintenance, or provisioning

Abstract

A device may obtain, from a remote device on a network, information regarding loads and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices on which the loads are installed. In addition, the device may access a database storing load compatibility information, identify problematic loads based on the obtained information and the load compatibility information, determine fixes for one or more of the problematic loads, and apply the fixes to the one or more of the problematic loads over the network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, from a remote device on a network, information regarding loads and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices on which the loads are installed;

accessing a database storing load compatibility information;

identifying problematic loads based on the obtained information and the load compatibility information;

determining fixes for one or more of the problematic loads; and

applying the fixes to the one or more of the problematic loads over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining information includes:

downloading registration information from a registration server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uploading, by one of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices, registration information to the remote device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying problematic loads includes at least one of:

identifying loads that have not been certified as being compatible with the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices;

identifying loads that have potential security issues;

identifying loads which can send packets that crash devices in the network;

or

identifying loads, when installed on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices, that are not interoperable with other loads and SIP devices in the network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating an amount of time needed to apply the fixes to the problematic loads.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining fixes includes at least one of:

determining whether a load is to be upgraded, downgraded, or patched;

determining whether a load is to be prevented from communicating with other loads on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices;

or

determining whether a fix is to be applied to a load with a consent of a user of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) device on which the load is installed;

or

determining whether a user of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) device on which a problematic load is installed is to be provided with a warning.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

downloading Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) logs from a second server device that logs SIP communication sessions between Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) devices.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, when it is determined that the user of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) device on which the problematic load is installed is to be provided with a warning:

providing a countdown or timing notification to the user based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) logs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying the fixes includes:

permitting the one or more of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices with problematic loads to place 911 calls.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying the fixes includes:

prioritizing the fixes.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining snapshots of loads in the network; and

deriving trending information from the snapshots.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing reports of the trending information to users.

13. A device comprising:

a collection module to;

obtain, from a remote device on a network, registration information and descriptions of client devices on which loads are installed;

a conflict detection module to;

identify problematic loads based on the registration information and the descriptions; and

a load fixing module to;

fix the problematic load over the network.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the client devices include at least one of a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone, a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) Integrated Access device (IAD), a personal computer, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, or a mobile phone.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the registration information includes:

binding information that associates an Internet Protocol (IP) address of one of the client devices with an address-of-record.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the descriptions include at least two of:

names of client device models;

names of the loads;

or

version numbers of the loads.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the remote device includes at least one of:

a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) registration device;

or

a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) location server device.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the load fixing module is configured to:

prevent a client device from communicating with another device over the network via Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) packets, by instructing network devices not to route the SIP packets.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the network devices includes at least one of:

a router, a firewall, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy server, or a Session Border Controller (SBC).

20. A device comprising:

means for obtaining, from a remote device on a network, registration information and descriptions of a client device and a load installed on the client device;

means for determining whether the load is problematic by comparing the descriptions to information stored in a database; and

means for instructing a firewall or a network device, when it is determined that the load is problematic, to not route packets from the client device to another device in the network.