Method of collecting communication system information

• US 7,564,846 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dezonno, Anthony J., Sumner, Roger A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Jayanti K
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOL, ANTHONY M
• Application Number:
  US10/929,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for collecting session information from a packet routing device. The method includes the steps of detecting a header packet of a communication session within a communication stream passing through the packet routing device where the communication stream contains packets from a plurality of users, comparing a type of the detected header packet with a list of headers that are to be collected and storing a message header of the header packet and only the message header in a file indexed by an identifier of the session when the header matches an entry within the list of headers to be collected.

Claims

1. A method of collecting session information in a database from a packet routing device, such method comprising the steps of:

detecting a header packet of a communication session within a communication stream passing through the packet routing device where the communication stream contains packets from a plurality of users;

presenting a proposed header list on a terminal of a supervisor, the supervisor selecting headers to be collected and storing the headers selected in a list of headers;

comparing a type of the detected header packet with the list of headers that are to be collected in the database; and

storing in the data base a message header of the header packet and only the message header in a file indexed by an identifier of the session when the header type matches an entry within the list of headers to be collected.

2. The method of collecting session information as in claim 1 wherein the step detecting the packet further comprising determining from the header type that the packet is a contact setup request for establishing a new communication session between first and second users.

3. The method of collecting session information as in claim 2 further comprising opening the file for collecting information in response to determining that the packet is a contact setup request using a file identifier consisting of an identifier of one of the first and second users.

4. The method of collecting session information as in claim 1 wherein the step of detecting a header packet further comprises retrieving a packet from the communication stream and recovering a source identifier and message header from the retrieved packet.

5. The method of collecting session information as in claim 4 wherein the step of storing the header further comprising only storing the header in the file when a source or destination identifier of the packet indicates that a file has already been opened and the message header matches an entry within the list of message headers to be collected.

6. The method of collecting session information as in claim 1 further comprising closing the file after a predetermined period within which no activity is detected.

7. The method of collecting session information as in claim 1 further comprising defining the header to be under a SIP format.

8. The method of collecting session information as in claim 1 further comprising defining the header to be under a SKINNY format.

9. The method of collecting session information as in claim 1 further comprising defining the header to be under at least one of a H.323 format and a SGCP format.

10. An apparatus for collecting session information in a database from a packet routing device, such apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a header packet of a communication session within a communication stream passing through the packet routing device where the communication stream contains packets from a plurality of users and for retrieving a packet from the communications stream and recovering a source identifier and message header from the retrieved packet;

means for comparing a type of the detected header packet with a list of headers that are to be collected in the database; and

means for storing in the database a message header of the header packet and only the message header in a file indexed by an identifier of the session when the header type matches an entry within the list of headers to be collected and when a source or destination identifier of the packet indicates that the file has already been opened and the message header matches an entry within the list of message headers to be collected.

11. An apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 10 wherein the means for detecting the packet further comprising means for determining from the header that the packet is a contact setup request for establishing a new communication session between first and second users.

12. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 11 further comprising means for opening the file for collecting information using a file identifier consisting of an identifier of one of the first and second user users.

13. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 10 further comprising means for closing the file after a predetermined period within which no activity is detected.

14. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 10 further comprising defining the header to be under a SIP format.

15. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 10 further comprising defining the header to be under a SKINNY format.

16. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 10 further comprising defining the header to be under at least one of a H.323 format and a SGCP format.

17. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 10 further comprising presenting a proposed header list on a terminal of a supervisor, the supervisor selecting headers to be collected and storing the headers selected as the list of headers that are to be collected.

18. The apparatus for collecting session information from a packet routing device, such apparatus comprising:

a data collection application that identifies predetermined header packets within a communication stream passing through the packet routing device where the communication stream contains packets from a plurality of users;

a supervisor terminal for displaying a list of proposed headers to permit a supervisor to select a list of headers to be collected; and

a database that stores message headers of the identified header packets and only the message header in a file indexed by an identifier of the session when a header type matches an entry within the list of headers to be collected.

19. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 18 wherein the data collection application further comprising a comparator that determines from the header that the packet is a contact setup request for establishing a new communication session between first and second users.

20. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 19 further comprising a file processor that opens the file for collecting information in response to determining that the packet is a contact setup request using a file identifier consisting of an identifier of one of the first and second users.

21. An apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 18 wherein the data collection application further comprises a parser that retrieves a packet from the communication stream and recovers a source identifier and message header from the retrieved packet.

22. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 18 further comprising a timer that closes the file after a predetermined period within which no activity is detected.

23. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 18 further comprising defining the header to be under a SIP format.

24. The apparatus for collecting session information as in claim 18 further comprising defining the header to be under at least one of a SKINNY format and a H.323 format.

25. The apparatus for collection session information as in claim 18 further comprising defining the header to be under a SGCP format.