Communication server network for computer networks

• US 7,817,646 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hosp, Josef, Guan, Qi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, IV; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAGLO, EMMANUEL K
• Application Number:
  US10/568,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/229, 709/230, 709201-203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/228, 709/227, 709/200, 709/209, 455/460, 370/352, 370/389, 370/401, 370/235, 370/282
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication server network for computer networks that are based on the Internet protocol. Said communication server network supports data exchange according to the session initiation protocol and is provided with at least two conventional SIP servers as well as an SIP distributor server for distributing the tasks resulting from the communication processes to the at least two conventional stateful SIP servers.

Claims

1. A communication network for providing peer-to-peer communications for data transmission between a first and second client according to the session initiation protocol (SIP) as a control protocol used for session initiation protocol tasks of establishing, managing, modifying, and terminating connections between the first and second client, comprising:

a SIP distributor server (P) for distributing session initiation protocol tasks (SIP tasks) in communication with at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) comprising conventional SIP server functionality of proxy server, redirect server, and registrar server with assigned databases for processing SIP tasks, wherein the SIP distributor server (P) is assigned to a first client (A) and, without processing SIP tasks, stores a connection request from first client (A) in a transaction list and distributes SIP tasks using a load distribution algorithm to one of the at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) for processing the SIP tasks,

wherein the SIP distributor server (P) using the load distribution algorithm to distributes the SIP tasks to a selected one of the at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) on the basis of the transaction list and according to the load distribution algorithm that determines the available one of the at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) based on load and not based on a look-up of a pre-assigned home server for the first client, and

wherein the selected one of the at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) processes the SIP task of determining a path for the data transmission, forwards the connection request to a proxy server of the second client via the SIP distributor server (P), and establishes a connection between the first and second client.

2. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the first client (A) and second client (B) are telephones.

3. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the first client (A) and second client (B) are softphones integrated into respective first and second personal computers.

4. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the first client (A) and second client (B) are user agents.

5. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the SIP servers (P1 and P2) are configured as stateless SIP servers for forwarding requests without storing.

6. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the SIP servers (P1 and P2) are configured as stateful SIP servers which store the processes.

7. The communication network of claim 1 wherein communications between the first client (A) and second client (B) are established in accordance with the SIP protocol by:

(a) the SIP distributor server (P) storing the connection request of the first client (A) in the transaction list and then forwarding the request to a first SIP server of the at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) based on the load distribution algorithm, wherein the first SIP server is a stateful SIP server;

(b) the first SIP server determining a path and forwarding the request via the SIP distributor server (P) to a SIP proxy server of the second client (B) which forwards the request to the second client (B);

(c) the second client (B) responding to the SIP distributor server (P) via the SIP proxy server, and the SIP distributor server (P) forwarding the response to the first SIP server based on the transaction list and information in a header of a SIP prompt; and

(d) the first SIP server monitoring for correct connection establishment and forwarding the response to the first client (A) via the SIP distributor server (P).

8. The communication network of claim 4 wherein the user agents are operated as either user agent clients to initiate requests as an originating subscriber or as user agent servers to transmit received requests to a target subscriber and optionally to send a response to the originating subscriber.

9. A method for providing peer-to-peer communications for data transmission across a communication network between a first and second client according to the session initiation protocol (SIP) as a control protocol used for session initiation protocol tasks of establishing, managing, modifying, and terminating connections between the first and second client, comprising

providing a SIP distributor server (P) for distributing session initiation protocol tasks (SIP tasks) without processing the SIP tasks in communication with at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) comprising conventional SIP server functionality of proxy server, redirect server, and registrar server with assigned databases for processing the SIP tasks, wherein the SIP distributor server (P) is assigned to a first client (A);

storing by the SIP distributor server (P) a connection request by the first client (A) for peer-to-peer communication with a second client (B) in a transaction list and then forwarding the request using a load distribution algorithm to a first SIP server of the at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) based on the load distribution algorithm that determines the available one of the at least two SIP servers (P1 and P2) based on load and not based on a look-up of a pre-assigned home server for the first client, wherein the first SIP server is a stateful SIP server;

determining a path for the data transmission by the first SIP server and forwarding the request by the first SIP server via the SIP distributor server (P) to a SIP proxy server of the second client (B) which forwards the request to the second client (B);

responding by the second client (B) to the SIP distributor server (P) via the SIP proxy server,

forwarding by the SIP distributor server (P) the response to the first SIP server based on the transaction list and information in a header of a SIP prompt; and

monitoring for correct connection establishment and forwarding by the first SIP server the response to the first client (A) via the SIP distributor server (P).