Methods, systems, and computer readable media for regulating network address translator (NAT) and firewall pinhole preservation traffic in a session initiation protocol (SIP) network

• US 8,090,850 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Roach, Adam B., Campbell, Ben Allen, Deo, Ajay P., Sparks, Robert J
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Hieu
• Application Number:
  US12/637,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20100161809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 709227-229, 709/230, 709232-235
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for regulating pinhole preservation traffic generated or received by firewall or network address translator (NAT) session initiation protocol (SIP) user agent clients (UACs) are disclosed. One method includes, maintaining a list of contact information for a plurality of SIP UACs registering from behind at least one of a firewall and a NAT. The method further includes iterating through the list to generate SIP messages to the different UACs such that the SIP messages to the different UACs are spaced at substantially regular intervals with respect to each other, wherein the SIP messages to the different UACs trigger responses from the UACs such that the responses are spaced at substantially regular intervals with respect each other.

Claims

1. A method for regulating network address translator (NAT) or firewall pinhole preservation traffic generated by a plurality of session initiation protocol (SIP) user agent clients (UACs) and sent towards a SIP entity located between the plurality of SIP UACs and a SIP registrar in a communications network, the method comprising:

at the SIP entity, comprising one of a SIP proxy or a session border controller (SBC) and including one or more processors;

maintaining a list of contact information for the plurality of SIP UACs registered with the SIP registrar, wherein the SIP UACs are behind at least one of a firewall and a NAT located between the SIP UACs and the SIP entity;

determining a regular time interval for sending SIP messages from the SIP entity to the SIP UACs based on a number of the plurality of SIP UACs registered behind the at least one of the firewall and the NAT and a firewall pinhole timeout interval;

iterating through the list of contact information to identify a corresponding SIP UAC and generating and sending a corresponding SIP message to the corresponding SIP UAC, wherein the SIP messages to the SIP UACs are separated by the regular time interval with respect to each other, wherein the SIP messages to the SIP UACs trigger SIP responses from the SIP UACs that are separated by the regular time interval with respect to each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of maintaining a list of contact information includes storing a minimum amount of state consisting of a source Internet protocol (IP) address and a port for each SIP UAC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the SIP messages and each of the SIP responses include a header parameter associated with pinhole preservation, wherein the SIP responses are identified as including the header parameter and discarded at a SIP transaction layer in a SIP processing stack.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the SIP messages sent to the SIP UACs comprise SIP Options messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the SIP messages includes a branch parameter identifying the SIP message as being associated with pinhole preservation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the regular time interval is less than the firewall pinhole timeout interval.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

replicating the minimum amount of state for at least a portion of the list of contact information from the SIP entity to a geographically diverse standby SIP entity.

8. A system for regulating network address translator (NAT) or firewall pinhole preservation traffic generated by a plurality of session initiation protocol (SIP) user agent clients (UACs) and sent towards a SIP entity located between the plurality of SIP UACs and a SIP registrar in a communications network, the system comprising:

the SIP entity, comprising one of a SIP proxy or a session border controller (SBC), the SIP entity comprising;

a registration store memory for maintaining a list of contact information for the plurality of SIP UACs registered with the SIP registrar;

wherein the SIP UACs are behind at least one of a firewall and a NAT located between the SIP UACs and the SIP entity; and

a SIP pinhole preservation traffic processor for determining a regular time interval for sending SIP messages from the SIP entity to the SIP UACs based on a number of the plurality of SIP UACs registered behind the at least one of the firewall and the NAT and a firewall pinhole timeout interval, iterating through the list of contact information to identify a corresponding SIP UAC and generating and sending a corresponding SIP message to the corresponding SIP UAC, wherein the SIP messages to the SIP UACs are separated by the regular time interval with respect to each other, wherein the SIP messages to the SIP UACs trigger SIP responses from the SIP UACs that are separated by the regular time interval with respect to each other.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein maintaining a list of contact information includes storing a minimum amount of state consisting of a source met protocol (IP) address and a port for each SIP UAC.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the SIP messages and each of the SIP responses include a header parameter associated with pinhole preservation, wherein the SIP responses are identified as including the header parameter and discarded at a SIP transaction layer in a SIP processing stack.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the SIP messages sent to the SIP UACs comprise SIP Options messages.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the SIP messages includes a branch parameter identifying the SIP message as being associated with pinhole preservation.

13. The system of claim 9 comprising:

replicating the minimum amount of state for at least a portion of the list of contact information from the SIP entity to a geographically diverse standby SIP proxy.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for regulating network address translator (NAT) or firewall pinhole preservation traffic generated by a plurality of session initiation protocol (SIP) user agent clients (UACs) and sent towards a SIP entity located between the plurality of SIP UACs and a SIP registrar in a communications network;

the computer executable instructions when executed by a processor of a computer perform steps comprising;

at the SIP entity, comprising one of a SIP proxy or a session border controller (SBC);

maintaining a list of contact information for the plurality of SIP UACs registered with the SIP registrar, wherein the SIP UACs are behind at least one of a firewall and a NAT located between the SIP UACs and the SIP entity;

determining a regular time interval for sending SIP messages from the SIP entity to the SIP UACs based on a number of the plurality of SIP UACs registered behind the at least one of the firewall and the NAT and a firewall pinhole timeout interval;

iterating through the list of contact information to identify a corresponding SIP UAC and generating and sending a corresponding SIP message to the corresponding SIP UAC, wherein the SIP messages to the SIP UACs are separated by the regular time interval with respect to each other, wherein the SIP messages to the SIP UACs trigger SIP responses from the SIP UACs that are separated by the regular time interval with respect to each other.