Simultaneous active registration in a SIP survivable network configuration

• US 8,107,361 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Baker, Al, Balasaygun, Mehmet C., Boyle, Frank J., Brunson, Gordon, Jenkins, Benjamin, Lauber, Pamela J., Petsche, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US12/056,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20090245183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/217, 370/218, 370/220, 370/241, 370/242, 370/244, 370/254, 370/255, 709/203, 709/219, 709227-229, 709/237, 709/239, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 370/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Provided are methods, devices, and systems for maintaining a SIP survivable network. The present invention is adapted to allow SIP endpoints or User Agents to discover and select the controller or controllers that the SIP endpoint will register with. Selection of the controller or controllers may be based upon the relative attributes of the controllers and the needs of the SIP endpoint.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) enabled communication endpoint, controller information related to a first controller;

receiving, at the communication endpoint, controller information related to a second controller;

analyzing the controller information related to both the first and second controllers;

based on the analyzing step, the communication endpoint selecting at least one of the first and second controllers as its controller; and

the communication endpoint registering with the first controller while the communication endpoint is one of (i) registering and (ii) registered with the second controller, wherein the communication endpoint registers with the first and second controllers by sending a SIP REGISTER message to both the first and second controllers and receiving acknowledgments of receipt of the SIP REGISTER messages from the first and second controllers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controller information related to the first and second controllers comprises attributes of the first and second controllers respectively, the method further comprising:

comparing the attributes of the first controller with the attributes of the second controller;

determining that the attributes of the first controller are better suited for controlling the communication endpoint than the attributes of the second controller;

the communication endpoint selecting the first controller as its primary controller; and

the communication endpoint selecting the second controller as its secondary controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication endpoint is simultaneously registered with the first and second controllers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the attributes of the first controller are different from the attributes of the second controller.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first controller provides extended SIP extensions for the communication endpoint and wherein the second controller provides standard SIP extensions for the communication endpoint.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the communication endpoint is registered with the first and second controllers in one of an active-active configuration and an active-standby configuration, wherein in the active-active configuration the communication endpoint uses both the first and second controllers for processing inbound and outbound calls, and wherein in the active-standby configuration the communication endpoint uses a controller selected as a primary controller for processing inbound and outbound calls and requests that inbound calls received from a secondary controller are redirected via the primary controller.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a list of controllers, wherein the list of controllers comprises at least the first and second controllers;

comparing controller information for the first controller with controller information for the second controller; and

ordering the list of controllers based on the comparison of the controller information.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions operable to perform the method of claim 1.

9. A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) enabled communication device, comprising:

memory and a processor for executing routines stored in the memory, the memory including a discovery module operable to request and receive controller information related to a first and second controller and select at least one of the first and second controller as a controller based on the received controller of the device information, wherein the discovery module is further operable to register the device with the first controller while the device is one of (i) registering and (ii) registered with the second controller, and wherein the device registers with the first and second controllers by performing a SIP registration and network attachment process.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein controller information related to the first and second controllers comprises attributes of the first and second controllers respectively, and wherein the discovery module is further operable to compare the attributes of the first controller with the attributes of the second controller, determine that the attributes of the first controller are better suited for controlling the communication device than the attributes of the second controller, select the first controller as a primary controller of the device, and select the second controller as a secondary controller of the device.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the discovery module is further operable to simultaneously register with the first and second controllers.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein attributes of the first controller are different from attributes of the second controller.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first controller provides extended SIP extensions for the communication device and wherein the second controller provides standard SIP extensions for the communication device.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the communication device is registered with the first and second controllers in one of an active-active configuration and an active-standby configuration, wherein in the active-active configuration the device uses both the first and second controllers for processing inbound and outbound calls, and wherein in the active-standby configuration the device uses a controller selected as a primary controller for processing inbound and outbound calls and requests that inbound calls received from a secondary controller are redirected via the primary controller.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the discovery module is further operable to generate a list of controllers that comprises at least the first and second controllers, compare controller information for the first controller with controller information for the second controller, and order the list of controllers based on the comparison of the controller information.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the discovery module is further operable to send SIP OPTIONS messages to the first and second controllers as a part of registering with the first and second controllers.

17. A communication system, comprising:

at least two Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) controllers; and

a SIP enabled User Agent operable to request and receive controller information related to the at least two SIP controllers and select a first of the at least two SIP controllers as its controller based on the received controller information, and wherein the User Agent is further operable to simultaneously register with the at least two SIP controllers by sending SIP REGISTER messages to the at least two SIP controllers and receiving acknowledgements of receipt of the SIP REGISTER messages from the at least two SIP controllers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein controller information related to the at least two SIP controllers comprises attributes of the at least two SIP controllers, and wherein the User Agent is further operable to compare the attributes of the first SIP controller with the attributes of other controllers in the at least two SIP controllers, determine that the attributes of the first SIP controller are better suited for controlling the User Agent, select the first SIP controller as its primary controller, and select the a second of the at least two SIP controllers as its secondary controller.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein attributes of the at least two SIP controllers are different, wherein the first controller provides extended SIP extensions for the User Agent, and wherein a second controller provides standard SIP extensions for the User Agent.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the User Agent is registered with the at least two SIP controllers in one of an active-active configuration and an active-standby configuration, wherein in the active-active configuration the User Agent uses both of the at least two SIP controllers for processing inbound and outbound calls, and wherein in the active-standby configuration the User Agent uses the first controller for processing inbound and outbound calls and requests that inbound calls received from a secondary controller are redirected via the first controller.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the User Agent is further operable to generate a list of controllers that comprises the at least two SIP controllers, compare controller information for the at least two SIP controllers, and order the list of controllers based on the comparison of the controller information.