Remote redundant voice server system

• US 8,111,614 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2007
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Inventors: Feuer, David E., Lando, David, Morris, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryman, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US11/987,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 370/218, 370/220, 370/221, 370/386
• US Class Current: 370/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/45 public-private interworking, e.g. centrex
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0084 Network monitoring; Error detection; Error recovery; Network testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13222 PBX circuits in public exchange, centrex
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

During normal operation, a user terminal supported by an IP-PBX server establishes a call by resolving the name of the IP-PBX server using a DNS server. When the DNS server provides the address of the IP-PBX server, the IP-PBX server can be contacted. However, if the SIP controller learns that the IP-PBX is no longer operating, the information stored by the service provider environment may be used to build or configure an IP-Centrex server at a remote site which takes over for the failing IP-PBX server. The newly configured IP-Centrex server then registers itself with the SIP controller and either the SIP controller or the IP-Centrex server then informs the DNS server of the IP address of the IP-Centrex and tells the DNS server that the IP-Centrex server will respond to messages for the failed IP-PBX server. The newly configured IP-Centrex server then handles the messages and control flow previously handled by the IP-PBX server. When the IP-PBX server is repaired or replaced, the IP-PBX server informs the SIP controller that it is back online and either the SIP controller or the IP-PBX server then informs the DNS server that the IP-PBX server will again be handling the call requests for the IP-PBX server.

Claims

1. A method of providing back-up voice services, comprising:

periodically sending from an IP-PBX server to an IP-Centrex server remote from the IP-PBX server sufficient information to provide at least one of dialing and incoming call routing by the IP-Centrex server should the IP-PBX server become unresponsive without having to request additional information from any server associated with a company hosting the IP-PBX server after the IP-PBX server becomes unresponsive;

periodically sending to the IP-Centrex server status information about plural user voice terminals serviced by the IP-PBX server for use by the IP-Centrex server after the IP-PBX server becomes unresponsive;

detecting that the IP-PBX server serving the plural user voice terminals has become unresponsive;

configuring the IP-Centrex server to handle voice calls for the unresponsive IP-PBX server without having to request additional information from any server associated with the company hosting the IP-PBX server after the IP-PBX server becomes unresponsive;

configuring a DNS server to provide to the plural user voice terminals, in response to a request to resolve a name of the unresponsive IP-PBX server, a first IP address of the IP-Centrex server remote from the unresponsive IP-PBX server instead of a second IP address of the unresponsive IP-PBX server;

handling calls from the plural user voice terminals at the IP-Centrex server at the first IP address;

detecting that the unresponsive IP-PBX server has come back online;

configuring the DNS server to provide to the plural user voice terminals, in response to a request to resolve the name of the IP-PBX server, the second IP address of the IP-PBX server after detected that the previously unresponsive IP-PBX server has come back online; and

handling calls from the plural user voice terminals at the IP-PBX server at the second IP address.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein detecting that an IP-PBX server serving plural user voice terminals has become unresponsive comprises detecting that a registration time period expired without a SIP controller receiving a registration message from the IP-PBX.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein detecting that an IP-PBX server serving plural user voice terminals has become unresponsive comprises receiving a message at a SIP controller that the IP-PBX server is non-responsive.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving information about the IP-PBX server needed to configure the IP-Centrex server prior to the IP-PBX server becoming unresponsive.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the status information comprises a current status of a voicemail of the plural user voice terminals serviced by the IP-PBX server.

6. A method of providing back-up voice services, comprising:

periodically sending from an IP-PBX server to an IP-Centrex server remote from the IP-PBX server sufficient information to provide at least one of dialing and incoming call routing by the IP-Centrex server should the IP-PBX server become unresponsive without having to request additional information from any server associated with a company hosting the IP-PBX server after the IP-PBX server becomes unresponsive;

detecting that the IP-PBX server serving plural user voice terminals has become unresponsive;

configuring the IP-Centrex server to handle voice calls for the unresponsive IP-PBX server without having to request additional information from any server associated with the company hosting the IP-PBX server after the IP-PBX server becomes unresponsive;

configuring a DNS server to provide to the plural user voice terminals, in response to a request to resolve a name of the unresponsive IP-PBX server, a first IP address of the IP-Centrex server remote from the unresponsive IP-PBX server instead of a second IP address of the unresponsive IP-PBX server;

handling calls from the plural user voice terminals at the IP-Centrex server at the first IP address;

detecting that the unresponsive IP-PBX server has come back online;

configuring the DNS server to provide to the plural user voice terminals, in response to a request to resolve the name of the IP-PBX server, the second IP address of the IP-PBX server after detected that the previously unresponsive IP-PBX server has come back online; and

handling calls from the plural user voice terminals at the IP-PBX server at the second IP address, wherein a voicemail repository of the IP-PBX server is separate from the IP-PBX server, the method further comprising providing access by the IP Centrex server to the voicemail repository after the IP-PBX server has become non-responsive.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein detecting that an IP-PBX server serving plural user voice terminals has become unresponsive comprises detecting that a registration time period expired without a SIP controller receiving a registration message from the IP-PBX.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein detecting that an IP-PBX server serving plural user voice terminals has become unresponsive comprises receiving a message at a SIP controller that the IP-PBX server is non-responsive.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising receiving information about the IP-PBX server needed to configure the IP-Centrex server prior to the IP-PBX server becoming unresponsive.