VoIP multiline failover

• US 8,995,252 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fatpipe Networks Private Ltd.
• Original Assignee: FatPipe Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Datta, Sanchaita, Ragula, Bhaskar, Balasubramaniam, Padmanaban
• Primary Examiner(s): ANWAR, MOHAMMAD S
• Application Number:
  US11/680,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20080317011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,953 Days
• Field of Search: 370/356, 370/223, 370/224
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Tools and techniques are provided to provide Voice-over-IP (VoIP) communications. On receiving a user request to initiate a telephonic connection from a local site, at which the user is using a VoIP telecommunication device which has no link failover functionality, a system establishes over wide area network links at least two tunnels between a controller at the local site and another controller. Then the system transmits VoIP traffic over at least one of the tunnels from the controller at the local site to the other controller. The system also detects failure of the primary tunnel during the call and performs failover by changing a data path during the call to transmit packets over at least one non-failed tunnel.

Claims

1. A communications method, comprising:

receiving a user request to initiate a telephonic connection from a local site, using a VoIP telecommunication device which has by itself no functionality to failover to transfer traffic onto at least one backup tunnel in the event of a link failure;

establishing over wide area network links at least two VPN tunnels between a controller at the local site and another controller; and

transmitting VoIP traffic over at least one of the VPN tunnels from the controller at the local site to the other controller;

wherein the establishing step includes an inviting location initiating an SIP/SDP INVITE at least in part by sending to an invited location an SIP/SDP INVITE packet and includes sending to the invited location a primary IP address of the inviting location and a backup IP address of the inviting location in a request packet, and includes the inviting location receiving from the invited location in a response packet a primary IP address of the invited location and a backup IP address of the invited location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method dynamically establishes at least one of the VPN tunnels in response to receiving the user request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of dynamically establishing a VPN tunnel comprises the controller at the local site sending, transparently to the user, at least the following to the other controller:

a VoIP call initiation message, a primary channel IP address, at least one backup channel IP address.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the controller at the local site sending the other controller a VoIP call termination message, and then tearing down the dynamically established VPN tunnel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method establishes at least one of the VPN tunnels as a static tunnel before receiving the user request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method establishes at least one of the VPN tunnels as a call-specific tunnel, namely, a tunnel that is dedicated to VoIP traffic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method establishes at least two physically separate VPN tunnels of the same type (static versus dynamic).

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting failure of the VPN tunnel during a call and changing a data path during the call to transmit packets over at least one non-failed tunnel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting failure of the VPN tunnel during a call occurs within a previously defined time period of the physical failure of the VPN tunnel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting packets comprises identifying VoIP connection control packets and sending them into the VPN tunnel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting packets comprises identifying VoIP packets and sending them into a dynamically established call-specific VPN tunnel while excluding non-VoIP packets from the VPN tunnel.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting packets comprises identifying VoIP packets and sending them into a dynamically established VPN tunnel while committing minimum latency, jitter and packet loss as previously specified for improved quality of call.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting packets comprises identifying VoIP packets and sending them into a call-specific VPN tunnel while committing minimum latency, jitter and packet loss as previously specified for improved quality of call.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting packets comprises performing network address translation (NAT) on packets before the controller at the local site sends them over the VPN tunnel, such that the intermediate site sees a public IP address for the local site in the packets instead of seeing a private IP address of the local site.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising a PBX/soft-switch at an intermediate site terminating the call on a VoIP device.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising a PBX/soft-switch at an intermediate site terminating the call on a PSTN device.

17. A communications method, comprising:

receiving a user request to initiate a telephonic connection from a local site, using a VoIP telecommunication device which has by itself no functionality to failover to transfer traffic onto at least one backup tunnel in the event of a link failure;

dynamically establishing at least two tunnels over wide area network links between a controller at the local site and another controller, in response to receiving the user request; and

transmitting VoIP traffic over at least one of the tunnels from the controller at the local site to the other controller;

wherein the establishing step includes an inviting location initiating an SIP/SDP INVITE at least in part by sending to an invited location an SIP/SDP INVITE packet and includes sending to the invited location a primary IP address of the inviting location and a backup IP address of the inviting location in a request packet, and includes the inviting location receiving from the invited location in a response packet a primary IP address of the invited location and a backup IP address of the invited location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method also encrypts and/or compresses VoIP traffic.

19. A communications method, comprising:

receiving a user request to initiate a telephonic connection from a local site, using a VoIP telecommunication device which has by itself no functionality to failover to transfer traffic onto at least one backup tunnel in the event of a link failure;

establishing at least two call-specific tunnels over wide area network links between a controller at the local site and another controller, in response to receiving the user request; and

transmitting VoIP traffic over at least one of the tunnels from the controller at the local site to the other controller;

wherein the establishing step includes an inviting location initiating an SIP/SDP INVITE at least in part by sending to an invited location an SIP/SDP INVITE packet and includes sending to the invited location a primary IP address of the inviting location and a backup IP address of the inviting location in a request packet, and includes the inviting location receiving from the invited location in a response packet a primary IP address of the invited location and a backup IP address of the invited location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method dynamically establishes the tunnels in response to receiving the user request.