Registration redirect server

• US 9,088,599 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Terpstra, Richard D., Hearty, John, Malas, Daryl William
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US13/336,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

Systems and methods for dynamically registering a communication device are disclosed. As one example, a communication network architecture is disclosed that includes multiple feature servers, multiple registration redirect servers (RRSs), and multiple communication devices. The feature servers provide services to the communication devices. The RRSs each service a shared virtual Internet Protocol (IP) address and perform load balancing of registration requests on behalf of multiple feature servers located geographically proximate to the RRS. The communication devices are configured to issue initial registration requests intended for any of the feature servers to the shared virtual IP address, whereby upon issuing an initial registration request, a communication device is directed to a particular feature server that is associated with a RRS that is closest to the communication device, and where the particular feature server is selected by a load balancing routine executing on the RRS.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically registering a communication device with a communication network, the method comprising:

issuing a registration request to a closest load balancer of a plurality of

load balancers all servicing a shared virtual Internet Protocol (IP) address by directing the registration request to the shared virtual IP address;

in response to the registration request, receiving a network service resource list from the closest load balancer, wherein the network service resource list indicates at least one Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal manager and at least one feature server;

accessing the at least one NAT traversal manager; and

accessing the at least one feature server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource list includes:

a first Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal manager and feature server pair and

a second NAT traversal manager and feature server pair, and wherein the at least one feature server is included with the first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair, and wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes accessing a NAT traversal manager included in the first NAT traversal manager and feature server pair.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource list includes a first Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal manager and feature server pair including a first NAT traversal manager and a first feature server and a second NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including a second NAT traversal manager and the first feature server;

and wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes accessing the first NAT traversal manager.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein accessing the at least one feature server fails, and wherein the method further comprises:

based at least in part on the failed access, accessing the first feature server and the second NAT traversal manager.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource list includes a first Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal manager and feature server pair including a first NAT traversal manager and a first feature server and a second NAT traversal manager and feature server pair including the first NAT traversal manager and a second feature server;

and wherein accessing the at least one feature server includes accessing the first NAT traversal manager.

6. One or more computer-readable storage media encoding computer-executable instructions for executing on a computer system a computer process, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are not carrier waves or propagating signals and the computer process comprises:

issuing a registration request to a closest load balancer of a plurality of

load balancers all servicing a shared virtual Internet Protocol (IP) address by directing the registration request to the shared virtual IP address;

in response to the registration request, receiving a network service resource list from the closest load balancer, wherein the network service resource list indicates at least one Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal manager and at least one feature server;

accessing the at least one NAT traversal manager; and

accessing the at least one feature server.