Real time control protocol session matching

• US 20030120789A1
• Filed: 10/22/2001
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Hepworth, Neil, Rankine, Alastair J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention is directed generally to a system and method for monitoring a multi-party session. The system and method includes in one embodiment a matcher to match selected information in incoming RTCP packets with one or more of an orphan table and active session table and in another embodiment a first session endpoint that reflects or transmits a packet received from a second session endpoint to a session monitor. In yet another embodiment, the network address of the first and second endpoints can be included in the packet.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a corresponding session for a packet, comprising:

(a) receiving at least a first packet communicated between first and second endpoints to a first session, the first packet comprising at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint;

(b) comparing the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet with a listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets; and

(c) when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet matches an entry in the listing, determining a network address of the second endpoint in the first session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet is transmitted from the first endpoint to a session monitor and further comprising before the comparing step (b):

(d) parsing the packet for at least one selected field; and

(e) determining whether the network address of the second endpoint is in the selected field, wherein, when the network address of the second endpoint is in the selected field, steps (b) and (c) are not performed and, when the network address of the second endpoint is not in the selected field, steps (b) and (c) are performed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing step (b) comprises the substeps of:

(d) comparing the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet with a first listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets, the first listing corresponding to a list of active sessions for which the network addresses of each session participant are known; and

(e) comparing the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet with a second listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets, the second listin corresponding to a list of active sessions for which the network address of at least one participant in a session is not known.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step (d), when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet is in the first listing, step (e) is not performed and the first listing is updated to reflect data in the packet.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein in steps (d) and (e), when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet is not in the first listing and is in the second listing, the second listing is updated to reflect data in the packet.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein, in steps (d) and (e), when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet is not in the first and second listings, the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet is added to the second listing.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising after steps (d) and (e) comparing entries in the second listing to determine whether at least two entries have a same at least one session id and network address.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, when at least two entries have a same at least one session ids and network addresses, removing the entries from the second listing and adding selected information in the at least two entries to the first listing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet contents are defined by the Real Time Transfer Control Protocol.

10. A system for identifying a corresponding session for a packet, comprising:

(a) an input configured to receive at least a first packet communicated between first and second endpoints to a first session, the first packet comprising at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint; and

(b) a matcher configured (i) to compare the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet with a listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets and (ii) to determine a network address of the second endpoint in the first session, when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet matches an entry in the listing.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the packet is transmitted from the first endpoint to a session monitor and further comprising:

(c) a parser configured to parse the packet for at least one selected field; and

wherein the matcher is further configured (iii) to determine whether the network address of the second endpoint is in the selected field.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the matcher is further configured (iii) to compare the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet with a first listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets, the first listing corresponding to a list of active sessions for which the network addresses of each session participant are known and (iv) to compare the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet with a second listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets, the second listing corresponding to a list of active sessions for which the network address of at least one participant in a session is not known.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein, when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet is in the first listing, the matcher is further configured (v) to update the first listing to reflect data in the packet.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein, when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet is not in the first listing and is in the second listing, the matcher is further configured (v) to update the second listing to reflect data in the packet.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein, when the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet is not in the first and second listings, the matcher is further configured (v) to add the at least one of a network address of the first endpoint, a session id of the first endpoint, and a session id of the second endpoint in the packet to the second listing.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the matcher is further configured (v) to compare entries in the second listing to determine whether at least two entries have a same at least one session id and network address.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein, when at least two entries have a same at least one session ids and network addresses, the matcher is configured (vi) to add the at least two entries to the first listing.

18. A method for monitoring a multi-party session, comprising:

(a) receiving, at a first endpoint, at least a first packet communicated between the first endpoint and a second endpoint to a first session, the first packet comprising a network address of the first endpoint and a network address of the second endpoint; and

(b) transmitting at least a second packet to a session monitor, the at least a second packet including the respective first and second network addresses of the first and second endpoints.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining a value of a flag;

and wherein, when the flag has a first predetermined value, performing step (b) and, when the flag has a second predetermined value, not performing step (b).

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

(c) receiving the transmitted packet;

(b) comparing at least one of the first and second network addresses with a listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets; and

(c) when the at least one of the first and second network addresses is in the listing, updating the listing to reflect data in the packet and when the at least one of the first and second network addresses is not in the listing, adding the at least one of the first and second network addresses to the listing.

21. An endpoint in a session, comprising:

(a) an input operable to receive, at a first endpoint, at least a first packet communicated between the first endpoint and a second endpoint to a first session, the first packet comprising a network address of the first endpoint and a network address of the second endpoint; and

(b) a transmitter operable to transmit at least a second packet to a session monitor, the at least a second packet including the respective first and second network addresses of the first and second endpoints.

22. The endpoint of claim 21, wherein the first packet includes a flag and wherein, when the flag has a first predetermined value, the transmitter transmits the at least a second packet and, when the flag has a second predetermined value, the transmitter does not transmit the at least a second packet.

23. The endpoint of claim 21 further comprising:

(c) a second input operable to receive the transmitted second packet; and

(b) a matcher operable (i) to compare at least one of the first and second network addresses with a listing of at least one of network addresses and session ids contained in previously received packets;

(ii), when the at least one of the first and second network addresses is in the listing, to update the listing to reflect data in the packet and (iii), when the at least one of the first and second network addresses is not in the listing, to add the at least one of the first and second network addresses to the listing.

24. A session packet for transmission on a network, comprising:

a source network address of a first participant to a session;

a destination network address associated with a session monitor;

a network address of a second participant to the session; and

session information associated with the session.

25. The session packet of claim 24, further comprising:

a first session id associated with the first participant; and

a second session id associated with the second participant.

26. The session packet of claim 24, wherein the contents of the session packet are defined by the Real Time Control Protocol.

27. A method for monitoring a multi-party session, comprising:

receiving a packet from a first endpoint in a first session, the first session being between the first endpoint and a second endpoint, the packet comprising a first network address of the first endpoint as the source, a second network address of the second endpoint, and a network addresses of a session monitor as the destination; and

inputting information in the packet in a first entry in an active session table, the first entry corresponding to the first session.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the inputting step comprises:

comparing at least one of the first and second network addresses to the active session table to determine whether the first session has a corresponding first entry in the active session table; and

when the active session table has no corresponding entry, creating the first entry in the active session table.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the packet is defined by the Real Time Control Protocol and the network address of the second endpoint is in the application field.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the packet is transmitted by the first endpoint to the session monitor in a uni-cast configuration.