Voice-over-Internet Protocol device load profiling

• US 8,493,968 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Scarbrough, Rachel, Houle, Dennis J
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAY, SONIA L
• Application Number:
  US12/334,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20100150136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 717168-173, 709/223
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0081 Network operation, administration, maintenance, or provisioning

Abstract

A device may obtain, from a remote device on a network, information regarding loads and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices on which the loads are installed. In addition, the device may access a database storing load compatibility information, identify problematic loads based on the obtained information and the load compatibility information, determine fixes for one or more of the problematic loads, and apply the fixes to the one or more of the problematic loads over the network.

Claims

1. A device-implemented method comprising:

obtaining, from a remote device on a network, profile information identifying pairings of loads and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices on the network;

accessing a database storing compatibility/interoperability information indicative of compatibility of different load-SIP device pairings and interoperability between the different load-SIP device pairings;

identifying, based on results of comparing the profile information and the compatibility/interoperability information, a potential conflict with respect to at least one of the compatibility or the interoperability of one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings;

determining, based on the identified potential conflict, a user associated with the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings;

generating a notification to the user indicating an allowed number of SIP communication sessions by which the potential conflict is to be resolved by the user before a fix is to be applied;

downloading SIP logs from another remote device that logs a number of SIP communication sessions;

determining, based on the SIP logs, when the allowed number of SIP communication sessions are exhausted; and

applying, based on the exhaustion of the allowed number of SIP communication sessions, the fix to the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings over the network to resolve the potential conflict.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the profile information includes:

downloading registration information, associated with the user, from a registration server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uploading, by one of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices, registration information associated with the user, to the remote device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying potential conflict includes at least one of:

identifying one or more loads that have not been certified as being compatible with the respective Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices associated with the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings;

identifying loads, associated with the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings, that have potential security issues;

identifying loads, associated with the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings, which can send packets that crash devices in the network;

or

identifying the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings that are not interoperable with the different load-SIP device pairings in the network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating an amount of time needed to apply the fix to resolve the potential conflict.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

determining whether a load, associated with the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings, is to be upgraded, downgraded, or patched;

determining whether a load, associated with the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings, is to be prevented from communicating with other loads on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices;

or

determining whether a fix is to be applied to a load, associated with the one or more of the identified load-SIP device pairings, with or without a consent of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a countdown notification to the user based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) logs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying the fixes includes:

permitting the one or more of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices with problematic loads to place 911 calls.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying the fix includes:

prioritizing the fix, relative to other scheduled fixes, based on a likelihood of the potential conflict occurring.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining snapshots of loads in the network;

deriving trending information from the snapshots; and

updating, based on trending information, the profile information associated with the loads.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing reports of the trending information to users.

12. A device comprising:

a collection module to;

obtain, from a remote device on a network, a profile comprising registration information and descriptions of pairings of client devices and loads on the network;

a conflict detection module to;

compare the profile to compatibility/interoperability information indicative of compatibility of different client device-load pairings and interoperability between the different client device-load pairings,

identify, based on results of the comparison, potential conflicts with respect to at least one of the compatibility or the interoperability related to one or more of the client device-load pairings associated with the profile, and

determine users associated with the profile; and

a load fixing module to;

generate notifications to the users indicating an allowed number of communication sessions using the one or more of the client device-load pairings by which the potential conflict is to be resolved by the users,

download logs from another remote device that logs a number of the communication sessions,

determine, based on the logs, when the allowed number of communication sessions are exhausted, and

fix, based on exhaustion of the allowed number of communication sessions and with or without consent of the users, the one or more of the client device-load pairings over the network to resolve the potential conflicts.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the client devices include at least one of a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone, a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) Integrated Access device (IAD), a personal computer, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, or a mobile phone.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the registration information includes:

binding information that associates an Internet Protocol (IP) address of one of the client devices with an address-of-record.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the descriptions include at least two of:

names of client device models;

names of the loads;

or

version numbers of the loads.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the remote device includes at least one of:

a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) registration device;

or

a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) location server device.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the load fixing module is further configured to:

prevent, based on the fix, a client device, of the one or more of the client device-load pairings, from communicating with another device over the network via Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) packets, by instructing network devices not to route the SIP packets.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the network devices includes at least one of:

a router, a firewall, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy server, or a Session Border Controller (SBC).

19. A device comprising:

means for obtaining, from a remote device on a network, a profile comprising registration information and descriptions of a pairing of a client device and a load on the network;

means for determining that the load is problematic by comparing the profile descriptions to compatibility/interoperability information, related to compatibility of different client device-load pairings and interoperability between the different client device-load pairings, stored in a database;

means for generating a notification, to a user associated with the client device, indicating an allowed number of communication sessions using the client device-load pairing by which the user is to perform a fix on the problematic load;

means for downloading logs from another remote device that logs a number of the communication sessions;

means for determining, based on the logs, when the allowed number of communication sessions are exhausted; and

means for instructing a firewall or a network device, responsive to exhaustion of the allowed number of communication sessions, to not route packets from the client device to another device in the network when performance of the fix is not completed by the user.