Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and system for generating efficient cross-layer key performance indicators for monitoring, managing and debugging communications networks. An exemplary method embodiment includes the steps of: generating a plurality of different cross-layer key performance indicators (CL-KPIs) from a set of event data records corresponding to a first period of time and a first base protocol, each CL-KPI in said plurality of different CL-KPIs being for a different failure cause scenario; identifying a CL-KPI in the plurality of different CL-KPIs corresponding to the first period of time and the first base protocol having a highest CL-KPI value and determining a most likely failure cause scenario for said first base protocol to be the failure cause scenario associated with the identified CL-KPI having the highest CL-KPI value.

Abstract: A method performed by a computing system includes receiving a first request from a first pod being executed on the computing system, responding to the first request with an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a first port range, receiving a second request from a second pod being executed on the computing system, and responding to the second request with the Internet Protocol (IP) address and a second port range that is different than the first port range. The method further includes, with a networking service implemented within the kernel, processing network traffic between external entities and the first and second pods by updating source and destination IP addresses and ports of packets of the network traffic.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to the storage and/or recovery of session state information are described. A communications server, e.g., a web RTC server, supporting a communications session, stores session state information corresponding to the communications session in a client device, e.g., a user device including a web browser, participating in the communications session. Following a failure of the communications server, the client device establishes a new connection with a replacement communications server and communicates the stored session state information to the replacement communications server. In some embodiments, the session state information is communicated between a communications server and a client device in encrypted form via a secure HTTP web socket connection. In various embodiments, both the communications server and the replacement communications server include or have access to a shared encryption key.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for call traffic anomaly mitigation are described herein. One or more embodiments include receiving a scoring request including a telephone number associated with a telephone call at a scoring device from a call processing entity, receiving a violator list of telephone numbers and their corresponding severity values at the scoring device from an anomaly analyzer, determining a severity value associated with the telephone number by performing a lookup operation in the violator list, performing a random simulation using the severity value as a probability to determine an indicator value, and inputting the indicator value into a model to determine a call reputation score.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for dynamically detecting and/or mitigating threats in communications systems. Exemplary methods and apparatus of the present invention allow for a combination of automated and operator controlled responses to threats. While an operator is provided an opportunity to provide input on how to respond to a threat, after one or more threats of a given type are identified, the system will automatically take corrective action without waiting for operator input and/or in the absence of operator input following notification of a threat.

Abstract: A method includes: receiving protocol event data from a plurality of probes within the telecommunication system; determining a most probable cause of a call event from the protocol event data; applying the most probable cause to a trained machine learning algorithm that includes the most probable cause as its input and a telecommunication system score as its output; and in response to an output score from the trained machine learning algorithm, performing a corrective action for a plurality of network users that are expected to be affected by the most probable cause.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for migrating and/or changing the allocation of network interface(s) or Internet Protocol address(es) of network interface(s) from one Pod, e.g., a failed Pod, to another Pod, e.g., a live Pod, in a Kubernetes system. An exemplary method of operating a Kubernetes system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes: establishing, by the Kubernetes system, a first service including a first Pod located on a first node and a second Pod located on a second node, allocating by the Kubernetes system an external network interface including an Internet Protocol address for use by the first Pod, the allocation of said external network interface for use by the first Pod being unknown to a first Kubelet managing the first node; and upon failure of the first Pod, changing allocation of the external network interface from the first Pod to the second Pod.

Abstract: Communications methods and apparatus for providing and/or adding STIR/SHAKEN Diversion Information to requests. An exemplary method embodiment includes the steps of: receiving at a second communications network a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Invite request from a first communications network, the SIP Invite request being directed to a first SIP address corresponding to a first user equipment device located within the second communications network, the SIP Invite request including a SIP Identity shaken header and one or more SIP Identity div headers; determining at the second communications network whether or not the received SIP Invite request was previously diverted by the second communications network to another network; and when the SIP Invite request is determined to have been previously diverted by the second communications network to another network, processing the SIP Invite request at the second communications network as a previously received and diverted SIP Invite request.

Abstract: Communications methods and apparatus for preserving STIR/SHAKEN original attestation/signature information for diverted Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages and/or calls.

Abstract: The present invention relates to communications methods and apparatus dynamically detecting and/or mitigating anomalies in communications systems/networks. An exemplary method embodiment includes the steps of: (i) storing a set of N key performance indicator (KPI) models; (ii) associating each of a plurality of recurring time slots of a recurring time frame on a per group member basis with one of the N KPI models wherein the associating including associating a first group member of a first group and a first recurring time slot with a first one of the N models, the first one of the N models being a first model; (iii) receiving event data for the first group member for a first time period; and (iv) determining based on the first model if a key performance indicator value for the first group member and first time period is anomalous.

Abstract: A method performed by a computing system includes collecting information on transactions in a telecommunication system, using the information on transactions to create a plurality of event objects, each of the event objects associated with a telecommunication event, associating each of the event objects with a Key Performance Indicator (KPI), applying the event objects to a plurality of inference functions, each inference functions using the set of parameters as inputs and the KPIs of the event objects as outputs to create a model that infers a relationship between the set of parameters and the KPIs, and analyzing metadata from each of the inference functions to determine which of the set of parameters was used to predict an outcome leading to the KPI.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for determining a best or optimal media path or route between communications devices. An exemplary method embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of (i) receiving, at a first communications device, data of a first data communications session, the first data communications session being a first media communications session, the data being media; (ii) selecting an optimal media communications route from a plurality of communications routes between the first communications device and a second communications device; and (iii) communicating the received media of the first media communications session from the first communications device to the second communications device via the selected optimal media communications route.

Abstract: The present invention relates to communications methods and apparatus for session load balancing among session processing entities. An exemplary method embodiment includes the steps of receiving from a first device at a Signaling Front End Load Balancer (SLB) a first session initiation request destined for a second device; making a first session load balancing decision at the SLB with respect to the received first session initiation request; transmitting the first session initiation request to a first Session Border Controller (SBC) worker based on the first load balancing decision, the first SBC worker being one of a plurality of SBC workers forming a cluster of SBC workers, making a session mismatch determination at the first SBC worker with respect to a first session corresponding to the first session initiation request; and when the session mismatch determination is that a session mismatch has occurred notifying the SLB of the session mismatch.

Abstract: The present invention relates to communications methods, apparatus and systems for providing media micro-services in a scalable and efficient manner. In an exemplary method embodiment, a packet plane control service entity performs the following operations: (i) receives a request from a Signaling-Session Border Controller to implement one or more micro-services on a media packet stream, the request including information about the media packet stream including stream identification information; generates instructions for one or more entities under the control of the packet plane control service entity to implement the requested one or more micro-services on the media packet stream; and communicates the generated instructions to the one or more entities under the control of the packet plane control service entity for implementation on the media packet stream.

Abstract: A method includes provisioning a first Virtual Network Function (VNF) component on a first virtual machine, the first virtual machine being supported by a first physical computing system, provisioning a second VNF component directly on a second physical computing system, and using, within a telecommunications network, a VNF that includes both the first VNF component running on the first virtual machine and the second VNF component running directly on the second physical computing system. The method further includes, with a VNF manager, determining that a third VNF component should be provisioned, and in response to determining that the third VNF component is capable of utilizing a hardware accelerator associated with a third physical computing system, implementing the third VNF component on the third physical computing system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to communications methods and apparatus for distributing Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages among SIP processing entities including during periods of failure recovery. An exemplary method embodiment includes the steps of: establishing a first connection oriented protocol connection between a first Session Initiation Protocol Load Balancer (SLB) of a plurality of SLBs and a client device; receiving via the first connection oriented protocol connection at the first SLB a first SIP REGISTER request message from the first client device; determining, by the first SLB, based on information received from the client device, a first Session Border Controller (SBC) from a plurality of SBCs to send the first SIP REGISTER request message, said information uniquely identifying the first SBC from other SBCs in the plurality of SBCs; and sending, by the first SLB, the first SIP REGISTER request message to the first SBC.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to communications apparatus, systems, and methods for preventing and/or minimizing session data clipping/loss when using the ICE protocol procedures on a session border controller. An exemplary method embodiment of operating a Session Border Controller (SBC) includes, receiving, at the SBC, an initial offer message from a first user equipment device directed to a second user equipment device, said initial offer message including one or more candidate addresses for the first user equipment device; and establishing a data path between the SBC and the second user equipment device in response to receiving said initial offer message prior to establishing a data session between the first user equipment device and the session border controller.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to communications methods and apparatus for efficiently distributing traffic to processing entities. An exemplary method includes the steps of: receiving, at a first Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) load balancer (SLB), a first SIP INVITE message; selecting, at the first SLB, which Session Border Controller (SBC) in a first cluster of SBCs to send the first SIP invite message based on a message allocation weight determined based on message loss information corresponding to different SBCs in the first cluster of SBCs, the selecting including allocating a portion of incoming received SIP INVITE messages to an individual SBC based on a message loss rate corresponding to the individual SBC and the message allocation rate, said selecting including selecting a first SBC from the first cluster of SBCs to send said first SIP INVITE message, and sending the first SIP INVITE message to the first SBC.

Abstract: A method performed by a computing system includes receiving a first request from a first pod being executed on the computing system, responding to the first request with an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a first port range, receiving a second request from a second pod being executed on the computing system, and responding to the second request with the Internet Protocol (IP) address and a second port range that is different than the first port range. The method further includes, with a networking service implemented within the kernel, processing network traffic between external entities and the first and second pods by updating source and destination IP addresses and ports of packets of the network traffic.

Abstract: The present invention relates to communications methods and apparatus for determining whether a received call originated from an artificial intelligence system and the call handling procedures to be used on the received call based on whether or not the call was determined to have been originated from an artificial intelligence system. An exemplary method embodiment includes the steps of: receiving a first call; determining whether said first call originated from an artificial intelligence system; and when said first call is determined to have originated from an artificial intelligence system performing one or more artificial intelligence call handling operations.