Server with backup capability for distributed IP telephony systems
View Patent ↗A system for providing voice mail backup on a secondary server including two or more distributed voice mail servers. Each distributed voice mail server includes a telephony management software (TMS) unit, a telephony application programming interface (TAPI) unit, and an application unit. The application unit includes a voice mail control module, a call status module, a call transfer module, a voice mail migration module, a storage module, an audio encoding/decoding module, a configuration module, an extension library module, and a telephony application programming interface (TAPI) interface module. Each server is capable of storing a voice message for an extension serviced by a remote server if the remote server is unavailable.
1. A method for receiving and storing voice mail messages, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first server, an incoming call;
determining whether the call is to be transferred to voice mail; and
responsive to determining that the call is to be transferred to voice mail:
determining the call's voice mail extension;
determining a second server, the second server being the voice mail extension's home server;
determining whether the second server is a remote server; and
responsive to determining that the second server is a remote server:
determining whether the second server is available; and
responsive to determining that the second server is not available, storing the voice mail message in the first server.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to determining that the call is not to be transferred to voice mail, handling the call normally.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to determining that the second server is not a remote server, storing the voice mail message in the first server.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to determining that the second server is available, sending the voice mail message to the second server.