Apparatus and method of remotely enabling a special mode of operation of an endpoint in a VoIP network

1. A method of testing a VoIP network comprising:

(a) transmitting from an originating endpoint on a VoIP network to a call management system (CMS) on the VoIP network a special mode sequence and a telephone number of a destination endpoint on the VoIP network, wherein:

the CMS, the originating endpoint and the destination endpoint are each assigned a unique IP address on the VoIP network; and

the CMS includes a mapping between telephone numbers associated with telephones residing at said endpoints and the IP addresses assigned to said endpoints, and each endpoint does not include such mapping;

(b) responsive to the transmission in step (a), transmitting one or more messages from the CMS onto the VoIP network that cause the originating endpoint and the destination endpoint to establish a network connection with each other via the VoIP network;

(c) after step (b), transmitting a message from the CMS onto the VoIP network that causes the destination endpoint to enter into a test mode corresponding to the special mode sequence transmitted in step (b);

(d) transmitting on the VoIP network one or more data packets from the originating endpoint to the destination endpoint via the network connection;

(e) receiving one or more of either the same or similar data packets transmitted in step (d) back at the originating endpoint from the destination endpoint via the VoIP network; and

(f) comparing the transmitted and received data packets to determine at least one of network delay, jitter and packet loss.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including between steps (d) and (e):

receiving one or more of the data packets transmitted in step (d) at the destination endpoint; and

transmitting one or more of the same data packets received at the destination endpoint back to the originating endpoint via the network connection.

3. The method of claim 1 , further including between steps (d) and (e):

decoding one or more of the data packets transmitted in step (d) into a corresponding analog signal or portion thereof at the destination endpoint;

re-coding each of one or more of the decoded analog signals or portions thereof into a data packet that is similar to the corresponding decoded data packet at the destination endpoint; and

transmitting said similar data packet from the destination endpoint to the originating endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data packets transmitted in step (d) are stored at the originating endpoint.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) includes:

determining at the CMS the IP address of the destination endpoint corresponding to the telephone number transmitted to the CMS;

transmitting the IP address of the destination endpoint, corresponding to the telephone number transmitted to the CMS, from the CMS to the originating endpoint;

transmitting the IP address of the originating endpoint from the CMS to the destination endpoint; and

responsive to the originating endpoint receiving the IP address of the destination endpoint and the destination endpoint receiving the IP address of the originating endpoint, the originating endpoint and the destination endpoint establish the network connection with each other.

6. The method of claim 1 , further including, following step (f), the steps of:

transmitting a test termination message from the originating endpoint to the CMS via the VoIP network;

responsive to the test termination message, transmitting a terminate test message from the CMS to each of the originating endpoint and the destination endpoint via the VoIP network; and

responsive to the terminate test messages, terminating the network connection between the originating endpoint and the destination endpoint.

7. An apparatus for testing a VoIP network comprising:

means for transmitting a special mode sequence and a telephone number on a VoIP network;

means responsive to the transmission of the special mode sequence and the telephone number for causing a network connection to be established on the VoIP network;

means for transmitting test data from a first endpoint of the network connection to a second endpoint of the network connection;

means responsive to the transmission of the test data for returning either the same or similar test data to the first endpoint; and

means for processing the transmitted and returned test data to determine at least one of: an amount of network delay in the transmitted and returned test data, an amount of jitter in the rate of the returned test data, and an amount of lost test data between the transmitted test data and the returned test data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:

the same test data is the transmitted test data echoed back to the first endpoint; and

the similar test data is copy or reproduction of the transmitted test data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the means for returning includes:

means for decoding transmitted test data into analog test data; and

means for coding analog test data into the copy or reproduction of the transmitted test data.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first and second endpoints are in a simulated on-hook state prior to establishment of the network connection.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , further including means for causing the network connection to terminate.

12. A method of testing a VoIP network comprising:

(a) transmitting a special mode sequence and a telephone number on a VoIP network;

(b) in response to the transmission of the special mode sequence and the telephone number, establishing a network connection on the VoIP network;

(c) transmitting test data from a first endpoint of the network connection to a second endpoint of the network connection;

(d) in response to the transmission of the test data, returning either the same or similar test data to the first endpoint; and

(e) processing the transmitted and returned test data to determine at least one of: an amount of network delay in the transmitted and returned test data, an amount of jitter in the rate of the returned test data, and an amount of lost test data between the transmitted test data and the returned test data.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the same test data is the transmitted test data echoed back to the first endpoint; and

the similar test data is a copy or reproduction of the transmitted test data.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein step (d) includes:

decoding transmitted test data into analog test data; and

coding the analog test data into the copy or reproduction of the transmitted test data.

15. The method of claim 12 , further including the first and second endpoints entering into a simulated off-hook state prior to establishment of the network connection.

16. The method of claim 12 , further including causing the network connection to terminate.