Apparatus and method for allocating media resources

1. A Media Resource Routing module in communication with a Media Streaming module adapted for controlling external interfaces and a Media Resource Board comprising:

a status list module indicating available resources of a Host Media Processing and channels on the Media Resource Board;

a priority list for determining an order of consumption of the Host Media Processing and the channels on the Media Resource Board; and

switches for routing communications based on data in the status list and the priority list,

wherein if the status list indicates that one of the Host Media Processing and the channels on the Media Resource Board are exhausted, communications are routed to the other; and

wherein the Host Media Processing and the Media Resource Board are facsimile resources and the communications are facsimile media streams.

2. A Media Resource Routing module as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a confirmation module for reserving availability of the resources and channels by sending a resource reservation request to the Host Media Processing and Media Resource Board, respectively, prior to activation attempts, if available, the respective resources and channels are reserved.

3. A Media Resource Routing module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the switches are software.

4. A Media Resource Routing module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the status list includes: i) a location of the resource and channels; ii) a task related performance consumption value, wherein high performance consumption value tasks are run on the Media Resource Board while low performance consumption tasks are run at the Host Media Processing; iii) remaining Host Media Processing CPU capacity; and v) a number of available resources at the Host Media Processing and at the Media Resource Board.

5. A Media Resource Routing module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the switches use inactive DSP-enabled channels of the Media Resource Board for non-DSP related calls if all available channels of the Host Media Processing are used.

6. A Media Resource Routing module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the resources of the Media Resource Board resources are reserved for DSP dedicated usage only.

7. A Media Resource Routing module as recited in claim 1 , wherein during a call, a call characteristic may change such that the switches would reroute the call from the Host Media Processor to the Media Resource Board, and vice versa.

8. A server for facilitating communication connections in a system, wherein the server allocates resources to allow communication with endpoints via Internet Protocol (IP) sockets, and wherein the server comprises:

(a) at least one Media Resource Board for handling media streams;

(b) a memory storing instruction sets for Host Media Processing and data related to a plurality of application modules; and

(c) a host processor for running the instruction set, the host processor being in communication with the memory and the at least one Media Resource Board, wherein the host processor is operative to:

(i) run the plurality of application modules for operating instruction sets associated with respective protocols;

(ii) run a Host Media Processing software module for hardware and software technology housekeeping and coordination tasks, and abstracting a pool of channels; and

(iii) run a Media Resource Routing module for selectively allocating resources of the at least one Media Resource Board and the Host Media Processing software module to efficiently route communication to endpoints,

wherein resources of the at least one Media Resource Board are configured according to a priority so that the resources of the at least one Media Resource Board are consumed first and once resources of the at least one Media Resource Board are exhausted, the Media Resource Routing module directs future media streams to the Host Media Processing, and

wherein the resources are facsimile resources and the future media streams are facsimile media streams.

9. A server as recited in claim 8 , wherein if a call characteristic changes during the call, the Media Resource Routing module automatically reroutes the call so that available resources are efficiently used.

10. A method for utilizing resources in a media communication system, the communication system having a Media Resource Routing module for controlling communication to a Host Media Processing and a Media Resource Board, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal to establish a media stream;

determining a routing of the media stream based on data in the signal, wherein the Media Resource Routing module selects the routing from using the Host Media Processing or the Media Resource Board; and

establishing the media stream according to the routing,

wherein resources of the Host Media Processing are configured according to a priority so that the resources of the Host Media Processing are consumed first, and once the resources of the Media Resource Board are exhausted, the Media Resource Routing module continues to use the resources at the Host Media Processing until a processing power of the Host Media Processing reaches a predefined upper limit, and

wherein the certain resources are facsimile resources and the future related media streams are facsimile media streams.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the media stream is a facsimile and if the Host Media Processing has insufficient resources to handle the media stream, the Media Resource Routing module establishes the media stream using the Media Resource Board.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the Media Resource Routing module includes a status list module indicating available resources of the Host Media Processing and available channels on the Media Resource Board and switches for routing communications based on data in the status list.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the media communication system includes IP sockets for establishing communication and at least one software application for processing the media stream.

14. A method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the media communication system is adapted and configured for use with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.

15. A method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising the steps of: routing the signal to the Media Resource Board; and

if the Media Resource Board internally fails to establish the media stream, rerouting the signal to the Host Media Processing.

16. A method for utilizing resources in a media communication system, the communication system having a Media Resource Routing module for controlling communication to a Host Media Processing and a Media Resource Board, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal to establish a media stream;

determining a routing of the media stream based on data in the signal, wherein the Media Resource Routing module selects the routing from using the Host Media Processing or the Media Resource Board; and

establishing the media stream according to the routing,

wherein the resources of the Media Resource Board are configured according to a priority so that the resources of the Media Resource Board are consumed first and once the resources of the Media Resource Board are exhausted, the Media Resource Routing module directs future media streams to the Host Media Processing, and

wherein the resources are facsimile resources and the future media streams are facsimile media streams.