Apparatus for remotely rebooting VoIP communication devices and an associated method and computer program product

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to receive inputs and to communicate with a plurality of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication devices over a packet-switching network in accordance with the inputs;

wherein the inputs designate at least a subset of the plurality of VoIP communication devices, and wherein the processor is configured to instruct the designated subset of VoIP communication devices to reboot in response to the inputs; and

wherein the processor is configured to stagger the reboots of the designated subset of VoIP communication devices in time such that the reboots of the designated subset of VoIP communication devices are distributed over a period of time, wherein staggering the reboots includes delaying scheduled reboots of at least some of the VoIP communication devices, wherein delaying scheduled reboots comprises coordinating delays to distribute reboots, wherein delaying scheduled reboots further comprises distributing reboots to prevent concurrent re-registration of the VoIP communication devices that exceeds a capacity limit of the packet-switching network, and wherein delays between reboots have an interval longer than a reboot time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to sense the VoIP communication devices that are connected to the network, obtain information associated with each VoIP communication device sensed, and store a list of the VoIP communication devices sensed and at least some of the associated information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to display the list of sensed VoIP communication devices and to receive an input designating at least one of the listed VoIP communication devices.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to receive a search criteria input, search the list of sensed VoIP communication devices according to the search criteria input, and display a result of the search.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the search criteria input comprises at least one criterion selected from a location, an associated user, a phone number, an Internet Protocol address, and a Media Access Control address of the VoIP communication device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive a time input to define a time to reboot each designated VoIP communication device and to store information for rebooting each designated VoIP communication device at the defined time.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to display a list of scheduled reboots and to receive a cancellation input deleting at least one of the scheduled reboots.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to attempt to reboot a VoIP communication device a subsequent time if an initial reboot is unsuccessful.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to notify a user that the reboot is starting.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to detect and report at least one of a condition of the VoIP communication device before the reboot is executed and a condition of the VoIP communication device after the reboot is executed.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to sense a plurality of Voice over Internet Protocol (Vol P) communication devices connected to a network;

instructions to receive designations that at least a subset of the plurality of VoIP communication devices be rebooted;

instructions to transmit reboot signals to the designated subset of VoIP communication devices to instruct the designated subset of VoIP communication devices to be rebooted; and

instructions to stagger the reboots of the designated subset of VoIP communication devices in time such that the reboots of the designated subset of VoIP communication devices are distributed over a period of time, wherein staggering the reboots includes delaying scheduled reboots of at least some of the VoIP communication devices, wherein delaying scheduled reboots comprises coordinating delays to distribute reboots, wherein delaying scheduled reboots further comprises distributing reboots to prevent concurrent re-registration of the VoIP communication devices that exceeds a capacity limit of the packet-switching network, and wherein delays between reboots have an interval longer than a reboot time.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising:

instructions to store a list of VoIP communication devices sensed;

instructions to obtain information associated with each VoIP communication device sensed;

instructions to store a list of at least some of the associated information;

instructions to receive a search criteria input; and

instructions to display any VoIP communication devices and at least some of the associated information according to the search criteria input.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising:

instructions to sense a condition of each VoIP communication device designated before transmitting the reboot signals; and

instructions to sense a condition of each VoIP communication device designated after transmitting the reboot signals.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions to retransmit a reboot signal if the condition sensed after transmitting the reboot signal meets a predetermined standard.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising:

instructions to receive a time input that includes a date and a time to transmit a reboot signal; and

instructions to transmit the reboot signal at the date and time.

16. A method comprising:

sensing a plurality of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication devices connected to a network;

receiving one or more inputs designating at least a subset of the plurality of VoIP communication devices to reboot;

transmitting reboot signals to the designated subset of VoIP communication devices to instruct the designated subset of VoIP communication devices to reboot; and

staggering the reboots of the designated subset of VoIP communication devices in time such that the reboots of the designated subset of VoIP communication devices are distributed over a period of time, wherein staggering the reboots includes delaying scheduled reboots of at least some of the VoIP communication devices, wherein delaying scheduled reboots comprises coordinating delays to distribute reboots, wherein delaying scheduled reboots further comprises distributing reboots to prevent concurrent re-registration of the VoIP communication devices that exceeds a capacity limit of the packet-switching network, and wherein delays between reboots have an interval longer than a reboot time.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each of the one or more inputs includes a time input defining a date and a time to transmit a reboot signal.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising displaying a list of scheduled reboot transmissions.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising receiving an input to cancel a scheduled reboot transmission.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein sensing the plurality of VoIP communication devices comprises obtaining information associated with each VoIP communication device sensed, displaying a list of the VoIP communication devices sensed, and displaying at least some of the associated information.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising storing the list of VoIP communication devices sensed and at least some of the associated information, receiving a search criteria input, and displaying any VoIP communication devices and at least some of the associated information according to the search criteria input.

22. The method of claim 16 , further comprising sensing a condition of each VoIP communication device designated before transmitting the reboot signals and sensing a condition of each VoIP communication device designated after transmitting the reboot signals.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising re-transmitting a reboot signal if the condition sensed after transmitting the reboot signal meets a predetermined standard.