Services versioning
View Patent ↗Downloadable pluggable services and methods of distributing the same are described. The downloadable pluggable services may correspond to communication services that can be downloaded to upgrade a communication system. The downloadable pluggable services may include a number of component parts that can be distributed among various servers in the communication system being upgraded along with instructions that enable the component parts to instruct each server in the communication system to operate in a coordinated fashion so as to provide the downloaded service.
1. A method, comprising:
providing a communication system to a plurality of users, wherein the communication system includes enabled services having a plurality of sets of enabled services that include multiple service versions;
defining, for a first user in the plurality of users, a first set of enabled services that includes various service versions selected for the first user and that the first user is allowed to access from the communication system;
defining, for a second user in the plurality of users, a second set of enabled services that includes various service versions selected for the second user and that the second user is allowed to access from the communication system, wherein the first set of enabled services differs from the second set of enabled services by at least one service version;
bundling the first and second sets of enabled services and providing them to the first and second users via the communication system; and
enforcing the first and second sets of enabled services during the first and second user's use of the communication system such that the first user is denied access to at least one service version in the second set of enabled services, and the second user is denied access to at least one service version in the first set of enabled services.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second set of enabled services are defined with one or more templates.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of enabled services includes a first call-processing service that is also included in the second set of enabled services.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first set of enabled services includes a second call-processing service that is not included in the second set of enabled services.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second call-processing service includes at least one of a ringing feature, an extension-to-cellular feature, a call recording feature, a forking feature, a voicemail feature, a dynamic device pairing feature, a call history feature, a user interface feature, an encryption feature, a presence feature, a media feature, or a data storage feature.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of enabled services includes a plurality of allowable services and wherein the first user is allowed to select a service from the plurality of allowable services.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user is allowed to access a first version of a first service, wherein the second user is allowed to access a second version of the first service, and wherein the second user is not allowed to access the first version of the first service.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second user's use of the communication system is enforced with one or more templates, wherein the one or more templates describe one or more enabled services for each user and settings for the one or more enabled services.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more templates are received via a single object that contains multiple sub-components that enable deployment of the one or more enabled services.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein a first sub-component in the multiple sub-components is installed on a first server in the communication system and wherein a second sub-component in the multiple sub-components is installed on a second server in the communication system.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor, the instructions causing a communication system comprising:
a service selector that receives a user request from a user for a service provided by a communication system and, in response to receiving the request, refers to user preferences that define which version of the service the requesting user is allowed to access, wherein the user preferences define that a first user is allowed access to a first version of the service and a second user is allowed access to a second version of the service but not the first version of the service,
wherein the service selector enforces the access of the first and the second users according to the user preferences such that the first user is allowed access to the first version of the service and the second user is allowed access to the second version of the service but not the first version of the service.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the user preferences comprise one or more templates that define the user preferences for both the first and second user.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the service provides call-processing capabilities.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the user preferences further define that the first user is allowed access to a second service and a third user is not allowed access to the second service.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the service comprises one or more of a ringing feature, an extension-to-cellular feature, a call recording feature, a forking feature, a voicemail feature, a dynamic device pairing feature, a call history feature, a user interface feature, an encryption feature, a presence feature, a media feature, and a data storage feature.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the first version of the service is newer than the second version of the service.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the service selector is executed by a first server, wherein a second server executes one or more applications to provide the service, and wherein the first server routes the user request to the second server in response to receiving the user request and referring to the user preferences.
18. A communication system, comprising:
one or more servers that provide first and second services to users of the communication system; and
a service selector that controls user access to the first and second services, wherein the service selector refers to user preferences that define whether a requesting user is allowed to access the first or second service, wherein the user preferences define that a first user is allowed access to the first service and not the second service and further define that a second user is allowed to access the second service,
wherein the service selector controls the user access by enforcing the access of the first and the second users according to the user preferences such that the first user is allowed access to the first service but not the second service and the second user is allowed access to the second service.
19. The communication system of claim 18 , wherein the first service corresponds to a first version of a real-time communication service and wherein the second service corresponds to a second version of the real-time communication service.