Communications methods and apparatus for minimizing and/or preventing message processing faults

A method comprising:

• setting a first threshold value for a first key value type;
• setting a second threshold value for a second key value type;
• storing, in a first Session Border Controller (SBC), a message blocking threshold number for each of a plurality of different key values, wherein said storing, in the first SBC, a message blocking threshold number for each of a plurality of different key values includes:
• (i) storing the first threshold value as the message blocking threshold number for each key value being of the first key value type, and (ii) storing said second threshold value as the message blocking threshold number for each key value being of the second key value type;
• storing, by the first SBC, one or more key values extracted from a message being processed by an entity when the entity processing the message experiences a message processing failure, said message processing failure being a software failure which causes the entity which experiences the message processing failure to crash and cease to provide message processing services until a reboot of the entity, said one or more key values including a first key value, said first key value being a first key value type;
• storing, at the first SBC, a first key value count, said first key value count indicating the number of messages from which the first key value was extracted, each of the messages from which the first key value was extracted being a message that was being processed by an entity when the entity processing the message experienced a message processing failure;
• receiving, by the first SBC, a first message including a plurality of message headers;
• performing, by the first SBC, a message processing failure verification check on the first message to determine whether to process said first message or drop said first message, the message processing failure verification check including:
• extracting, by the first SBC, one or more key values from one or more of the plurality of message headers;
• and
• determining, by the first SBC, whether to process said first message or to drop said first message based on said one or more extracted key values extracted by the first SBC from one or more of the plurality of message headers of the first message.

A communications system comprising:

• a first Session Border Controller (SBC) including a first processor configured to control the first SBC to:
• set a first threshold value for a first key value type;
• set a second threshold value for a second key value type;
• store, in a first Session Border Controller (SBC), a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message blocking threshold number for each of a plurality of different key values, wherein said storing, in the first SBC, a message blocking threshold number for each of a plurality of different key values includes:
• (i) storing the first threshold value as the message blocking threshold number for each key value being of the first key value type, and (ii) storing said second threshold value as the message blocking threshold number for each key value being of the second key value type;
• store, by the first SBC, one or more key values extracted from a message being processed by an entity when the entity processing the message experiences a message processing failure, said message processing failure being a software failure which causes the entity which experiences the message processing failure to crash and cease to provide message processing services until a reboot of the entity, said one or more key values including a first key value, said first key value being a first key value type;
• store, at the first SBC, a first key value count, said first key value count indicating the number of messages from which the first key value was extracted, each of the messages from which the first key value was extracted being a message that was being processed by an entity when the entity processing the message experienced a message processing failure;
• receive, by the first SBC, a first message including a plurality of message headers;
• perform, by the first SBC, a message processing failure verification check on the first message to determine whether to process said first message or drop said first message, the message processing failure verification check including:
• extracting, by the first SBC, one or more key values from one or more of the plurality of message headers;
• and
• determining, by the first SBC, whether to process said first message or to drop said first message based on said one or more extracted key values extracted by the first SBC from one or more of the plurality of message headers of the first message.