Allocating a packet to a media session controller

A network device comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory comprising instructions which when executed by the processor cause the network device to perform operations for allocating a packet to a Media Session Controller (MSC), the operations comprising:
• receiving a media packet for a media session;
• prior to starting the media session, selecting, in accordance with a database, which of a plurality of MSCs will handle the media packet based on current loads, wherein the database contains unique and exclusive UDP ranges of port number allocations for each of the plurality of MSCs;
• updating the database to indicate the selection, wherein the updating is performed periodically to respond to changes in MSC port-allocations;
• inspecting a UDP port number in a header of the media packet;
• comparing the port number with MSC-port allocations in the database;
• selecting, based on the comparison, an MSC from the plurality of MSCs;
• forwarding the media packet to the selected MSC;
• updating, by the selected MSC, a destination address of the media packet to a known IP address for the destination address;
• and
• forwarding, by the selected MSC, the media packet to a backend router.

A system comprising:

• one or more network devices, wherein each network device comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions which when executed by the processor cause the one or more network devices to allocate a packet to a Media Session Controller (MSC) by:
• receiving a media packet for a media session;
• inspecting a UDP port number in a header of the media packet;
• comparing the port number with MSC-port allocations a database;
• selecting, based on the comparison, an MSC from a plurality of MSCs;
• forwarding the media packet to the selected MSC;
• updating, by the selected MSC, a destination address of the media packet to a known IP address for the destination address;
• forwarding, by the selected MSC, the media packet to a backend router;
• one or more MSCs, wherein each of the MSCs is assigned a unique range of port numbers;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• prior to receiving the packet at the network device, select an MSC to receive the packet based on current loads;
• communicate a port number associated with the selected MSC and an IP address, wherein the port number associated with the selected MSC is determined from the MSC-port allocations in the database;
• and
• update the database to indicate the selection of the MSC, wherein the updating is performed periodically to respond to changes in MSC port-allocations.