A method for forwarding or inhibiting message traffic to a terminating session initiation protocol, SIP, server using a SIP server exception list, the method comprising: at an originating Internet Protocol, IP, multimedia subsystem, IMS, call session control function, CSCF,: sending status request messages to a plurality of terminating SIP servers (214, 216, 218) to determine their operational statuses, and, in response to failing to receive a response from a terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) within a timeout period or receiving a response indicating that the terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) is unavailable, placing the terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) in an exception list; receiving a request to contact a destination, the request including a domain name; querying a domain name system, DNS, server to resolve the domain name and receiving, from the DNS server, a list of IP addresses corresponding to the domain name and identifying terminating SIP servers (214, 216, 218); indexing the list of IP addresses received from the DNS server and identifying a first terminating SIP server; determining whether the first terminating SIP server is in the exception list; and in response to determining that the first terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) is in the exception list, refraining from sending SIP message traffic to the first terminating SIP server, identifying a second terminating SIP server from the list of IP addresses received from the DNS server, determining that the second terminating SIP server is not in the exception list, and sending the request to the second terminating SIP server. at an originating Internet Protocol, IP, multimedia subsystem, IMS, call session control function, CSCF,: sending status request messages to a plurality of terminating SIP servers (214, 216, 218) to determine their operational statuses, and, in response to failing to receive a response from a terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) within a timeout period or receiving a response indicating that the terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) is unavailable, placing the terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) in an exception list; receiving a request to contact a destination, the request including a domain name; querying a domain name system, DNS, server to resolve the domain name and receiving, from the DNS server, a list of IP addresses corresponding to the domain name and identifying terminating SIP servers (214, 216, 218); indexing the list of IP addresses received from the DNS server and identifying a first terminating SIP server; determining whether the first terminating SIP server is in the exception list; and in response to determining that the first terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) is in the exception list, refraining from sending SIP message traffic to the first terminating SIP server, identifying a second terminating SIP server from the list of IP addresses received from the DNS server, determining that the second terminating SIP server is not in the exception list, and sending the request to the second terminating SIP server. sending status request messages to a plurality of terminating SIP servers (214, 216, 218) to determine their operational statuses, and, in response to failing to receive a response from a terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) within a timeout period or receiving a response indicating that the terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) is unavailable, placing the terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) in an exception list; receiving a request to contact a destination, the request including a domain name; querying a domain name system, DNS, server to resolve the domain name and receiving, from the DNS server, a list of IP addresses corresponding to the domain name and identifying terminating SIP servers (214, 216, 218); indexing the list of IP addresses received from the DNS server and identifying a first terminating SIP server; determining whether the first terminating SIP server is in the exception list; and in response to determining that the first terminating SIP server (214, 216, 218) is in the exception list, refraining from sending SIP message traffic to the first terminating SIP server, identifying a second terminating SIP server from the list of IP addresses received from the DNS server, determining that the second terminating SIP server is not in the exception list, and sending the request to the second terminating SIP server.