Methods and gateways for processing DNS request

• US 10,142,282 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pismo Labs Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: Pismo Labs Technology Limited
• Inventors: Chan, Ho Ming, Tsai, Min-Fu, Chan, Alex Wing Hong, Chau, Kit Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): McBeth, William C
• Application Number:
  US15/594,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20170250946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for processing DNS request in a gateway with WAN and LAN interfaces. The gateway receives a first DNS request from a host via the LAN interface. The gateway selects DNS servers according to predefined selection policies and selects access networks that are authorized to send new DNS requests. The new DNS requests and the first DNA request have the same content. The gateway transmits the new DNS requests to corresponding DNS sever of the selected access networks through the selected access networks and via the WAN interfaces that are connected to the selected access networks. The gateway then identifies valid DNS responses from DNS responses received from the corresponding DNS server. The gateway selects one of the identified valid DNS responses and generates a first new DNS response with the same content thereof. The gateway sends the first new DNS response to the host.

Claims

1. A method for processing Domain Name Service (DNS) requests in a gateway with a plurality of wide area network (WAN) interfaces, wherein each of the WAN interfaces is configured to connect to a plurality of DNS servers via one access network, the method comprising:

receiving a first DNS request from a host via at least one LAN interface of the gateway;

when the gateway does not have information to respond to the first DNS request;

(a) selecting, according to at least one predefined selection policy, a plurality of DNS servers;

(b) selecting a plurality of access networks that are authorized to send a plurality of new DNS requests, wherein the content of the plurality of new DNS requests is the same as the content of the first DNS request;

(c) transmitting the plurality of new DNS requests to the selected plurality of DNS servers through the selected plurality of access networks via the plurality of WAN interfaces that are connected to the selected plurality of access networks, wherein the gateway does not transmit more than one of the new DNS requests to a selected DNS server through the same access network;

(d) receiving a plurality of DNS responses within a predefined period of time, wherein the plurality of DNS responses correspond to the plurality of new DNS requests;

(e) identifying valid DNS responses from the plurality of DNS responses, wherein the identified valid DNS responses have a return code (RCODE) of zero;

(f) when the pre-defined period of time has expired and no DNS response corresponding to the first DNS request has already been sent to the host, if at least one valid DNS response was identified, selecting a valid DNS response from the at least one identified valid DNS response, and generating a first new DNS response, wherein the content of the first new DNS response is the same as the content of the selected valid DNS response, else if no valid DNS responses were identified, generating a first new DNS response, wherein the first new DNS response has a non-zero RCODE;

(g) sending the first new DNS response to the host.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined period of time is in the range of one hundred milliseconds to twenty seconds.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(h) discarding the plurality of DNS responses corresponding to the plurality of new DNS requests, other than the selected valid DNS response corresponding to the first new DNS response, after the first new DNS response has been sent to the host.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of DNS servers is configured manually by an administrator of the gateway, provided by a service provider of the plurality of access networks, or retrieved from a storage medium of the gateway.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on a configuration entered by an administrator of the gateway.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on availability thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on statistical analysis of DNS responses received from the plurality of DNS servers through the plurality of access networks.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on historical average DNS response speed with valid response code.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) discarding invalid DNS responses after the first new DNS response has been sent to the host, if any invalid DNS responses are identified from the received plurality of DNS responses.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the invalid DNS responses have a non-zero RCODE.

11. A gateway for processing DNS requests comprising:

a plurality of WAN interfaces;

at least one LAN interface;

at least one processing unit;

wherein each of the WAN interfaces is able to connect to a plurality of DNS servers via one access network; and

at least one computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions executable by the at least one processing unit for;

receiving a first DNS request from a host via the at least one LAN interface of the gateway;

when the gateway does not have information to respond to the first DNS request;

(a) selecting, according to at least one predefined selection policy, a plurality of DNS servers;

(b) selecting a plurality of access networks that are authorized to send a plurality of new DNS requests, wherein the content of the plurality of new DNS requests is the same as the content of the first DNS request;

(c) transmitting the plurality of new DNS requests to the selected plurality of DNS servers through the selected plurality of access networks via the plurality of WAN interfaces that are connected to the selected plurality of access networks, wherein the gateway does not transmit more than one of the new DNS requests to a selected DNS server through the same access network;

(d) receiving a plurality of DNS responses within a predefined period of time, wherein the plurality of DNS responses correspond to the plurality of new DNS requests;

(e) identifying valid DNS responses from the plurality of DNS responses, wherein the identified valid DNS responses have a return code (RCODE) of zero;

(f) when the pre-defined period of time has expired and no DNS response corresponding to the first DNS request has already sent to the host, if at least one valid DNS response was identified, selecting a valid DNS response from the at least one identified valid DNS response, and generating a first new DNS response, wherein the content of the first new DNS response is the same as the content of the selected valid DNS response, else if no valid DNS responses were identified, generating a first new DNS response, wherein the first new DNS response has a non-zero RCODE;

(g) sending the first new DNS response to the host.

12. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the pre-defined period of time is in the range of one hundred milliseconds to twenty seconds.

13. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer readable storage medium further comprises program instructions executable by the at least one processing unit to perform the operation of:

(h) discarding the plurality of DNS responses corresponding to the plurality of new DNS requests, other than the selected valid DNS response corresponding to the first new DNS response, after the first new DNS response has been sent to the host.

14. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the plurality of DNS servers is configured manually by an administrator of the gateway, provided by a service provider of the plurality of access networks, or retrieved from a storage medium of the gateway.

15. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on a configuration entered by an administrator of the gateway.

16. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on availability thereof.

17. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on statistical analysis of DNS responses received from the plurality of DNS servers through the plurality of access networks.

18. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the at least one predefined selection policy is to select the plurality of DNS servers and the plurality of access networks based on historical average DNS response speed with valid response code.

19. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer readable storage medium further comprises program instructions executable by the at least one processing unit to perform the operation of:

(i) discarding invalid DNS responses after the first new DNS response has been sent to the host, if any invalid DNS responses are identified from the received plurality of DNS responses.

20. The gateway of claim 19, wherein the invalid DNS responses have a non-zero RCODE.