On-board DNS service for a satellite ISP system using non-geosynchronous orbit satellites
First Claim
1. A mobile satellite telecommunications system, comprising:
- at least one user terminal;
at least one satellite in earth orbit; and
at least one gateway bidirectionally coupled to a data communications network;
said at least one satellite comprising a Domain Name Service (DNS) server for responding to a DNS query that is received from said at least one user terminal.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method includes transmitting a Domain Name Service (DNS) query from a user terminal; receiving the DNS query with at least one satellite in earth orbit; and applying the DNS query to a DNS server that is on-board the at least one satellite to obtain a corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) address. The method further operates, in the event the DNS server is unable to obtain the corresponding IP address, to transmit the DNS query to another DNS server, which may be located in another satellite, such as a higher altitude satellite, or to a terrestrial DNS server, such as one at a gateway or one reachable through the Internet. The method further operates to update the DNS server database that is on-board the satellite with information received from a terrestrial DNS server and/or from a space-based DNS server. In a further method the user terminal transmits a message containing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL); the message is received with at least one satellite in earth orbit; and a processor of the satellite generates, in response to the URL, a DNS query to a DNS server that is on-board the at least one satellite to obtain a corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) address. In the event the DNS server is unable to obtain the corresponding IP address, the processor transmits the DNS query to another DNS server located on-board another satellite, or to a terrestrially-located DNS server. A further operation performed by the method forwards the message to an Internet destination server having an address that corresponds to the IP address.
26 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A mobile satellite telecommunications system, comprising:
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at least one user terminal;
at least one satellite in earth orbit; and
at least one gateway bidirectionally coupled to a data communications network;
said at least one satellite comprising a Domain Name Service (DNS) server for responding to a DNS query that is received from said at least one user terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A mobile satellite telecommunications system, comprising:
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at least one user terminal;
at least one first satellite in a non-geosynchronous orbit, said first satellite comprising a first Domain Name Service (DNS) server for responding to a DNS query that is received from said at least one user terminal;
at least one second satellite in a geosynchronous orbit, said second satellite comprising a second Domain Name Service (DNS) server for responding to a DNS query that is received from said at least one first satellite; and
at least one gateway bidirectionally coupled to a data communications network. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A mobile satellite telecommunications system, comprising:
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at least one user terminal;
at least one satellite in earth orbit; and
at least one gateway bidirectionally coupled to a data communications network;
said at least one satellite comprising a Domain Name Service (DNS) server and a processor that is responsive to a message that is received from said at least one user terminal, the received message containing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to which said processor responds by generating a DNS query to said DNS server to obtain a corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) address. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22)
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12. A method of operating a satellite telecommunications system, comprising:
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transmitting a Domain Name Service (DNS) query from a user terminal;
receiving the DNS query with at least one satellite in earth orbit; and
applying said DNS query to a DNS server that is on-board said at least one satellite to obtain a corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) address.
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19. A method of operating satellite telecommunications system, comprising:
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transmitting a message containing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) from a user terminal;
receiving the URL with at least one satellite in earth orbit; and
generating, in response to said URL, a DNS query to a DNS server that is onboard said at least one satellite to obtain a corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) address.
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Specification