Network address server

• US 20030005157A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afilias PLC.
• Original Assignee: Afilias PLC.
• Inventors: Leung, David, Chung, Edmon
• Granted Patent: US 7,280,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/32 containing non-Latin characters, e.g. Chinese domain names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

A network address server is configured to resolve a target network address name label with a network address, with the target address name label defining a branch of one level of a multi-level network address name space. The network address server is one of a plurality of network address servers each being uniquely associated with a respective region of the address name space level. The network server includes an address name database, and an address name processor in communication with the address name database for providing a response to a query for the network address corresponding to the target address name label. The address name database includes a number of database records, each identifying a unique address name label and a network address uniquely associated with the address name label. The address name processor includes a correlation processor, a correlation transceiver in communication with the correlation processor, and a response processor in communication with the correlation processor and the correlation transceiver. The correlation processor is configured to determine a correlation between the target address name label and the respective unique address name region. The correlation transceiver is configured to provide the other network address servers with a respective indication of the determined correlation and for receiving a corresponding correlation indication from at least one of the other network address servers. The response processor is configured to provide a response to the query in accordance with the correlation indications.

Claims

1. A network address server for resolving a target domain name label with a network address, the network address server being one of a plurality of network address servers each being associated with a common level of a multi-level network address name space, the network address server comprising:

an address name database including a plurality of database records associated with a respective region of the common level, each said database record including an address name label and a network address uniquely associated with the address name label; and

an address name processor in communication with the address name database for providing a response to a query for the network address corresponding to the target domain name label, the domain name processor including a correlation processor for determining a correlation between the target domain name label and the associated region, a correlation transceiver in communication with the correlation processor for receiving an indication of a corresponding determined correlation from at least one of the other network address servers, and a response processor in communication with the correlation processor and the correlation transceiver for providing a response to the query in accordance with the determined correlation.

2. The network address server according to claim 1, wherein the address name database includes for each said database record a hash code derived from a hashing function uniquely associating the derived hash code with the corresponding address name label.

3. The network address server according to claim 2, wherein the correlation processor comprises a hash code processor for encoding the target domain name label with the hashing function, and a search engine in communication with the correlation processor for querying the hashed database records with the hash domain name label.

4. The network address server according to claim 1, wherein each said database record includes at least one record character having a record character set type, and a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type.

5. A method for resolving a target domain name label with a network address in a multi-level network address name space, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a first network address server a query for the network address corresponding to the target domain name label, the first network address server being one of a a plurality of network address servers each being associated with a common level of the network address name space, the network address servers each including database records defining a respective unique region of the common level, each said database record including an address name label and a network address uniquely associated with the address name label;

at the first network address server determining a correlation between the received target domain name label and the associated region;

providing the other network address servers with the determined correlation and at the first network address server receiving an indication of a corresponding determined correlation from at least one of the other network address servers; and

at the first network address server providing a response to the query in accordance with the determined correlations.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein each said network address server has a correlation response time, and the first network address server has a shortest one of the correlation response times.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the database records each include at least one record character having a record character set type, and a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type, the target domain name label includes at least one address name character having an address name character set type, and an address name character set identifier identifying the address name character set type, and the step of determining a correlation comprises the steps of querying the respective database records with the received address name label, and obtaining a correlation of the at least one address name character and the associated address name character set identifier with each said at least one record character and the associated record character set identifier.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the database records are encoded with a hashing function, and the step of obtaining a correlation comprises the steps of encoding the target address name label with the hashing function, and querying the hashed database records with the hashed address name label.

9. A method for resolving network domain names comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of network address servers for mapping a hierarchical network address name space, the hierarchical address name space having a plurality of levels, each said network address server being associated with at least one other of said network address servers and a common level of the network address name space, each said network address server including database records defining a respective unique region of the associated common level, each said database record including an address name label and a network address uniquely associated with the address name label;

receiving at one of the network address servers a target domain name for resolving, the target domain name comprising a plurality of address name labels, each said address name label being associated with one of the regions of a respective one of the common levels; and

for each said address label querying the network address servers defining the one common level.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of receiving the network address comprises the steps of at each said queried network address server determining a correlation between the queried address name label and the respective defined address name space subset, providing other ones of the queried network address servers with an indication of the correlation and receiving correlation indications from the other queried network address servers, and transmitting a response to the query in accordance with the correlation indications.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein each said queried network address server has a correlation indication response time, and the step of transmitting a response comprises transmitting the response from the queried network address server having a shortest one of the correlation indication response times.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the database records each include at least one record character having a record character set type, and a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type, the queried address name label includes at least one address name character having an address name character set type, and an address name character set identifier identifying the address name character set type, and the correlation determining step comprises the steps of receiving the queried address name label, and querying the respective database records with the at least one address name character and the associated address name character set identifier for obtaining a respective correlation with each said at least one record character and the associated record character set identifier.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the database records are encoded with a hashing function, and the step of querying the respective database records comprises the steps of encoding with the hashing function each queried address name label, and querying the hashed database records with the hashed address name labels.

16. The address name database according to claim 15, wherein each said database record is associated with a hash code uniquely derived from the address name label.

17. The data packet according to claim 14, wherein the target domain name label includes one portion comprising a character count identifier identifying the number of the domain name characters, and another portion identifying whether the domain name characters comprise non-ASCII characters.

19. The network address server according to claim 18, wherein the received target domain name includes one portion comprising a character count identifier identifying the number of the domain name characters, and another portion identifying whether the domain name characters comprise non-ASCII characters.

20. The network address server according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the record character set identifiers is associated with a non-ASCII character set.

21. The network address server according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the database records includes a hash code uniquely associated with the associated address name label, and the address name processor is configured to resolve the query by determining a query parameter by applying a hashing function to the received target domain name label, and locating in the address name database the database record whose hash code matches the determined query parameter.

14. A data packet for resolving a target network address name label with a network address, the data packet comprising:

at least one address name character identifying the target address name label, the at least one address name character having an address name character set type; and

an address name identifier identifying the address name character set type.

15. A network address name database for resolving a target network address name label with a network address, the network address name database including at least one database record, each comprising:

a network address name label identifying a network address name, the network address name label including at least one record character having a record character set type;

a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type; and

a network address uniquely associated with the address name label.

a network address name label identifying a network address name, the network address name label including at least one record character having a record character set type;

a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type; and

a network address uniquely associated with the address name label.

18. A network address server for resolving a target domain name with a network address, comprising:

an address name database including a plurality of database records each including an address name and a network address associated with the address name, at least one of the address names including an address name label and an address name character set identifier, the address name label including at least one record character having a record character set type, the record character set identifier being associated with the record character set type; and

an address name processor in communication with the address name database, and being configured to receive the target domain name and to resolve a query for the network address associated with the received target domain name, the received target domain name including a domain name label and a domain name character set identifier, the domain name label including at least one domain name character having a domain name character set type, the domain name character set identifier being associated with the domain name character set type.

22. A method of resolving a target domain name, comprising the steps of:

receiving over a network a request to resolve a target domain name, the received target domain name including a domain name label and a domain name character set identifier, the domain name label including at least one domain name character having a domain name character set type, the domain name character set identifier being associated with the domain name character set type;

querying an address name database for a network address associated with the received target domain name, the address name database including a plurality of database records each including an address name and a network address associated with the address name, at least one of the address names including address name label and an address name character set identifier, the address name label including at least one record character having a record character set type, the record character set identifier being associated with the record character set type; and

resolving the request in accordance with a result of the query.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the received target domain name includes one portion comprising a character count identifier identifying the number of the domain name characters, and another portion identifying whether the domain name characters comprise non-ASCII characters.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein at least one of the record character set identifiers is associated with a non-ASCII character set.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein at least one of the database records includes a hash code uniquely associated with the associated address name label, and the querying step comprises the steps of determining a query parameter by applying a hashing function to the received target domain name label, and locating in the address name database the database record whose hash code matches the determined query parameter.

27. The computer server according to claim 27, wherein the record character set identifiers for each said database record are uniquely associated with a respective character set.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the record character set identifiers for each said database record are uniquely associated with a respective character set.

26. A computer server for resolving a domain name, comprising:

a name database including a plurality of database records each being associated with a respective network address, at least one of the database records including a plurality of address names and a plurality of record character set identifiers, each said address name comprising a sequence of record characters having a record character set type, each said record character set identifier being associated with one of the address names and with the respective record character set type; and

an address name processor in communication with the name database and being configured to receive a target domain name and to resolve a query for the network address associated with the received target domain name, the received target domain name including a domain name label and a name character set identifier, the domain name label comprising a sequence of name characters having a name character set type, the name character set identifier being associated with the name character set type, the address name processor being configured to resolve the query by locating in the name database the one database record the address name and record character set identifier of which correspond to the received target domain name, and determining the network address associated with the one database record.

28. A method of resolving a domain name, comprising the steps of:

receiving over a network a request to resolve a target domain name into a network address, the received target domain name including a domain name label and a name character set identifier, the domain name label comprising a sequence of name characters having a name character set type, the name character set identifier being associated with the name character set type;

querying a name database for a network address associated with the received target domain name, the address name database including a plurality of database records each being associated with a respective network address, at least one of the database records including a plurality of address names and a plurality of record character set identifiers, each said address name comprising a sequence of record characters having a record character set type, each said record character set identifier being associated with one of the address names and with the respective record character set type; and

resolving the request in accordance with a result of the query, the resolving step comprising the steps of locating in the name database the one database record the address name and record character set identifier of which correspond to the received target domain name, and determining the network address associated with the one database record.