Methods and systems for providing dynamic domain name system for inbound route control

• US 20040249971A1
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Internap Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Internap Network Services Corporation
• Inventors: Klinker, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,447,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and systems for providing dynamic domain name system (DNS) for inbound route control are described herein. For instance, the present invention provide a method for controlling the inbound path to a multi-homed, online content or web site by dynamically controlling the IP address that is delivered by the DNS in order to select which IP address, i.e., provider, is the best inbound for the user to access the site. Thus, inbound access requests from users can arrive at the selected provider, in combination with outbound control techniques, can establish route control in both directions.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a route in a data network to a destination address space, comprising:

receiving traffic information traversing the data network;

identifying sources that request access to the destination address space from the traffic information;

determining the destination address space is accessible through a plurality of network service providers;

measuring inbound traffic performance from each of the identified sources to the destination address space through each of the plurality of network service providers;

determining an optimal path associated with each of the sources to access the destination address space via one of the network service providers; and

directing each of the identified sources to access the destination address space via one of the network service providers in accordance with the optimal path associated with the source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data network is the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of network service providers is an Internet service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified sources are local domain name system (L-DNS) servers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring inbound traffic performance comprises measuring inbound traffic performance based on a cost for each of the identified sources to access the destination address space through each of the plurality of network service providers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring inbound traffic performance comprises measuring inbound traffic performance based on a time it takes for each of the identified sources to access the destination address space through each of the plurality of network service providers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying sources that request access to the destination address space from the traffic information comprises:

collecting the received traffic information in a data structure;

filtering the data structure to identify the sources that request access to the destination address space from the traffic information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the received traffic information is collected in a data structure by a Brent'"'"'s hash software module.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the data structure is filtered by a passive flow analyzer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring inbound traffic performance comprises:

sending active measurement probes through each of the plurality of network service providers to each of the identified sources;

for each of the identified sources, measuring a returning path of an active measurement probes.

11. A computer-readable medium on which is encoded program code, the program code comprising:

program code for receiving traffic information traversing the data network;

program code for identifying sources that request access to the destination address space from the traffic information;

program code for determining the destination address space is accessible through a plurality of network service providers;

program code for measuring inbound traffic performance from each of the identified sources to the destination address space through each of the plurality of network service providers;

program code for determining an optimal path associated with each of the sources to access the destination address space via one of the network service providers; and

program code for directing each of the identified sources to access the destination address space via one of the network service providers in accordance with the optimal path associated with the source.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the data network is the Internet.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein one of the plurality of network service providers is an Internet service provider.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the identified sources are local domain name system (L-DNS) servers.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program code for measuring inbound traffic performance comprises program code for measuring inbound traffic performance based on a cost for each of the identified sources to access the destination address space through each of the plurality of network service providers.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program code for measuring inbound traffic performance comprises program code for measuring inbound traffic performance based on a time it takes for each of the identified sources to access the destination address space through each of the plurality of network service providers.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program code for identifying sources that request access to the destination address space from the traffic information comprises:

program code for collecting the received traffic information in a data structure;

program code for filtering the data structure to identify the sources that request access to the destination address space from the traffic information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the received traffic information is collected in a data structure by a Brent'"'"'s hash software module.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the data structure is filtered by a passive flow analyzer.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program code for measuring inbound traffic performance comprises:

program code for sending active measurement probes through each of the plurality of network service providers to each of the identified sources;

program code measuring a returning path of an active measurement probes for each of the identified sources.