Method and system for preventing a timeout from reaching a network host

• US 20050125545A1
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cheshire, Stuart David
• Granted Patent: US 7,321,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for preventing a timeout from reaching a network host when bringing up a down link that is slow to waken. The method generally comprises receiving a request to access an information. If a link along a path to a remote computer containing the information is down, the link is established while concurrently returning a plurality of imposter responses, such as domain names, until the network link is established. Software implementing this method may be stored and executed in any network host. This method is particularly advantageous when waiting for a dial-up telephone connection to a network to be established.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving from a requester a request to access an information;

if a link to a first remote computer containing the information is down, establishing the link while concurrently returning a plurality of imposter responses until the link is established.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is a request to access information about a second remote computer identified by a domain name.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of imposter responses comprise a plurality of imposter domain names.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein returning a plurality of imposter domain names comprises:

appending a text string to the domain name to create a current imposter domain name that is one of the plurality of imposter domain names; and

instructing the requester that the domain name is an alias for the current imposter domain name.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

recursively receiving from the requester a plurality of requests to access information about a remote computer identified by one of the plurality of imposter domain names; and

if the link remains down, continuing to establish the link, incrementing the current imposter domain name to form a next current imposter domain name of the plurality of imposter domain names, and instructing the requester that the current imposter domain name is an alias for the next current imposter domain name.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

detecting that the link is established; and

after the link is established,

converting the current imposter domain name to the domain name; and

informing the requester that the imposter domain name is an alias for the domain name.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving from the requester a second request to access the information after the link is established.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

after the link is established,

forwarding the second request to the first remote computer;

receiving a response to the second request; and

forwarding the response to the second request to the requester.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the second request is a request to access information about the second remote computer identified by the domain name.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

determining whether a maximum number of recursions has been exceeded, and if so, returning an appropriate error.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

determining whether a maximum amount of time has been exceeded, and if so, returning an appropriate error.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the requester is a domain name system (DNS) resolver.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is initiated by a local application program.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is initiated by a remote application program.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first remote computer is a server.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the link is a network connection.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the requester is an Internet web browser, the request is an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) “

get”

instruction, and the plurality of imposter responses comprise at least one temporary web page and at least one HTTP “

meta refresh”

instruction.

18. A method comprising:

receiving a domain name system (DNS) request initiated by an application program;

if no Internet connection has been established, precluding a user from receiving an error message by establishing a dial-up connection to the Internet while concurrently returning a plurality of imposter domain names until the dial-up Internet connection is established.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein returning comprises:

forming a current imposter domain name by appending an information to the domain name; and

sending a canonical name (CNAME) response stating that the domain name is an alias for the current imposter domain name.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

while establishing the dial-up connection, recursively

receiving from the application program a request to access information about a remote computer identified by one of the plurality of imposter domain names;

forming a next current imposter domain name of the plurality of imposter domain names by modifying a portion of the information of the current imposter domain name; and

sending a CNAME response stating that the current imposter domain name is an alias for the next current imposter domain name.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

detecting that the dial-up connection is established; and

after the dial-up connection is established,

converting the current imposter domain name to the domain name; and

sending a CNAME response stating that the current imposter domain name is an alias for the domain name.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

receiving from the application program a second request to access information about the remote computer identified by the domain name after the dial-up connection is established.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

after the dial-up connection is established,

forwarding the second request to a server;

receiving a response to the second request; and

forwarding the response to the application program.

24. A network host comprising a processor and a machine readable medium containing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a requester a request to access an information;

if a link to a first remote computer containing the information is down, establishing the link while concurrently returning a plurality of imposter responses until the link is established.

25. The network host of claim 24 wherein the request is a request to access information about a second remote computer identified by a domain name.

26. The network host of claim 24 wherein the plurality of imposter responses comprise a plurality of imposter domain names.

27. The network host of claim 26 wherein returning a plurality of imposter domain names comprises:

appending a text string to the domain name to create a current imposter domain name that is one of the plurality of imposter domain names; and

instructing the requester that the domain name is an alias for the current imposter domain name.

28. The network host of claim 27 wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

recursively receiving from the requester a plurality of requests to access information about a remote computer identified by one of the plurality of imposter domain names; and

if the link remains down, continuing to establish the link, incrementing the current imposter domain name to form a next current imposter domain name of the plurality of imposter domain names, and instructing the application program that the current imposter domain name is an alias for the next current imposter domain name.

29. The network host of claim 28 wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

detecting that the link is established; and

after the link is established,

converting the current imposter domain name to the domain name; and

informing the requester that the imposter domain name is an alias for the domain name.

30. The network host of claim 29 wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

receiving from the requester a second request to access the information after the link is established.

31. The network host of claim 30 wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

after the link is established,

forwarding the second request to the first remote computer;

receiving a response to the second request; and

forwarding the response to the second request to the requester.

32. The network host of claim 24 wherein the requester is a domain name system (DNS) resolver.

33. The network host of claim 24 wherein the request is initiated by an application program on the host.

34. The network host of claim 33 wherein the application program is an Internet web browser.

35. The network host of claim 24 wherein the request is initiated by an application program on a remote host.

36. The network host of claim 24 wherein the requester is an Internet web browser, the request is an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) “

get”

instruction, and the plurality of imposter responses comprise at least one temporary web page and at least one HTTP “

meta refresh”

instruction.