Method and apparatus to facilitate IPv6 DNS requests

• US 20060075138A1
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: UTStarcom Incorporated (UTStarcom Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: UTStarcom Incorporated (UTStarcom Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Borella, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/952,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075138A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/251 between different IP versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2528 Translation at a proxy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/59 using proxies for addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503

Abstract

A network element, such as a Packet Data Serving Node, serves both as a traditional Packet Data Serving Node and as a Domain Name Server proxy. So configured, Internet Protocol version 6 mobile nodes can successfully source Domain Name Server requests and receive Domain Name Server replys from Internet Protocol version 4 Domain Name Servers. Pursuant to a preferred approach, Domain Name System identifiers as used by the mobile node are mapped to one or more items of information, such as a Point-to-Point Protocol context, a modified Domain Name System identifier, addressing, and the like.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate Internet Protocol version 6 Domain Name Server requests comprising:

receiving an Internet Protocol version 6 communication other than a Domain Name Server request from an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node and forwarding a corresponding Internet Protocol version 6 message on behalf of the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node;

receiving a Domain Name Server request from an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node and interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a Domain Name Server request from an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node further comprises:

receiving a Domain Name Server request that uses link local Internet Protocol version 6 addressing.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving a Domain Name Server request that uses link local Internet Protocol version 6 addressing further comprises:

receiving a Domain Name Server request that comprises a Domain Name System identifier.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for an Internet Protocol version 4 Domain Name Server further comprises:

modifying the Domain Name System identifier to provide a modified Domain Name System identifier.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein modifying the Domain Name System identifier to provide a modified Domain Name System identifier further comprises:

mapping the modified Domain Name System identifier to at least one of;

the Domain Name System identifier;

an Internet Protocol version 4 address as corresponds to a selected Domain Name Server;

a Point-to-Point Protocol context.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein mapping the modified Domain Name System identifier to at least one of the Domain Name System identifier, an Internet Protocol version 4 address as corresponds to a selected Domain Name Server, and a Point-to-Point Protocol context further comprises:

mapping the modified Domain Name System identifier to each of;

the Domain Name System identifier;

an Internet Protocol version 4 address as corresponds to a selected Domain Name Server;

a Point-to-Point Protocol context.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein mapping the modified Domain Name System identifier further comprises only maintaining a resultant map for no more than a predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein only maintaining a resultant map for no more than a predetermined period of time further comprises only maintaining a resultant map for no more than a user-selectable predetermined period of time.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server further comprises:

sourcing a Domain Name Server request using the modified Domain Name System identifier to a Domain Name Server.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein sourcing a Domain Name Server request using the modified Domain Name System identifier to a Domain Name Server further comprises not re-sourcing the Domain Name Server request regardless of any lack of a response to the Domain Name Server request.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server further comprises:

receiving from the Domain Name Server a Domain Name Server response that bears the modified Domain Name System identifier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server further comprises:

using at least the modified Domain Name System identifier to map the Domain Name Server response to the Point-to-Point Protocol context.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein using at least the modified Domain Name System identifier to map the Domain Name Server response to the Point-to-Point Protocol context further comprises:

using at least the modified Domain Name System identifier and a destination Internet Protocol address to map the Domain Name Server response to the Point-to-Point Protocol context.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server further comprises:

using at least the modified Domain Name System identifier to map the Domain Name Server response to the Domain Name System identifier.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein using at least the modified Domain Name System identifier to map the Domain Name Server response to the Domain Name System identifier further comprises:

using at least the modified Domain Name System identifier to map the Domain Name Server response to the Domain Name System identifier and the Point-to-Point Protocol context.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server further comprises:

forming a Domain Name Server proxy response using the Domain Name System identifier.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server further comprises further comprises:

sending the Domain Name Server proxy response via Internet Protocol version 6 using the Domain Name System identifier to the mobile node.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the method to facilitate Internet Protocol version 6 Domain Name Server requests comprises a method for use by a packet data serving node.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a Domain Name Server request from an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node and interacting with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server further comprises:

determining when a first Domain Name Server has failed to respond and selecting a second Domain Name Server to which a subsequent Domain Name Server request shall be sent.

20. The method of claim 19 and further comprising:

not providing information to the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node regarding such a failure to respond.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein selecting a second Domain Name Server further comprises sequentially selecting the second Domain Name Server from a list of available Domain Name Servers.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein sequentially selecting the second Domain Name Server from a list of available Domain Name Servers further comprise sequentially selecting the second Domain name Server from a list of available Domain Name Servers, wherein the list comprises a circular queue.

23. An apparatus comprising:

an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node interface;

a Domain Name Server interface;

a controller operably coupled to the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node interface and to the Domain Name Server interface and being adapted and configured to;

receive an Internet Protocol version 6 communication other than a Domain Name Server request from an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node and forward a corresponding Internet Protocol version 6 message on behalf of the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node;

receive a Domain Name Server request from an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node and interact with the Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node as a proxy for a Domain Name Server.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the controller further comprises means for receiving a Domain Name Server request from an Internet Protocol version 6 mobile node that uses link local Internet Protocol version 6 addressing and that comprises a Domain Name System identifier.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the controller further comprises means for modifying the Domain Name System identifier to provide a modified Domain Name System identifier.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the controller further comprises means for mapping the modified Domain Name Server to each of:

the Domain Name System identifier;

an Internet Protocol address as corresponds to a selected Domain Name Server;

a Point-to-Point Protocol context as corresponds to the mobile node.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the controller further comprises means for sourcing a Domain Name Server request using the modified Domain Name System identifier to a Domain Name Server and receiving from the Domain Name Server a Domain Name Server response that bears the modified Domain Name System identifier.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the controller further comprises means for using at least the modified Domain Name System identifier as comprises a part of the Domain Name Server response to map the Domain Name Server response to the Domain Name System identifier and the Point-to-Point Protocol context to provide a recovered Domain Name System identifier.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the controller further comprises means for forming a Domain Name Server proxy response using the recovered Domain Name System identifier.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the apparatus comprises a packet data serving node.