Determining address of closest edge server

• US 20060253609A1
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Andreev, Dmitry, Grunin, Galina, Vilshansky, Gregory, Nguyen, Luu Quoc
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method and system is presented for bypassing a local Domain Name Server (DNS) when using edge caching servers. Domain names of frequently used business applications that are known to rely upon edge servers, together with the corresponding authoritative DNSs, are listed in both local hosts file and user defined FSFD local configuration file fsfd.conf. When the client computer'"'"'s browser attempts to resolve a domain name, a File System Filtering Driver (FSFD) in the client computer intercepts the browser'"'"'s request. If the domain name which is being resolved is found in a local FSFD configuration file fsfd.conf, then the FSFD initiates a DNS request directly to the appropriate authoritative DNS whose IP address gets extracted from the fsfd.conf record, thus bypassing the local DNS. The authoritative DNS returns the IP address for an edge caching server that is topographically proximate to the client computer'"'"'s browser.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

coupling a client computer to an enterprise-wide network;

coupling an assigned Domain Name Server (DNS) to the enterprise-wide network;

requesting, by the client computer, a content from a web server; and

in response to the content requested by a client computer being on an edge caching server that is coupled to a Wide Area Network (WAN), circumventing the assigned DNS and using an authoritative DNS on the WAN to obtain an address of the edge caching server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request to the edge caching server for the content; and

receiving the content at the client computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the WAN is the Internet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content is a webpage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the client computer further comprises:

a hosts file for storing Internet Protocol (IP) addresses; and

a file system filtering driver, wherein a request for the address of the edge caching server is obtained by the file system filtering driver that performs the steps of;

filtering a request, sent by the operating system domain name resolver service to the hosts file, for an IP address of an origin web server;

sending a request for the IP address of the origin web server to the authoritative DNS;

receiving from the authoritative DNS an IP address for the edge caching server; and

in the file system response to the operating system domain name resolver service, replacing an IP address for the origin web server with the IP address for the edge caching server.

6. A system comprising:

a client computer coupled to an enterprise-wide network;

an assigned Domain Name Server (DNS) coupled to the enterprise-wide network;

a browser in the client computer for requesting a content from a web server; and

a file system filtering driver in the client computer, wherein, if the content requested by a client computer is on an edge caching server that is coupled to a Wide Area Network (WAN), the file system filtering driver circumvents the assigned DNS to use an authoritative DMS on the WAN to obtain an address of the edge caching server.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the client computer further comprises means for:

sending a request to the edge caching server for the content; and

receiving the content at the client computer.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the WAN is the Internet.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the content is a webpage.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the client computer further comprises:

a hosts file for storing Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, wherein the file system filtering driver performs the steps of;

filtering a request, sent by the operating system domain name resolver service to the hosts file, for an IP address for an origin web server;

sending a request for the IP address of the origin web server to the authoritative DNS;

receiving from the authoritative DNS an IP address for the edge caching server; and

in the file system response to the operating system domain name resolver service, replacing an IP address for the origin web server with the IP address for the edge caching server.

11. A computer program product, residing on a computer usable medium, comprising:

computer program code for coupling a client computer to an enterprise-wide network;

computer program code for coupling an assigned Domain Name Server (DNS) to the client computer;

computer program code for requesting, by the client computer, a content from a web server; and

computer program code for, in response to determining that the content requested by a client computer is on an edge caching server that is coupled to a Wide Area Network (WAN), circumventing the assigned DNS and using an authoritative DMS on the WAN to obtain an address of the edge caching server.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer program code for sending a request to the edge caching server for the content; and

computer program code for receiving the content at the client computer.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the WAN is the Internet.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the content is a webpage.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the client computer further comprises:

a hosts file for storing Internet Protocol (IP) addresses; and

a file system filtering driver, wherein a request for the address of the edge caching server is obtained by the file system filtering driver that performs the steps of;

filtering a request sent by the operating system domain name resolver service to the host file, for an IP address for an origin web server;

sending a request for the IP address of the origin web server to the authoritative DNS;

receiving from the authoritative DNS an IP address for the edge caching server; and

in the file system response to the operating system domain name resolver service, replacing an IP address for the origin web server with the IP address for the edge caching server.