SYSTEMS & METHODS FOR STATISTICAL RESOLUTION OF DOMAIN NAME SERVICE (DNS) REQUESTS

• US 20090063704A1
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Broadband LLC
• Inventors: Friedrich, Alisson Emilio, Selvamani, Kiruthika, Hansen, Tom, Taylor, Thomas Steven, Yakemovich, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,870 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 61/59 using proxies for addressing

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for resolving domain name services (DNS) queries for address information about hosts on a network. The queries are posited from remote users across a satellite or other remote link to a network, and are monitored as they pass through a central node logically present between the remote link and the network. A list of statistically significant hosts on the network is maintained and transmitted from the central node to the plurality of remote users across the remote link. By providing the remote nodes with a current list of popular hosts and associated address information, subsequent domain name services queries placed for the statistically significant hosts may be resolved without communicating across the remote link.

Claims

1. A method of resolving a plurality of domain name services queries posited from a plurality of remote users across a remote link to a network, wherein each query requests address information about a host on the network, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the plurality of domain name services queries as the queries pass through a central node logically present between the remote link and the network;

maintaining a list of statistically significant hosts on the network that are requested in the plurality of domain name services queries; and

transmitting the list of statistically significant hosts from the central node to the plurality of remote users across the remote link.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step allows subsequent domain name services queries placed by each of the plurality of remote users for the statistically significant hosts to be resolved without communicating across the remote link.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the list of statistically significant hosts to each the plurality of remote users when that remote user is inactive.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the list of statistically significant hosts to each the plurality of remote users when the remote link is inactive.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the list of statistically significant hosts to each of the plurality of remote users when that remote user executes a startup procedure.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the maintaining step comprises updating the list of statistically significant hosts.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the updating is performed on a periodic basis.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of processing the plurality of domain name services queries to obtain the address information about the hosts.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the list of statistically significant hosts is determined based upon a popularity of the hosts on the network.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the maintaining step comprises updating the address information for each of the hosts in the list of statistically significant hosts.

11. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are configure to execute the method of claim 1.

12. A system for resolving domain name services queries posited from a plurality of remote users across a remote link to a network, wherein each query requests address information about a host on the network, the system comprising:

a domain name services module configured to obtain the address information for the hosts identified in the plurality of domain name services requests;

a database of statistically significant hosts on the network that are requested in the plurality of domain name services queries, wherein the list comprises the address information obtained for the statistically significant hosts; and

an interface module configured to transmit the database of statistically significant hosts to the plurality of remote users across the remote link to thereby allow the remote users to resolve subsequent domain name services requests relating to the statistically significant hosts without traversing the remote link.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the remote link is a satellite link.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the interface module is an interface to the satellite link.

15. A method of handling a domain name services query for address information about an identified host residing across a remote link to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a list of statistically significant hosts on the network;

determining if the address information about the host identified in the query is contained within the list of statistically significant hosts;

if the address information about the host is contained in the list of statistically significant hosts, resolving the domain name services query with the address information contained in the list of statistically significant hosts, and otherwise forwarding the domain name services query across the remote link.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the remote link is a satellite link.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of receiving an updated list of statistically significant hosts via the remote link.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the receiving step is performed when the remote link is substantially idle.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the receiving step is performed prior to the receipt of the domain name services query.

20. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are configure to execute the method of claim 15.