DYNAMIC EXPIRATION OF DOMAIN NAME SERVICE ENTRIES

• US 20100106833A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rallapalli, Swati, Banerjee, Dwip N., Vo, Patrick T., Paranjape, Prashant A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

Disclosed is a computer implemented method and computer program product for transmitting a resource record to a requesting computer. An authoritative domain name server receives a DNS query from a requesting computer at a name server. The authoritative domain name server looks up the resource record based on the DNS query, wherein the resource record is associated with an epochal time and a time to live. The authoritative domain name server transmits the resource record response based on the epochal time.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to transmit a resource record to a requesting computer, the method comprising:

receiving a domain name service query from a requesting computer at a name server;

looking up the resource record based on the domain name service query, wherein the resource record is associated with an epochal time and a time to live; and

transmitting the resource record response based on the epochal time.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the resource record response based on the epochal time comprises:

determining whether the epochal time is prior to a system time of the name server;

responsive to a determination that the epochal time is not prior to the system time;

selecting a smaller of epochal time and time to live to form a resource record for transmittal; and

transmitting the resource record for transmittal to the requesting computer.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein selecting a smaller of epochal time and time to live to form a resource for transmittal comprises:

determining whether the epochal time is smaller than the time to live;

responsive to a determination that the epochal time is smaller than the time to live;

converting the epochal time to a delta time; and

forming a resource record for transmittal using the delta time as a time to live of the resource record for transmittal.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the resource record based on the epochal time comprises:

determining whether the epochal time is prior to a system time of the name server;

responsive to a determination that the epochal time is prior to the system time;

removing the resource record from a database of the name server; and

transmitting a NXDOMAIN for the resource record to the requesting computer.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein transmitting the NXDOMAIN for the resource record is responsive to a determination that no further matches are present in a domain name service database of the name server.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the resource record based on the epochal time comprises:

determining whether the epochal time is prior to a system time of the name server;

responsive to a determination that the epochal time is prior to a system time;

looking up a second resource record based on the domain name service query, wherein the resource record is associated with a second epochal time and a second time to live; and

transmitting the second resource record response based on the second epochal time.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a set of resource record responses that is smaller than a set of matching resource records in the name server.

8. A computer program product to transmit a resource record to a requesting computer, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code configured to receive a domain name service query from a requesting computer at a name server;

computer usable program code configured to look up the resource record based on the domain name service query, wherein the resource record is associated with an epochal time and a time to live; and

computer usable program code configured to transmit the resource record response based on the epochal time.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein transmitting the resource record response based on the epochal time comprises:

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the epochal time is prior to a system time of the name server;

computer usable program code configured to select a smaller of epochal time and time to live to form a resource record for transmittal;

computer usable program code responsive to a determination that the epochal time is not prior to the system time; and

computer usable program code configured to transmit the resource record for transmittal to the requesting computer.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein selecting a smaller of epochal time and time to live to form a resource for transmittal comprises:

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the epochal time is smaller than the time to live;

computer usable program code configured to convert the epochal time to a delta time;

computer usable program code responsive to a determination that the epochal time is smaller than the time to live; and

computer usable program code configured to form a resource record for transmittal using the delta time as a time to live of the resource record for transmittal.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein transmitting the resource record based on the epochal time comprises:

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the epochal time is prior to a system time of the name server;

computer usable program code configured to remove the resource record from a database of the name server;

computer usable program code responsive to a determination that the epochal time is prior to the system time; and

computer usable program code configured to transmit a NXDOMAIN for the resource record to the requesting computer.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein transmitting the NXDOMAIN for the resource record is responsive to a determination that no further matches are present in a domain name service database of the name server.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein transmitting the resource record based on the epochal time comprises:

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the epochal time is prior to a system time of the name server;

computer usable program code configured to look up a second resource record based on the domain name service query, wherein the resource record is associated with a second epochal time and a second time to live;

computer usable program code responsive to a determination that the epochal time is prior to a system time; and

computer usable program code configured to transmit the second resource record response based on the second epochal time.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to transmit a set of resource record responses that is smaller than a set of matching resource records in the name server.

15. A name server implemented method for maintaining a domain name service database, the method comprising:

receiving an address update associated with a domain name, the address update having a lifetime expiration record;

calculating an epochal time associated with lifetime expiration record; and

storing the epochal time and at least one time to live with a domain name as a resource record.

16. The name server implemented method of claim 15, wherein the lifetime expiration record includes a duration field.

17. The name server implemented method of claim 16, wherein the duration field is substantially a day.

18. The name server implemented method of claim 15, wherein the lifetime expiration record includes an epochal time.

19. The name server implemented method of claim 15, wherein the lifetime expiration record includes a type-field used to signal an identity of the lifetime expiration record as a lifetime expiration record.

20. The name server implemented method of claim 15, wherein the address update has at least one time to live.