Reducing DNS Lookups

• US 20120036227A1
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kleinfelter, Kevin P., Littrell, Kim
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A method for reducing Domain Name System (DNS) lookup traffic in a computer data network in a system including a router in communication with a client computer includes the steps of receiving a DNS lookup request through a web browser when the user requests to open a particular URL. The router sends the DNS lookup request for a hostname of the web server to a DNS server and receives a corresponding IP address. The router forwards the IP address to the web browser and the web browser sends a network connection request with a file transfer request to the router. The router forwards the request to the web server. The web server responds to the request by sending an HTML document for the web page. Upon receiving the HTML document, the router examines the HTML document for the URLs associated with image elements to be downloaded for display of a web page and sends one DNS lookup request for each of the distinct hostnames, regardless of how many times that distinct hostname appears in the HTML document. The router receives IP addresses, each of which corresponds to one of each of the distinct hostnames and modifies the HTML document by replacing the each of the distinct hostnames, including their recurrences, in the URLs associated with the image elements with their corresponding IP addresses.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a file from a server in response to an initial request by a client, the file including multiple universal resource locators containing a hostname;

identifying an Internet Protocol address associated with the hostname;

creating a modified file including replacing each occurrence of the hostname with the Internet Protocol address for each universal resource locator containing the hostname within the file; and

providing the modified file to the client in response to the initial request.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending a single domain name server lookup request for the multiple universal resource locators corresponding to the hostname.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising receiving the Internet Protocol address in response to the single domain name server lookup request.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining other multiple universal resource locators containing a different hostname.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising replacing each occurrence of the different hostname with a different Internet Protocol address for each other multiple universal resource locator in the modified file.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising sending another domain name server lookup request for the other multiple universal resource locators corresponding to the different hostname.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising receiving the different Internet Protocol address in response to the another domain name server lookup request.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial request is a domain name server request received from a web browser at the client.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving the initial request from the client.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a web server Internet Protocol address that corresponds to a web server.

11. A system, comprising:

a domain name server receiving an initial domain name server request and a file from a web browser at a client, the file including multiple universal resource locators containing a hostname;

the domain name server creating a modified file that replaces each occurrence of the hostname with an Internet Protocol address for each universal resource locator containing the hostname within the file; and

the domain name server providing the modified file to the client in response to the domain name server request.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the domain name server further sends a single domain name server lookup request for the multiple universal resource locators corresponding to the hostname.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the domain name server further receives the Internet Protocol address in response to the single domain name server lookup request.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the domain name server further determines that the file contains other multiple universal resource locators containing a different hostname.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the domain name server further replaces each occurrence of the different hostname with a different Internet Protocol address for each other multiple universal resource locator in the modified file.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the domain name server further sends another domain name server lookup request for the other multiple universal resource locators corresponding to the different hostname.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the domain name server further receives the different Internet Protocol address in response to the another domain name server lookup request.

18. A system, comprising:

a processor executing code stored in memory that causes the processor to;

receive a file from a server in response to an initial request by a client, the file including multiple universal resource locators containing a hostname;

identify an Internet Protocol address associated with the hostname;

create a modified file including replacing each occurrence of the hostname with the Internet Protocol address for each universal resource locator containing the hostname within the file; and

provide the modified file to the client in response to the initial request.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the code further causes the processor to associate the Internet Protocol address to the hostname.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the code further causes the processor to send a single domain name server lookup request for the multiple universal resource locators corresponding to the hostname.