Using virtual domain name service (DNS) zones for enterprise content delivery

• US 20130024503A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Neerdaels, Charles J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,909,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3025 Domain name generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/59 using proxies for addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A domain to be published to an enterprise ECDN is associated with a set of one or more enterprise zones configurable in a hierarchy. When a DNS query arrives for a hostname known to be associated with given content within the control of the ECDN, a DNS server responds by handing back an IP address, by executing a zone referral to a next (lower) level name server in a zone hierarchy, or by CNAMing to another hostname, thereby restarting the lookup procedure. At any level in the zone hierarchy, there is an associated zone server that executes logic that applies the requested hostname against a map. A name query to ECDN-managed content may be serviced in coordination with various sources of distributed network intelligence.

Claims

1. A method of content delivery involving a first entity and a second entity, comprising:

deploying a first relay behind an enterprise firewall associated with the first entity, wherein the first entity has a private namespace that is not resolvable through public Internet DNS, the private namespace having one or more enterprise domains associated therewith;

delegating to the second entity responsibility for managing a virtual zone associated with the private namespace of the first entity; and

in response to receipt of a request associated with the virtual zone, retrieving a private object published by the first entity.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second entity is a service provider and the first entity is a service provider customer.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the virtual zone is resolvable without reference to public Internet DNS.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further including:

building a list of the enterprise domains that are candidates for caching, wherein an enterprise domain that is a candidate for caching has associated therewith a set of one or more IP addresses associated with nearby content servers managed as part of an Internet content delivery network (ICDN) associated with the second entity.

5. The method as described in claim 4 wherein the list of enterprise domains is built based on recorded usage patterns of address record lookups.

6. The method as described in claim 5 further including the step of modifying the list as the recorded usage patterns change.