SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM TRAFFIC ROUTING

• US 20150271031A1
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: NSONE Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Beevers, Kristopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,779,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

Systems and methods for improving Domain Name System (DNS) traffic routing, the systems and methods have a DNS resolver in digital communication with a microprocessor of an authoritative DNS server, wherein the authoritative DNS server is configured to make DNS traffic routing decisions, wherein a DNS query, associated with a requested DNS resource record, is transmitted to the authoritative DNS server. The systems and methods have at least one database in digital communication with, and accessible by, the authoritative DNS server, wherein the authoritative DNS server identifies the requested DNS resource record associated with the DNS query and extracts, from the at least one database, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated comprise at least an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query and at least one assigned filter instruction. The microprocessor filters the input collection of potential answers by executing the at least one filter instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query. The at least one final answer is composed into a DNS response to the DNS query by the microprocessor, and the DNS response may be is returnable as output to the DNS resolver.

Claims

1. A system for improving Domain Name System (DNS) traffic routing, the system comprises:

a DNS resolver in digital communication with a microprocessor of an authoritative DNS server via a digital communication network, wherein the authoritative DNS server is configured to make DNS traffic routing decisions, wherein a DNS query, associated with a requested DNS resource record, is transmitted to the authoritative DNS server via the digital communication network;

at least one database in digital communication with, and accessible by, the authoritative DNS server, wherein the authoritative DNS server identifies the requested DNS resource record associated with the DNS query and extracts, from the at least one database, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record comprise an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query, at least one assigned filter instruction and at least one selected from one or more statically configured details relevant to each potential answer and/or one or more dynamically determined details relevant to each potential answer, wherein the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server filters the input collection of potential answers by executing the at least one filter instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query, wherein at least one final answer is composed into a DNS response to the DNS query by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server, when the DNS response is at least one selected from returned as output to the DNS resolver.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more statically configured details comprises at least one selected from one or more geographic locations, one or more priorities, one or more weights, one or more network related details, one or more costs, metric watermarks, notes, application-specific details, and information relevant to each potential answer.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises at least one selected from one or more infrastructure metrics selected from an up/down status, one or more system loads, one or more bandwidth usages, one or more connection counts, one or more request counts and one or more performance metrics.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises one or more metrics relating to or associated with network connectivity between a client terminal and the requested internet-accessible resource identified by a DNS resource record, wherein the one or more metrics comprise latency, throughput, packet loss, and/or jitter.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface in digital communication with the authoritative DNS server, wherein at least one selected from (i) the configurations details associated with the requested DNS resource record are configured via the user interface, (ii) at least one selected from the at least one filter instruction are assigned and associated with the DNS resource record via the user interface, and (iii) at least one selected from the at least one filter instruction are selected, configured and arranged via the user interface.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a client terminal in digital communication with at least one selected from the DNS resolver and the authoritative DNS server.

7. A computer-implemented method for improving Domain Name System (DNS) traffic routing, the method comprising:

receiving, by a microprocessor of an authoritative DNS server, a DNS query, associated with a requested DNS resource record, via a digital communication network, wherein the authoritative DNS server makes DNS traffic routing decisions;

identifying, by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server, the requested DNS resource record associated with the DNS query;

extracting, from at least one database or memory accessible by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record comprise an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query, at least one selected and/or arranged filter instruction and at least one selected from one or more statically configured details relevant to each potential answer and/or one or more dynamically determined details relevant to each potential answer;

filtering, by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server, the input collection of potential answers by executing the at least one selected, filtered and/or arranged filter instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query;

composing the at least one final answer into a DNS response to the DNS query by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server; and

returning the DNS response as output.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising at least one selected from:

transmitting the DNS query from a DNS resolver to the DNS server; and

transmitting the DNS response to the DNS resolver from the DNS server.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising at least one selected from:

transmitting the DNS query from a client terminal to the DNS resolver; and

transmitting the DNS response to the client terminal from the DNS resolver.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

accessing, by the client terminal, the requested internet-accessible resource identified by the DNS resource record via the DNS response.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one selected and/or arranged filter instruction are pre-defined filter instructions provided by an DNS server operator of the authoritative DNS server.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one selected, configured and/or arranged filter instructions are pre-defined filter instructions selected, configured and/or arranged by a resource owner via a user interface in digital communication with the authoritative DNS server.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more statically configured details comprises at least one selected from one or more geographic locations, one or more priorities, one or more weights, one or more network related details, one or more costs, metric watermarks, notes, application-specific details, and information relevant to each potential answer.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises at least one selected from one or more infrastructure metrics, one or more system loads, one or more bandwidth usage, and one or more performance metrics.

15. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises metrics relating to, or associated with, network connectivity between a client terminal and the requested internet-accessible resource identified by a DNS resource record, wherein the metrics comprise latency, throughput, packet loss, and/or jitter.

16. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

delivering the metrics to the authoritative DNS server via a user interface in digital communication with the authoritative DNS server, wherein the metrics are computed and/or measured by a resource owner or a third party.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a microprocessor, perform a method for improving Domain Name System (DNS) traffic routing, the method comprising:

identifying, by the microprocessor, a requested DNS resource record associated a DNS query received by the microprocessor;

extracting, from at least one database or memory accessible by the microprocessor, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record comprise an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query, at least one selected, configured and/or arranged filter instruction and at least one selected from one or more statically configured details relevant to each potential answer and/or one or more dynamically determined details relevant to each potential answer;

filtering, by the microprocessor, the input collection of potential answers by executing the at least one selected, configured and/or arranged filter instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query;

composing the at least one final answer into a DNS response to the DNS query by the microprocessor; and

returning the DNS response as output.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the microprocessor is associated with an authoritative DNS server, and further wherein the authoritative DNS server makes DNS traffic routing decisions.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting the DNS query from a DNS resolver to the microprocessor.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

storing a plurality of DNS resource records in the at least one database or the memory accessible by the microprocessor; and

selecting, configuring and/or arranging the at least one filtering instructions independently for each individual DNS resource record of the plurality of DNS resource records.