UPDATING SOFTWARE UTILIZING DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM (DNS)

• US 20170068530A1
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Published: 03/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Berrange, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,977,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Examples described herein are directed to systems and methods for updating software. An update system may generate a first Domain Name System (DNS) record comprising first version data indicating a version of an update to the software. The update system may send the DNS record to a DNS server with an indication of a domain name associated with the software.

Claims

1. A system for updating a database, the system comprising:

an update system, the update system comprising at least one processor and operatively associated memory, wherein the update system is programmed to;

generate a resource record comprising first version data indicating a first version of an update to the database available at the update system;

write the resource record to a zone file corresponding to a domain name;

write, to the zone file, time-to-live data for the resource record, wherein the time-to-live data indicates a valid time period for the resource record;

send the zone file to a Domain Name System (DNS) server;

a client system comprising at least one processor and operatively associated memory, wherein the client system is programmed to;

execute a DNS client;

send, to the DNS client, a DNS query comprising domain name data indicating the domain name;

in response to the DNS query, receive the zone file from the DNS client;

determine that the valid time period indicated by the time-to-live data from the zone file has not expired;

determine that the first version data does not match client version data indicating a current client update to the database;

send to the update system a request for the first version of the update to the database; and

receive, from the update system, the first version of the update to the database.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the DNS client is programmed to:

receive the DNS query;

determine that a memory location associated with the DNS client does not comprise a valid copy of the zone file corresponding to the domain name; and

send the DNS query to a DNS server; and

wherein the DNS server is programmed to;

receive the DNS query from the DNS client;

determine that a memory location associated with the DNS server comprises the zone file;

determine that the valid time period indicated by the time-to-live data from the zone file has not expired; and

send the zone file to the DNS client.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the database comprises a plurality of records, and wherein the update comprises database replacement data to replace at least one of the plurality of records.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource record is a TXT resource record.

5. A method for updating software, comprising:

generating, by an update system, a first Domain Name System (DNS) record, the first DNS record comprising first version data indicating a version of an update to the software, the update system comprising at least one processor and operatively associated memory;

sending, by the update system, the first DNS record to a DNS server with an indication of a domain name associated with the software;

generating, by the update system, a second DNS record, the second DNS record comprising a second version data indicating a second version of the update to the software; and

sending, by the update system, the second DNS record to the DNS server with the indication of the domain name associated with the software.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising associating with the first DNS record, data indicating a valid time period for the update to the software.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the first DNS record comprises:

generating a first zone file; and

writing to the first zone file a resource record, wherein the resource record comprises the first version data.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the first DNS record comprises including in the first DNS record a valid time period for the first DNS record.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the second DNS record is performed after a valid time period for the first DNS record has expired.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising, before generating the second DNS record, receiving, by the update system, an indication that the second version of the update is available at the update system for download by at least one client system.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising encrypting, by the update system, the first DNS record with a private key of the update system.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

before sending the DNS record to the DNS server, writing to the first DNS record, second version data indicating a version of a second update to the software.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first DNS record comprises a zone file, and wherein the zone file comprises a first resource record comprising the first version data and a second resource record comprising the second version data.

14. A method for updating software, the method comprising:

sending, by a client system, a domain name system (DNS) query, the DNS query comprising domain data indicating a domain name associated with a first software update;

receiving, by the client system, in response to the DNS query, a DNS record comprising first version data indicating a first version of a first update to the software;

determining, by the client system, that the first version data is not equivalent to second version data stored at the client system, the second version data indicating a second version of the first update to the software at the client system;

sending, by the client system and to an update system, a request for the first update to the software; and

receiving, by the client system and from the update system, the first update to the software.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein sending the DNS query comprises sending the DNS query to a DNS client executing at the client system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, by the DNS client, that no valid copy of the DNS record is stored at the client system;

sending, by the DNS client, the DNS query to a first DNS server;

receiving, by the DNS client and from the first DNS server, the DNS record; and

returning, by the DNS client, the DNS record.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying, by the DNS client, a cached copy of the DNS record at a memory location of the client system;

determining that a valid time period indicated by the cached copy of the DNS record has not expired; and

returning, by the DNS client, the cached copy of the DNS record as the DNS record.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining that a digital signature of the DNS record matches a public key of the update system.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the software comprises a database, the database comprising a plurality of records, and wherein the first update comprises a modification to a first record of the plurality of records.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the DNS record comprises a zone file, further comprising:

identifying in the zone file a resource record corresponding to the first update; and

reading the first version data from the resource record.